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.

Radial Designs

This started out as a sub lesson, because I was out for a couple of sessions, and I didn't want the kiddos using needles without me. I had them work on a circular design as a fun way to re-enforce the idea of radial symmetry that was introduced with weaving.  They traced a place, and could make any designs they chose, as long as they started in the center, and grew out. They traced with sharpie and colored with marker.  I enjoyed the results. I have uploaded all of them to Artsonia if you'd like to see more. They turned out to be addictive, and we carried them on much past the sub plans.