Grade 1 Eric Carle inspired collage (and some pumpkin heads)

For weeks now my lower elementary classroom has looked like this at the end of the day.

Grade 1 classes have been learning the techniques of collage as part of an integrated unit looking at how artists use tools and techniques with an emphasis on writing stories.  We have chosen, therefore, to  focus on illustration.  We have looked at the illustrations of many interesting artists but focused mainly on Eric Carle and collage (with a fair amount of Lois Ehlert thrown in).

They were very slow to start , cutting out small complete figures and using pencil a lot to define details. It has been a gradual accumulation of skills to get them to look at shapes and texture and colours differently.  This is not the end of the unit and they will be producing an illustration to match their text (we are just waiting for homeroom teachers to start producing said text so we can illustrate to it), but I am just so happy with the progress so far. 

I've spent the last few days hanging their work in a mini exhibition.  I think they are Fabulous!  and I love how the painted papers that we made (it seems like EONS ago!) just add a whole other dimension to their work.

 (I'm still working on the "no pencil on the picture" part)

I love the layering in this piece.

a giraffe with a hat and a back pack

a peacock

A wonderfully expressive Cheetah (from direct observation of a photo- he was very pleased with himself)

one of my students who struggles a bit.  "I want to challenge myself", he said to me.  A weedy sea dragon with a red sea ; "I'm being creative by making my sea a different colour".

 Sorry that some of these are blurry, it was getting dark and stormy by the time I'd finished hanging the work.

 And my KG1 classes have been honing their cutting skills by making wonderful Jack o'Lanterns for Halloween.

 I painted large sheets of paper orange and cut them up for each child.  They had to draw a circle and cut it out, then cut out eyes, nose and mouth from black card and paste them on.   Then they used white chalk to draw in the details.

I'm a little in love with them!