4th- Radial Design

4th Grade: Radial Designs

4th graders did a bit of fun origami involving radial design. I did this project last year..and instructions can be found here: http://leaping2newheights.blogspot.com/search/label/paper%20sculpture

This year, we used 3" x 3" construction paper. Last year, we used 2" x 2" copy paper. Both have great results. Probably the copy paper is a little easier to fold, but the construction paper is convenient when you have a lot of this to use up at the end of the year! Students folded "darts" from pre-cut colored squares. This year, students folded the 12" x 12" black square to create 8 folds coming from the center. This helped in guiding their radial design. I like the creativity this project always sparks and the great problem solving. Some students discover new ways to fit the darts within each other. Also, a few students fold the squares into original designs (other than than darts). This is fine as long as they have some darts somewhere. A very geometric project. I love the color combinations used as well.

1st-Chinese Dragons

Kinder: Chinese Dragons

This is the 2nd year I've done Chinese Dragons. Last year, I did dragons with 1st grade. They were a bit different than the version I did with kinder below. I did not have enough watercolor paint left to do what I did last year with 1st. But I think it is just as well, because the below project is simplified-perfect for kinder. We watched the same videos-one on a Chinese New Year parade and another of a Chinese Dragon Dance. We talked a bit about Chinese New Year and of course how dragons were involved. Chinese Dragons are a symbol of wisdom, strength and luck. The longer the dragon, the more luck!

We did a step-by-step instruction with this dragon. We began with a triangle head. We added eyes, mustache, horns, silly hair. Then, added a wavy body line and added triangular or wavy scales. Some classes used Crayola's construction paper crayons. Other classes used oil pastels. The crayons are less messy, but the oil pastels have better color. It is interesting to compare results. After students drew and colored, they added small ribbon pieces (confetti) and gold glitter tempera paint. This was a simpler project compared to a few other things we've done this year, and a nice way to end the school year. This was the 2nd to last project kinders did.

Way to go Kindergarten!

K & 1st-Origami Dogs

K & 1st: Origami Puppy Dogs

Kinders and 1st graders learned a bit about the history of Origami-the Japanese art form of folding a single piece of paper to create a work of art. Glue is traditionally not allowed. However, when we created these dogs, we cheated a little bit and used glue to attach the head to the body. Origami became popular in the 1950's in America and had grown into a great national past time. Origami is cheap, fun and convenient. It's also a great way to focus and relax. It also encourages creativity. Just look at the many ways  our fantastic Davis students made their dogs their own. There are many instructions on how to create this dog

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/225883737530878708/

I found instructions on Pinterest (above). Also, the blog below gives some great examples:

http://www.cindyderosier.com/2013/02/origami-dog.html

Students used permanent markers, crayola markers, and oil pastels to decorate. Some classes created larger dogs from brown construction paper squares and smaller dogs with traditional smaller colored squares. We called the smaller pups "Puppy Dog Jr." Students got a kick out of that! Many also gave their dog a name and wrote that on the collar.