1st Grade - Eric Carle Flower Gardens

I LOVE this lesson... so much fun in the Spring! 

The first class, we make several pieces of painted paper, Eric Carle style, using scrapers and sponges. Each table or class makes a batch of a color for everyone to share. (red/oranges. yellow/oranges, blue/violets. yellow/greens, magenta/violets)

The next class, I have it prepped for everyone! 2x9 strips for cutting grass and stems. 3x3 squares for cutting flowers and a 2x9 strip for cutting suns and rays. Once finished, we use Crayola Twistables to draw some flying "friends". They LOVE to draw the flight path for each. 😀

These are 8x8 for Square 1 Art. Even small, they are super cute!

Kindergarten - Eric Carle Very Hungry Caterpillar Collages

Who doesn't LOVE a kindergarten Hungry Caterpillar??? I have done this a couple different ways in the past, but this is my favorite. I like it on YELLOW. I am not sure why, but it makes it so happy! 

Students get to paint a 9x12 yellow piece of paper with green and yellow paint, creating texture with scrapers and sponges. Next time, I give them a 2x9 inch strip, they cut it up into "french fries". Not too thin... then I walk by and put a long line of glue down, they glue it all down. 

Next, they cut out the circles for the caterpillar. Before class, I prep a bunch... I cut all their painted paper up into 3x3's. Their paper becomes community paper, each student gets 5 green and a red, (from other classes who have made painted paper). I hand draw circles on the back for them to cut out. We get the caterpillar glued together and then make a sun in the sky with some yellow orange papers from other classes. If they want clouds, they can cut some blue papers or use markers. 

I love giving them markers to add "friends". I demonstrate how to draw some bugs with dots behind them suggesting movement. They love it! They all like to draw a rainbow. This one is always so sweet when hanging in the hallway, a crowd pleaser for sure! 

Kindergarten - Art Folders!

Eric Carle's, Very Hungry Caterpillar was our inspiration for our art folders this year.  

It is still a favorite of mine and my students.  We all started drawing them the same, 

but they ended up unique in the end! Gotta love kinders!

On the back of the folder I write the word, ART, large in block letters. They are asked to create designs by repeating shapes, lines and colors. I demonstrate how to approach it, but I let them go... what they create is what they create! They always do a good job!