3rd Grade Sunflower Mandalas

Kansas Day is a big deal in our elementary schools. (I assume that other states also make a big deal out of their birthdays if they fall in the school year...) Each grade K-3 worked on a Kansas inspired Art lesson during January. My 3rd graders made sunflower mandalas in 3 class periods. 

Day 1: Quick introduction to mandalas- I showed some of the mandalas I collected on my Pinterest board and the students tried to figure out what they all had in common. After they figured out that they were all based on circles, I covered some history, symbolism, and introduced radial symmetry. I told the students about the little Mandala class I took last November through Willowing and showed some of my work from it. Then I demonstrated and the students spent the rest of the first class drawing their mandalas. I created 4 simple templates (and printed on copy paper) for the students to choose from as a starting point. They learned to alter and personalize their mandalas using a ruler and a drawing compass. Getting the hang of the compass was tricky for some students, but they practiced on the back of their paper first and all got at least a little success with it. At this point, the students didn't know the mandalas would be part of a sunflower. I didn't want them to get confused and start drawing a flower.

One of my mandalas

 Day 2: I projected a really close up image of a sunflower head. The students could see the pattern created by the distribution of the seeds and compared it to patterns and symmetry found in mandalas. We also went over some sunflower facts- how tall they can grown, they can be annuals or perennials, they follow the sun, anatomy, etc. Then we reviewed warm and cool colors and the students used warm and neutral colored pencils to color their mandalas. When they were finished, the mandalas were cut out and glued onto heavier paper.


Day 3: After gluing the mandalas to the new piece of paper, the students drew petals and other necessary parts of a sunflower. Some added leaves, some didn't have room and that's OK. My Monday classes only had 2 days to work instead of 3 so they drew the petals onto the copy paper to save time. If you could print the template on card stock, the cutting and gluing would be unnecessary. They finished coloring with colored pencils and color sticks. The last 10 minutes of the last class were reserved for writing about their artwork. I tried an Artist Statement form thinking it might help, but I'm not convinced it did. They thought it was more of a fill in the blank thing than a write complete sentences thing.

 I wasn't sure how this would work out- teaching 3rd graders to use a compass. They did really, really well with the tool. Once they got used to it, the only thing that was confusing was choosing natural points on the mandala, like at the intersection of lines or shapes, to add their lines and shapes instead of having them float around randomly. Some started off thinking it was too hard but were really proud when they finished. I don't know if this lesson could go any younger, but I think even older students would enjoy it. The Fibonacci sequence could be used for a math connection.

This student turned the circles into bees.

Mandalas & Inspiration Avenue

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was taking a *FREE* online Mandala class from Willowing.ning. I really enjoyed it! I usually prefer asymmetry but I wanted to learn more about mandalas so I can feel confident teaching my students how to make them. We used a compass and ruler to create the design then I painted some with watercolor pencils and some with regular watercolors before adding more designs with ink.

 The circles are a little distorted. Since the paper doesn't fit easily on my scanner I had to photograph them. One of the shapes I created in the mandala on the left reminded me of a cicada so I just went with it.

Inspiration Avenue hosts a weekly blog party challenge. They disappeared from my blog roll for about a month* but I actually remembered to check the theme this week. This week's theme is Christmas Balls. I had yet to finish one of my mandalas so I thought I would be festive and turn it into an ornament. Maybe I'll find a relative to give it to for Christmas!

*They show up again now all of a sudden so I don't have to remember on my own!

When did "Craft" Become a Dirty Word? +Mandala Class

This is something I think about from time to time... The definition of "craft" from dictionary.com is

craft

   [kraft, krahft]  Show IPA noun, plural crafts or,for 5, 8, craft, verb

noun

1.

an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill,especially manual skill: the craft of a mason.

2.

skill; dexterity: The silversmith worked with great craft.

3.

skill or ability used for bad purposes; cunning; deceit; guile.

4.

the members of a trade or profession collectively; a guild.

5.

a ship or other vessel.

Craft would include things like weaving and pottery, which most of us would probably argue falls in the realm of Art. When did "craft" become a dirty word (at least to Art teachers...)? When did the definition change?

Probably when people started referring to trace this, cut this, glue it here, follow the directions at summer camp kind of stuff as craft.

And while I'm thinking out loud in writing, who says you can't make Art out of "crafty" materials? I can't remember the name of the artist, but this lady visited and gave a talk at ESU when I was in college and I remember her saying "I should be able to make Art, anytime, anywhere, and out of anything." That's why I don't turn down many donated materials. (That and my fear that Art budgets will continue to decrease each year.) I have a bunch of little furry pom-pons that someone gave me last week, I plan to use them to help my younger students explore texture and then let my older students use them to construct relief sculptures like the ones my 6th grade students completed last spring. I'm not trying to insult teachers who don't take supply donations- they may not have room to store them or may not have the need. But my point, I guess, is that I think Art can be made out of just about anything. And now I need to end this post and head to bed because this is starting to get really ramble-y.

One more thing, though! If you are interested in learning more about mandalas, Willowing.ning is hosting a FREE Mandala class taught by Guadalupe Brizuela Cabal. It started on Monday and will last two more weeks but it's not too late to join! I created 4 designs today- 2 starting with the template she provided and 2 all by myself with a compass and a ruler. I'm really enjoying it so far.