Pennsylvania Dutch Radial Hex Design
2nd grade students discussed the difference between radial 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 Radial 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 Fossils
Students talked about fossils and learned new vocabulary words including "Paleontologist". They created their own fossils using seashells and clay. After the clay was dried and fired they painted them and tried to make them look old, like they had been underground for thousands of years. The students were not given any brown paint so they had to be creative and experiment with mixing colors to get the brown color they were looking for.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 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

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

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

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

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

Classmate Portraits
For this project students drew a small portrait of every person in their class. We then exchanged portraits so every student got 24 pictures of themselves back, all drawn by a different classmate.  The above example is a collage of the pictures given to me by a class of Kindergarten students.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1

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

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

Georgia O'Keefe Flowers
Students examined the life and artwork of American artist Georgia O'Keeffe. They created paintings of flowers using crayons and watercolor paint. They were told to think about using bright colors and large flowers to create compositions similar to the artwork of O'Keeffe. They also learned the anatomy of a flower.

Pattern Frog
This is a fun project that gives students a chance to get back to drawing. They create a frog shape and fill the body with many colors, lines and patterns. When they are done coloring it in they can cut out the frog! Students are encouraged to use lots of bright colors and do as many patterns as they can think of.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5, 3.2, 3.3, 5.1