Pennsylvania Dutch Rotational Hex Design
2nd grade students discussed the difference between rotational symmetry and mirror symmetry. They also learned about the Pennsylvania Dutch who created large Hex Designs that they hung on their barns. The talked about the meaning of the word "Hex" and realized that Hex designs have six sections, just like hexagons have six sides! They then created their own Rotational Hex Designs using pencils and markers. 
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 3.2, 6.1, 7.1, 8.3

Clay Turtles
First grade students use the "pinch and pull" method to shape turtles out of clay. They started with a ball of clay, then they pinched and pulled out the head, arms and tail.   To ensure they did not forget any important parts they learned the basic anatomy of a turtle.  The finishing touch was adding details and designs to the shells of their turtles. After they were dried and fired the students were given the opportunity to paint them with creative colors.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 3.1, 5.1, 10.1

Under the Sea
Students created underwater seascapes with fish, sea animals, coral, and seaweed. They learned about how the size relationships of their fish can help to show distance. They tried to create a large variety of sea creatures in their paintings. They also explored the technique of using crayon and watercolor resist.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 2.6, 3.3

Season Cubes
Students create 6 sided season cubes using paper and glue.  They draw small pictures representing the four seasons on four of the squares, then they can use the extra two squares to draw their favorite seasons again from a new point of view.  This is a challenging project, but it gives the students a chance to turn a 2D piece of artwork into a 3D piece of artwork, which is very rewarding for them.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.6, 3.3, 5.1, 5.2, 

Name Design
Students practiced writing their name and then filled in the space around their name using a variety of lines and shapes.  Mrs. Brown challenged the students to fill in their whole paper.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.2, 5.1

Shading Pumpkin
Students used pastels to create drawings of pumpkins during the fall season. They were encouraged to look at the way the light landed on the pumpkin. They experimented with blending the pastels to make shadows.

Sun Expressions
Second grade students created images of several "suns" each with a different facial expression. We discussed the difference between warm and cool colors. The warm colors include red, yellow, orange, pink, and brown. The cool colors include blue, green, purple, turquoise, and gray. They used warm colored oil pastels to color their suns, then painted a wash over the entire image using cool colored tempera paints. 
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 2.6, 3.3, 5.1

Snowman Portraits
Snowman are typically drawn using the old formula of three circles stacked one on top of the other. For this project students were challenged to zoom in closer. They were only allowed to draw two circles, and they were encouraged to add details to the snowman and to the background. We used pencils, sharpies, and construction paper crayons for coloring.

Barnyard Collage
Students reviewed landscape artwork of American folk artists and the lifestyle of the Pennsylvania Dutch farmers. This was the second time the second graders talked about the Pennsylvania Dutch and they had a lot to say! Based on their discussions, they created a barnyard landscape collage that included a red barn, animals, and objects that might be found on a farm. 
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 2.14, 3.3, 5.1, 5.2

Hot Air Balloons - Tints and Shades
Second grade students learned how to change the way a color looks by adding either black or white to the color. The color variations are called tints and shades. This is the students first introduction to this concept so they were encouraged to do a lot of experimenting. Each student tried to several examples of tints in their painting of hot air balloons. 
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 2.6, 3.3, 5.1  

Stitching Animals
Students learned how the basics of stitching. They practiced threading their own needle and they learned a simple running stitch. We practiced by saying "In, out, and pull. In, out and pull," while they stitched.  Using pieces of burlap and yarn they stitch the shape of an animal. When they were done we added eyes for the final touch.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 2.6, 3.3, 5.1  

Op Art Shapes
Students will view examples of "Op Art" (The art of optical illusions) and become familiar with the artist M.C. Escher. They will discuss the different ways that art can "fool the eye" and "play tricks with your eyes". They will create their own Op Artwork by using markers, rulers, and geometric shapes. They will also learn about color contrast, and will choose colors that are either high or low contrast. This project challenges students to create a complex pattern of colors that alternates from shape to shape. It also gives students a chance to practice their fine motor skills by coloring within the lines.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 3.2, 5.1, 10.1

Paper Weaving with Small Strips
This project is an extension of the large scale paper weaving done in first grade. For this project we start off with a simple over under weaving using strips of paper one inch wide.  Before cutting their strips many students will decorate their paper with lines and shapes to create a more interesting design when the weaving is put together.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.2, 2.5, 3.2

Shelf of Toys
This project works well when students have completed their other projects early. They are told to draw a line across the bottom of their paper and make it into a "shelf". On that shelf they should draw some of their favorite items and keepsakes. If someone was to look at their picture the goal would be that that person would be able to tell a lot about the artist.

Mondrian/Not Mondrian
Students explored the artwork of Piet Mondrian. They analyzed his style and came up with a list of criteria for what could be considered a "Mondrian style picture". Their lists consisted of "primary colors, white background, black lines, geometric shapes, horizontal and vertical shapes, no diagonals." They then created one collage in the style of Mondrian, and a second collage in the style they called "Not Mondrian". The results were literally exploding off the pages!!

