Just like many other incredible art teachers out there, I enjoy using the theme of love to drive our art learning during the month of February. I try to squeeze in as many projects as I can with as many grade levels as possible. I like to refer to it as "heartwork month." If you'd like to see more pictures, please check out my Instagram - artwithmrskim to the right of this page!
My littlest friends - the PreK peeps, enjoyed weaving/wrapping (I'm still not sure how to refer to this process!) on cardboard hearts using small pieces of yarn. Fine motor skills practice and perseverance really came into play when we made these. Before class, I pre-cut the 5" hearts and made six notches around the edge of each one (boy, I used my art muscles!). I also cut 3 pieces of yarn per student in small lengths. Two classes used paint stix prior to the yarn work, however if you don't have them or are short on time, the cardboard looks great on its own in combination with the yarn! When finished, I added holes with a hole punch and tied on some string to make them into necklaces. We also spent some time working with construction paper crayons and paint to make a Jim Dine inspired heart to celebrate the season.
KINDERGARTEN:
Kindergartners made a multi-media piece of artwork that included drawing, painting, and cutting with the final element being a yarn-bombed heart (I've been calling pipe cleaners, "fuzzy wire" these days). Another class had a bit more time so they also got to cut hearts using art magic! What a fun way to sneak in symmetry and help the kids build confidence.
2nd GRADE:
2nd graders learned about the artist, Robert Indiana - who happens to come from my home state, go Hoosiers! We had been working in clay previously to this assignment so drawing in three dimensions was a great way to explore perspective and build upon our learning of working in the 3d realm - plus, they had a lot of fun! On Valentine's Day the kids made origami hearts using this video. We will continue exploring sculpture over the next few weeks, I can't wait!
3rd graders were tasked with making a graphic cube inspired by Robert Indiana's work. They designed each letter to make graphic statements across the paper. Some even challenged themselves by drawing the letters three-dimensionally. Many artists chose to use the iconic word, LOVE, but the assignment was open-ended and they were able to choose other positive words with four letters like, WISH, HOPE, LUCK, COOL just to name a few. Some of the lucky kids, like Emre and Lily, have names with four letters and chose to use their names :)
This is a super lesson to try with your young artists - it takes just a bit of prep and the results are so fun! You'll need craft foam, model magic, glue, scissors, pipe cleaners and small pieces of tagboard or railroad board. The inspiration for this lesson comes from the blog, Plastiquem. 
This is a great clay lesson perfect for the younger crowd - these clay fossils and necklaces were made with Pre-K students during one class period. For prep, each student will need two chunks of clay - one about 3-4" in diameter and the other about an inch in diameter. To warm up, we talk about fossils and I share a book called, Fossil by Bill Thomson. To make the charm, I teach the kids how to gently roll the bottom of their shoe on top of a small piece of clay that we place on the floor. When we are done with the shoe fossils, I pass out fossil tool kits - boxes with shells and an assortment of plastic dinos and bugs. First, they use the palm of their hand to press the larger chunk of clay into a pancake and then we have fun pressing the tools into the clay and experimenting to make the larger fossils. 
After these were bisque fired, the kids used underglazes to add color to both of their fossils. I painted on clear coat so they would come out nice and shiny after the second firing. 
