1st Grade - Color Mixing Turkey Collage

This is one of those lessons that I really feel is a keeper. I'm the kind of art teacher who could never do all the same projects year after year, but there are some that I have cemented into my curriculum, and this is one of them.

This takes me two 50-minute sessions. In the first session, I start with a 12x18" piece of white sulfate paper, and have the students fold it into 8 long rectangles. With first grade, this can be quite an experience, but if I take it slow and I check them after each step, I usually only have one or two per class that don't fold it correctly the first time.

We then go through each rectangle and make a pattern of shapes with crayon. The first is blue, second is yellow, third is red, fourth is red/yellow, fifth is red/blue, sixth is yellow/blue, which leaves two blank. I then tell them to watercolor each rectangle with the colors they used in their patterns. If there are two colors in the pattern, they have to mix them, starting with the lightest color first. I love this step because it allows them to discover the secondary colors on their own to see which colors make what. I then let them paint the blank ones however they want, or they can use them to make a color they messed up on before.



During the second class period, we turn the watercolored paper into feathers and create a turkey collage. I happen to be at the Michigan Art Education Association Conference when it was time for my classes to do this part of the lesson, so I made visual posters to direct the students through each step.





I tested it out with a few classes before I left, and I loved how self-directed and independent my little first graders were. I did give them stencils for the body, head, and feathers, and then pre-cut the beak and feet paper into two-inch yellow squares. I then added the googly eyes as a fun way to finish them off.

I love me some googly eyes...



Let me also share with you that I followed up this lesson with my own version of Deep Space Sparkle's Color Mixing Fish. I thought it was a great way to tie up my turkey lesson because they were still mixing colors, but with a slightly different medium (tempera). Hopefully I'll have some of these results up soon!

2nd Grade Clay Turkeys

It's about that time again... Thanksgiving is coming up fast, and then winter break is just a hop, skip and a jump away. With conferences in between, there's only so much time to squeeze this project in and get them fired. Here is a step-by-step tutorial to get you started... fired and painted projects to be shown at a later time:

Start with a ball of clay.

Flatten it out into a "pancake." I tell my students to use the side of their fist. Yes, it's loud for a while, but it saves me time from having to roll them out myself and the cost of rolling pins. I tell them to stop flattening it as soon as they can fit there hand into the pancake.

Trace the hand with a paperclip.

Then use the paper clip to cut all the way through the traced hand, and remove the excess.

Use the excess clay to roll out a marble-sized ball and flatten it out.

Score and slip the circle into the middle of the hand. Instead of "score and slip," I tell them to "wet, scratch, wet." They scratch a "checkerboard" into both surfaces to be stuck together, wet them a little bit with water, then scratch again. I insist that they are sure not to skip this step, or the pieces will fall apart once the clay dry. Sure enough, I've already lost a foot on one of the projects... Add feet using two smaller marbles of clay and same procedure as face.

Add toes, eyes, beak, and snood (what kid won't get a kick out of that word?!).

Since the finished project is flat, I also like to add holes at the top so it could be hung.

For my general tips for doing a clay project with a class, see Clay Pumpkins.

Enjoy!