Students create paintings from their own imaginations.
By Maryanne Messier
What You Need:
- 10×12 white paper
- tempera paint
- paint shirts
- newspaper
- water
- glue
- imaginations :o)
- Imagination handout
- 12×18 construction paper
What You Do:
- Talk to students about using their imaginations to create paintings.
- Explain that their imagination is the best tool that they have to create any kind of artwork.
- Have them wake up their imaginations (I had them close their eyes and say “wake up imagination, wake up”). You may use any creative way to get them excited about using their imaginations.
- Once they have done that, they need to get their materials and paint shirts. Review the rules about painting (whatever your rules are)
- After all of that has been completed they may begin. Don’t tell them what they can or cannot paint, just “turn them loose”- so to speak- to create their paintings. It’s so interesting to see just what they really are capable of.
- When all is said and done, and the paintings are dry, they can glue them onto the paper for their artbook, and then glue the tag that goes with it (When I use my imagination, I can create anything).Make sure their names and dates are on the back. You have successfully completed page 7 of the art book.
► Go to Page Eight (About the Artist)
Related Lessons and Resources:
► Imagination handout
► The Art Book – Index
The Art Book is a special series of lessons from Maryanne Messier, a teacher from Janesville Wisconsin. “This Art Book theme was created to help art educators by giving them another form of assessment. So many times we as art educators find it difficult to assess a child’s progress when projects are sent home. By using portfolio assessment it is easier to judge a child’s progress because you can see it from beginning to end. The idea of the art book came from a colleague of mine, Mary Jo Paup. She developed the “book” idea while working towards her masters. When she told me about the idea I decided to use it with my kindergartners. I used the Janesville School District’s Art Curriculum as a basis for each project page. It was a challenge but well worth it. The beauty of portfolio assessment is that it starts in kindergarten and can follow them through their elementary career. As the child grows so do the books and the lessons. If you decide to use this form of assessment in your class, I hope your class enjoys these lessons as much as mine did. -Maryanne Messier
Some images are courtesy of Teach a Fish Homeschool.
