Complementary Color Collages-- 1st Grade

Complementary Color Collages

by the 1st Grade

This project introduces the first graders to complementary colors.  I show them the color wheel and I explain how the complementary colors are across from each other on the color wheel.  They are the "opposites".  If you mix the two of them together you would get a brownish or grayish color.  We talk about the primary/secondary colors and focus on the pairs of red + green, blue + orange, and violet + yellow.  At this point, a kid usually will point out the intermediate colors and I show them how those also have complementary colors.  For this project, we focus on the complementary pairs I have listed above.  I also read them this cute book called "The Orange Book" by Richard McGuire.  It is out of print, but I picked one up on amazon.com last summer.  The story is about oranges, but the pictures are all printed in orange and blue (which is one of the complementary pairs we will be using.)  I often like to read a story book that is inspiring to the subject matter we are studying.

A bag with orange and blue materials.

Preparation:  Gather colorful materials and place them in ziploc bags according to complementary pairs.  I include:  paper scraps, colorful tape, foam letters and pieces, stickers, colored cellophane, pompons, crepe paper, paint chip samples and stamps.  I have these fun marker stampers:  Crayola 10 Count Expressions Washable Mini-Stampers which I put out for the children to use.  This is a great time to use up those bits and bobs and random scraps.

After the introduction, I place the bags of complementary color "stuff" at different tables.  Then I say, "All the students who want to use orange and blue in their collage, sit at this table." and so forth.  Usually the class is pretty evenly distributed.  Then, they use the materials however they would like to make a complementary color collage.  

I like this project because it allows the kids to explore the materials in their own self-directed way.  Each of them comes up with such unique ways to put the materials together.

At the end of the class, whatever is left over gets put back in the bags and I save them for next year (and replenish them as needed.)

in progress collage.

Kids open up the bags, share what's inside and talk about the materials with their neighbors.

This imaginative boy turned his collage into a sculpture!

This boy enjoyed drawing lots of fun pictures with his markers.

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How do you teach about complementary colors to the youngest students?

Treasure Boxes-- After School Art Class

 

We made Treasure Boxes at an after school art class that I taught this month.  The students were in grades K-6 (about 12 kids). 

 

I picked up cigar boxes from a local shop and the kids were able to decorate them with the plethora of supplies I had.

We used wall paper scraps, wrapping paper, magazines, stickers, scrapbook papers....

colored tape...

Each kid could decorate the box however they wanted.

I showed them pictures of Joseph Cornell's mysterious shadow boxes.

Acrylic paint was added in places...

The class was two hour-long sessions.  On the second day, the students opened their box to find TREASURES!:  chocolate gold coins, little shiny gems, metallic stars and a tootsie pop.

On the second day, out came the hot glue gun and my box of random trinkets.  I helped students to glue on little trinkets from my box of random "stuff".  

Every art teacher needs a box for collecting random toys, game pieces, charms, plastic or beads that are donated or found. 

My box of "stuff" is overflowing, so several of the kids spent much of the time hunting for treasures to collect in their box.  I had to remind them that we also wanted to finish decorating our boxes!

This box was painted black, covered in black tape and patterned paper and then a plastic crown was hot glued on to the center.

Ribbon and trims were available on the second day also.

Mod-podge was painted on top of some of the boxes.

What would you keep in YOUR secret treasure box?

1st grade Sunflowers

Sunflowers

Last year, when the 1st graders were in kindergarten, they planted sunflower seeds in the garden in the back of the school. Over the summer, these flowers grew tall and bloomed radiantly. Each child also brought home a small pot with a sunflower seed in it. Many of the students watched their sunflower grow big and strong.

When we returned to school this year, some of the sunflowers were cut from the garden and placed around the art room to draw. The students drew and painted these sunflowers.

We also tied in Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings. A book about VanGogh’s life was read and they saw pictures of his paintings.