It's easy to make custom envelopes for your handmade cards - perfect for those non-traditional sizes! You can get creative with unique papers and decorative liners, too. Kids will catch on quickly since they don't even need to measure their paper.... they just need to understand the concept of starting with a square that's a little bit larger than the … [Read more...]
Recycled Magazine Flowers
Here is another unique project that we used for Mother's Day cards, but would be fun to do anytime! My 5th graders had a blast making these (even the boys, who usually resist anything to do with flowers!) and it gave me the opportunity to review the concept of radial symmetry. I even had parents ask me how we did it so they could go home and make some recycled magazine flowers … [Read more...]
“3D” Flower Collage
My 2nd graders used these whimsical flowers for their Mother's Day cards this year, but you could also make a colorful garden picture while teaching the concepts of symmetry and layering. Attaching the blossoms with layers of double stick foam tape gives a fun 3D effect that unfortunately doesn't show up well in this picture!Materials:Construction paper or card stock, white … [Read more...]
Hand-Made Envelopes
Kids love to make hand-made greeting cards for holidays, but most of these cards don't fit into conventional envelopes. Here is an easy way to make your own envelopes, and even add a liner to make them extra-special! To Make an Envelope:1. Lay your card diagonally on a square of paper that is a little larger than your card on each side. (If you make your card from an 8 1/2” … [Read more...]
Valentine Color Mixing
You can mix a "tint" of any color just by adding white to it. Painting with tints lends itself well to Valentine projects, like this colorful card made from a 12"x18" painting folded in half.1. First, place a "quarter-size" amount of red, yellow and turquoise tempera paint on a paper plate. (I like to use "turquoise" rather than "blue", because it's closer to "cyan", or "true … [Read more...]
Cut Paper Symmetry “Pop-Out” Card
This is a fun card to make for any occasion... just vary the colors you use and the shapes you cut to suit the holiday or theme! The pop-out feature inside (see below) is an added bonus!Front of Card: 9” x 12” construction paper (this will form the “base” of your card)3” x 9” paper in a contrasting colorscissors and glue Fold the 9” x 12” paper in half horizontally, to form … [Read more...]
“Hide-a-Heart” Valentines
This lesson is adapted from Karen Card, my children's middle school Art teacher. You can do this versatile project with any grade level, scaling it up or down as needed. It's fun to give kids a little structure and a lot of freedom to be creative.... then watch as all the great ideas start flowing out!1. Talk about how the elements in a design can be obvious or more subtle. … [Read more...]
“Box Fold” Pop-Up Cards
The variations are endless for creating cards with a fun pop-up feature! You can easily change the “heart” element in this design to make cards for any holiday or special occasion. Try putting several pages together to make your own pop-up book! To Make a Box Fold Pop-Up:Begin with two sheets of 9” x 12” construction paper, one for the inside of your card and one for the … [Read more...]
Monoprints
This charming one-of-a-kind flower created by Robin D. With monoprints, only one print can be made from each original design, but you can repaint the printing surface and draw as many new designs as you like! Students of all ages will enjoy charming results. Remember that any words or letters you write will print in reverse! Materials: Aluminum foil (a little larger then … [Read more...]