City Collage
Students learned the difference between a landscape and a cityscape. They created a cityscape collage using textured paper and colored construction paper, with at least three buildings created from geometric shapes. Most of the objects in their picture are made from collaged paper and glue, rather than just simply drawing the objects. They were encouraged to think interesting things to put in their cityscape that would make their city unique.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.4, 2.10, 3.1

Self Portraits
Students in all grades at Hemenway School create Self Portraits in Mrs. Brown's art class.  Self Portraits are a great drawing project because it can teach students to draw beyond just what they think they see... but to draw what is really there.  All students were given a mirror to observe their facial features and look for small details.  As children grow older they progress through the 5 stages of artistic development (named by Viktor Lowenfeld).  Kindergarteners are usually somewhere between the "Scribble Stage" and the "Pre-schematic Stage".  As the students grow older they work their way through the artistic stages of "Schematic", "Dawning-Realism" and "Pseudo Realistic."  Though it can sometimes be tempting, it is very important not to rush young children through the early stages of artistic development.  Students in Grade K, 1 and 2 are full of creativity, and it is important to let students take their time so they can nurture their creative development. There is plenty of time in grades 3 and above to begin teaching them about the more technical aspects of drawing.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.2

Stained Glass Painting
Students created an abstract painting using a ruler to create many straight lines.  It reminded many students of stained glass.  We talked about color relationships and what happens when you put certain colors next to each other.  When the students were finished draing their lines with pencil and oil pastel they used tempera cakes to paint inside the shapes with a variety of colors. Many students were challenged to chose only 4 colors and try to create an interesting color relationship with only those four colors.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5, 3.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1

4 Square / 4 Color Design
Students reviewed the word "collage" and what it meant before beginning their talk about their new project. They were allowed to choose four colors of paper and were encouraged to chose colors that they felt created a mood, or went well together. Using only torn paper and glue they created an abstract design.
MACF: 1.1, 1,2 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 3.2, 5.2

Insect Anatomy
Students learn about the anatomy of an insect in their classrooms so as an interdisciplinary connection they had to create an insect in Art class. They could be as creative as they wanted to be with their insect as long as it contained the three main parts of an insects body. They did the drawing in pencil and sharpie marker, then used watercolor paints to add color.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.3, 10.1

Hide 'n' Seek Animals
Students looked at the artwork of Henri Rousseau and noted the large variety of textures, pattern and repetition. They created their own picture using patterns and repetition. Their goal was to hide an animal pattern in the jungle, similar to the way Rousseau does in his art work.

Pointillism Butterfly
Students created their first pointillism picture using the subject of butterflies as their inspiration. They used a butterfly tracer to map out the shape of the butterfly, then they filled in the wings and body with patterns and color.  They also need to think about mirror symmetry since the patterns on a butterfly's wings are always the same. The challenge to their project is that the entire thing must be done only using "dots", much like the artist George Seurat.  From a distance the colors come together to form the patterns, lines and shapes. It is a time consuming project that helps teach students patience and discipline.  When they are complete the students are always very proud of the work they did!
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.2, 5.1, 5.2

Above and Below Veggies
Students were able to look at some real vegetables that had been pulled from the ground. We discussed the difference between a vegetable garden and a flower garden. Students noticed that even though sometimes vegetables are grown below the ground you can still tell what it is by looking at the leaves. They used this knowledge when they created their vegetable garden paintings. They started with pencil and sharpie, then colored the veggies with oil pastels, then painting the remaining areas either brown or blue.

Pattern Fish
Students hid their name within the body of a fish and filled in the negative spaces with colors and patterns. The were able to use their choice of markers or crayons for this lesson.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.3, 5.1

Pattern Rainforest (Lesson from Mr. E)
We talked about how rainforests are colorful & full of life. We also talked about how things in the rainforest overlap! The first step was to have the students draw their trees. I made sure that they placed the trees at different levels on their page & that the branches overlapped at the top. Then students drew a variety of patterns in their trees. Next the students traced everything with Sharpie, did a watercolor wash over the whole page, then color over the trees with marker. 

Second grade students did a creative project where they got to invent their own clown. They drew their picture with pencil first, then traced their pencil lines with Elmer's glue. After the glue dried it created little barriers that divided the sections of the drawing. They filled in their clown with color using oil pastels. 
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 3.3  

Pop Art Self Portrait
Students viewed artwork by the artist Roy Lichtenstein. They looked at the way words could be used in conjunction with an image. They also looked at his use of the primary colors. Before they created their self portraits students each wrote their name at the top of a piece of paper. All the papers were passed around the room and each student had to write one positive words about each other student as the papers were passed.  By the end the students had a paper with 24 positive words that their classmates had written about them. They chose their favorite word and used that when creating their Pop Art self portrait.