While the kindergarten students are looking at Jim Dine's Heart series, my 2nd graders' art is for the birds. We began by looking at a selection of works by Audubon, and discussing structure in nature. This worked well, because it just so happened that some of the 2nd graders are working on a bird research unit in the library. After getting our bird on we moved to bird masks. An oldie but a goodie- I teach it most years. This year, we put a collage twist on with the decorating. I got out gel markers, the scrap box, feathers and sequins. I asked them to try more than one method of embellishment, and to keep the idea of symmetry in mind. Other than the fact that my room looks like a bird exploded, we had a great time, with some great results. Can't wait to see the kids model them tomorrow :)
