1st Grade - Torn Tissue Paper Poinsettias

With the holidays quickly approaching, we're preparing ahead of time in the art room so that we can have our artwork out for everyone to see by the Winter Break.

In first grade, we're learning about Poinsettias. Before we began our artwork, on first day of our project, we watched a video adaptation of a traditional Christmas Mexican tale that explains where Poinsettias come from. In this fictional story, a little girl named Dedita learns a valuable lesson about giving your all to something you care about.
To watch the folk story, check out this video:


On the second day of our project, we watched a short documentary about where Poinsettia flowers really come from. Even Mrs. Kingsolver learned something new in this one! Did you know that the red parts of the Poinsettia plant are not flower petals, but leaves? Check it out:


Our artworks are made with torn tissue paper, papier-mâché paste, and oil pastels. Aren't they festive?!

3rd Grade- Mexican Foil Tooling

We learned about the art of foil tooling from many cultures and time periods. With Cinco de Mayo rapidly aproaching, we've decided to celebrate Mexico through our artworks. After evaluating the use of symbols in Mexican culture, we chose symbols to represent different festivities, foods, and historical events of Mexico.

We planned ahead for our symbols by sketching out what we wanted our designs to look like. It's always a great idea to have a game plan.

We used wooden tools to push and pull pieces of foil to give our symbols form. We used permanent markers to give them color. These images are a low-relief sculpture. Aren't they maravillosa?!