A very Zentangle holiday project

So, I was looking for a way to channel the holiday energy of my 4th graders, and came up with this- we drew the basic outline of a holiday shape- I recommended pine tree, but due to some of my students beliefs, we also did snowman shapes and gingerbread people shapes.  Then, I had them section their shape off, and draw a line design or pattern in each section.  We looked at some Zentangle patterns for ideas.  After they drew these, we added a little pop of color by using watercolors.  I gotta say- there is something magical about the Zentangle.  My 4th graders were so peaceful and quiet during this- and the results are pretty good if you ask me.  After they dried, I cut them out and put them on green paper for display in the hallway.

Fabric Weaving

Every year, I am supposed to teach the 2nd graders to weave with fabric strips.  2 things have made this easier- 1 is a rotary cutter, 2 is a donation of 9x12 cardboard.  Some years, I teach the kids to add beads to the end, or use pipe cleaners to wrap the ends.  Last year, I taught the kids to tie it off with dowel rods, as little wall hangings.  This year, the crop of kiddos is not much for knot tying, so I had them tape the ends to the back, and then we glued them to construction paper, making frames with gel crayons.  The kiddos love their gel crayons, and it also gave me a chance to gauge their pattern making skills.    It took a fair amount of glue on the edges, and a few students carefully sitting on their weaving to make the glue stick well.  But, in the end, totally worth it!

Landscapes

The second graders looked at the work of Hockney and Woods, and created a drawing using hills as the foreground.  Each hill had to have a different line design or pattern.  They could add whatever details they wanted in the distance on the horizon line.  After tracing all the lines with a sharpie (which was a lotta work), students sprayed their paper with water, and laid tissue paper on top.  The tissue bled onto the picture, leaving a delightful watercolor effect.  I encouraged students to use hot colors on one side, and cool on another, but that wasn't so easy, when the colors began to bleed.  I think they turned out great, and will have to post some more as they get finished.