Did you know that March in National Craft Month? It’s true, and there’s no better way to do a little team-building in your classroom than to have your students all work on one big art project together. Having each student contribute supplies and a part of the whole allows everyone to shine — and to see how working well together can yield amazing results. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
Fabulous Flag
For this craft, students will supply black and white photos of themselves as well as print-outs of iconic scenery from around the country (or, for a multi-cultural slant, around the countries where their families are from). You supply a large piece of foam board, tempera paints and glue. Water down red, white, and blue paint and have students make a wash of color over their photos — you still should be able to see the picture underneath. Once all the photos are dry, have students arrange them to form a large American flag on the foam board, cutting photos as needed to make the stars. Glue the pieces in place and enjoy this patriotic work of art.
Recycled Robot
To make this project, students will bring in household “trash to treasure” items to recycle. Have them think of broken toys, old bits of hardware, cardboard and scraps of building materials in interesting shapes. You supply a few large boxes, glue and silver paint. Use the boxes to form the head and body of your class robot; then have students work together to add arms, legs, facial features and futuristic extras by getting creative with their found objects. When the whole thing is done, paint it silver and place it at your classroom door to welcome guests.
Perfect Patchwork
Bring back the old-fashioned quilting bee with some modern materials: craft foam, glue and markers. Have students each make a patch for the quilt by decorating a foam square any way they like — layering foam cutouts in different colors works particularly well. Use a hole punch to put a hole in each corner of each square, then use colorful yarn to “sew” the patches together by making an X to connect four squares together where the holes meet in the center. Continue adding patches until the quilt is complete — you can have students work in small groups to design extra patches to bring the quilt to a full rectangle if needed. Hang the quilt on the wall and enjoy the rich tapestry made by working together.
Want to find even more great craft ideas for your classroom? Check out Classroom Direct on Pinterest for a shot of inspiration to make National Craft Month a big hit with your students.
