Thrifty Scissors

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Feelings Faces Game for Halloween

My little Jack-O-Lanterns are full of all kinds of emotions! Teachers will need to print two copies each of every sheet attached to the post below in order to play this Halloween matching game with their class.

For younger students turn the cards face up on a carpet or table so that all of the emotions can be seen. Now ask each player taking a turn to match up one Jack-O-Lantern with it's twin and then talk about "how" the Jack-O-Lanterns are feeling. Ask the student about the incidents that make him or her feel angry, disappointed, frightened, sad, happy, excited or anxious etc...

If your students are a bit older, in 1rst or 2nd grade, turn the cards face down during the game so that your students must also identify the matching abstract shapes of the pumpkins.

Let your students identify the feelings of the pumpkins on their own. Younger children will give general descriptions of their faces, older students may be more specific about the expressions. What is important about the game is that a students is able to actually match the identical facial features and shapes.

Teach young learners about emotions with these fun little free Jack-O-Lantern faces by Grimm.

Crying Jack-O-Lanterns shown crying. Print out the patterns twice to make this feelings face game by Kathy Grimm.

Learn more about how to use facial expressions in order to develop social emotional skills watch the video below by Childswork Childsplay. You can purchase their game, "The Understanding Faces Game," here.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The Frost

By Hannah Flagg Gould.

The Frost looked forth, one still clear night,

And he said, "Now I shall be out of sight;

So through the valley and over the height

In silence I'll take my way,

I will not go like that blustering train,

The wind and the snow, the hail and the rain,

Who makes so mush bustle and noise in vain;

But I'll be as busy as they!"

Then he went to the mountain, and powdered its crest,

He climbed up the trees, and their boughs he dressed

With diamonds and pearls, and over the breast

Of the quivering lake he spread

A coat of mail, that it need not fear

The downward point of many a spear

That he hung on its margin, far and near,

Where a rock could rear its head.

He went to the windows of those who slept,

And over each pane like a fairy creaft;

Wherever he breathed, wherever he stepped,

By the light of the moon were seen

Most beautiful things. There were flowers and trees,

There were bevies of birds and swarms of bees,

There were cities, thrones, temples and towers, and

these

All pictured in silver sheen!

But he did one thing that was hardly fair--

He peeped in the cupboard, and finding there

That all had forgotten for him to prepare--

"Now just to set them a-thinking,

I'll bite this basket of fruit," said he;

"This costly pitcher I'll burst in three,

And the glass of water they've left for me

Shall "tchick" to tell them I'm drinking."

Tear and Paste Falling Leaves

Young students will enjoy tearing and pasting fall leaves in order to recreate a lovely Autumn scene. The teacher will need to cut a simple tree trunk to cover the length of a large standard sized piece of grey construction paper. He or she will also need to cut rakes from dark brown construction paper in advance. I have included two patterns for the rakes below.

Give each young students brightly colored fall papers to tear for the leafs in this picture.
After pasting their tree trunk onto their grey paper, students will need to paste and arrange brightly colored shredded papers on the tree, falling from the tree and in a large pile at the foot of the tree. This simple art project could take up to twenty five or thirty minutes depending upon the attention span of the participants.
Play a selection of music during the activity to enhance the experience for your young students.
After they have built up enough leaves under their fall tree, glue the ladder over them and leaning up against the tree.
Don't forget to pinch the ends of the rake to form an angle.
After the glue has dried, give the students a dark brown marker and encourage them to draw grooves into their tree trunk for added effect.

The young students at the early learning center are shredding fall colored papers for their simple rake pictures.
I have included the simpler rake pattern below for those of you who would prefer to make a simpler version of
the art lesson.

Look for more Autumn related art projects on our Early Learning Center's pinboard!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Create Fall Leaf Patterns

This design project is best suited to students in fourth, fifth and sixth grades.

Materials:

Black permanent markers, a variety of tip sizes
81/2'' x 11" white drawing paper
extra scratch papers for cutting out stencils
pencil and eraser
a collection of fall leaves
a variety of colored felt tip pens
scissors

Step-by-Step Directions:

Students will first need to collect a minimum of seven leaves and trace around them to create their own stencils.
After cutting out the patterns, students should then move them around an 81/2 inch x 11inch sheet of white drawing paper.
The leaves should be large enough so that they will overlap a bit when traced onto the white drawing paper.
Next the spaces which overlap should be filled in with solid black ink.
Now challenge the students to draw a different patterned design in every remaining positive and negative space, neatly using black ink only.
Students should ink in select parts of the designs only.
After completing this part of the design project they may color in their fall leaf patterns with an assortment of colors representing an Autumn color palette.

More Black and White Design Inspiration:

Above, the hand colored finished fall leaf, art assignment.

A Fall Collage Featuring An Owl

Collage (From the French: coller, to glue) is a technique of an art production, primarily used in the visual arts, where the artwork is made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. Above you can see that I began this collage using a template of an owl that I cut from heavy construction paper.

A collage may sometimes include newspaper clippings, ribbons, bits of colored or handmade papers, portions of other artwork or texts, photographs and other found objects, glued to a piece of paper or canvas. The origins of collage can be traced back hundreds of years, but this technique made a dramatic reappearance in the early 20th century as an art form of novelty.
For this fall collage I used wood chips, pom-poms, acorn caps, painted and stamped papers and magazine clippings along with a few markers: brown, white, black and yellow. I will give my younger students templates to trace around. The older students will be required to draw their own owl designs.

The term collage derives from the French "coller" meaning "glue". This term was coined by both Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in the beginning of the 20th century when collage became a distinctive part of modern art. Owls were popular subjects for both cubists to include in their still life art works as well!

I pasted some real feathers into my collage to finish off my teacher sample.

See More Owl Collage Lessons and Ideas:

Friday, October 11, 2013

The Elf and The Dormouse

By Oliver Herford

Under a toadstool crept a wee Elf,

Out of the rain, to shelter himself.

Under the toadstool sound asleep,

Sat a big Dormouse all in a heap.

Trembled the wee Elf, frightened, and yet

Fearing to fly away lest he get wet.

To the next shelter-maybe a mile!

Sudden the wee Elf smiled a wee smile.

Tugged till the toadstool toppled in two.

Holding it over him, gayly he flew.

Soon he was safe home, dry as could be.

Soon woke the Dormouse-"Good gracious me!"

"Where is my toadstool?" loud he lamented,

And that's how umbrellas first were invented.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Widdy-Widdy-Wurky

This little song from 1911 (French?) is perfect for an early learning center's student performance at a Thanksgiving Play or festival. It is simple enough for little ones to memorize and silly enough for them to enjoy doing it! Don't forget to dress your performers up in costume.

This is sung by the children in a semicircle. They come in a single file. Each child takes the name of an animal, and as each name is mentioned, the child whose name it is must clap hand in time. All clap hands together. At the end all march out, the leaders first, each child falling into place as his or her name is mentioned. Go round in single file once and then out.