Have you noticed how popular owls are out there on the internet? This summer while researching ideas for school next year I have seen A LOT of owls! Owl drawings, owl paintings, crocheted owls, sewn owls, owl appliques, etc... Around March I needed a lesson for my 1st grades that would reinforce painting skills. I remembered seeing a post on Deep Space Sparkle that Patty posted of the cutest painted owls, I googled owl projects and found this owl project. (I can't get it to link to the exact page. If you search owl projects on her site it is her Sept. 22 2010 post) Art Projects for Kids (again I can't get blogger to link to the exact page!!! Just search how to draw owls on her home page, it's her Oct. 2, 2011 post) It's an "Owlapalooza" out there!
I sketched several different ways to draw owls with simple shapes and put them on a handout that the students had to look at while they were working, as well as demonstrating step by step instructions on how to draw them on my white board. We talked about the shapes we could use and how the shapes would fit together to create their owls. The students sketched out their owls tracing all their pencil lines in black crayon. This way when they finished painting the owls white they could still see the lines they drew. When they were done tracing they painted everything white. I put cups of purple paint out on the tables and had them add details onto the wet white paint. This way when they painted they were creating different shades of purple. Ah! The joy of mixing colors! It never gets old! Some of the kids really got into the monochromatic colors! (sorry no pics of those – Took the snapshots after many were handed back) We put them on the drying racks and left them to dry.
During the second class, I put out construction paper crayons and black tempera paint. The students were able to add any other details and colors they wanted with the crayons. Finally, the kids outlined their owls with black tempera paint. They used 1/4" flat brushes to outline. I demonstrated how to use their brush to get different thicknesses in their outlines and stressed taking their time and painting patiently for the best lines and coverage. I also reviewed how to hold the brush and how to load the right amount of paint onto their brushes.
The kids LOVED drawing and painting these! After they were dried, the children cut their owls out. This gave them a chance to work on their cutting skills. A LOT of 1st graders had difficulty cutting this past school year! I made sure to give them many opportunities to work on their cutting skills during projects and free time. I have one student who continually holds their scissors upside down. Throughout the school year, I worked with them, as well as their homeroom teacher, to help/teach them how to hold the scissors correctly to no avail! They were so used to holding the scissors wrong that it was uncomfortable for the student to hold them the correct way! (I'll keep at it next year!) If you know anyone who has young children, stress the importance of giving young children a pair of safety scissors, show them how to use them and let them cut up some old magazines! It gets messy but it is so good for their motor skills!
We displayed all the owls in the hallways. I turned them in different directions to give it the illusion that they were flying! Enjoy looking at them! They make me smile every time I see them!
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