Art: Monochromatic Habitats

After creating bugs based on themselves, first graders began making habitats for their creatures. They began by looking at paintings to figure out possible definitions for the word "monochromatic." They noticed that monochromatic paintings were all one color, but if you looked closely sometimes the color could be a darker, lighter, or just a little bit different. Each girl used cut tissue paper, tempera cakes, and colored pencil to create a monochromatic environment. They had the additional challenge of choosing one shape that would communicate something about the type of habitat they chose. First graders will place their bugs in their monochromatic paintings using 3D sticky dots in order to pop them out. 

Here is what demonstrations look like in first grade art: 

Art: A Bug Like Me

First graders have been hard at work creating "bugs" based on themselves and inspired by Oaxacan folk art. They worked with a partner to identify all the parts of an assigned insect/spider, and then we created a list of all the observed parts. Next each girl visualized a bug that was like her. For example, one girl imagined long legs because she loves to run fast. First graders used paint in the easel room to outline and fit together all the necessary parts of their bugs. They filled in the parts with oil pastel and poster paints. Lastly, they are adding patterns based on observation of bugs under a microscope or magnifying glass. They are also imagining what their own bug would look like under a microscope to create their own patterns. Girls use iPads to experiment with patterns before adding them to their bug. Ask your first grader if she can describe the animal sculptures from Oaxaca (see last image for example).