Father’s Day Scratch Art

This scratch art project was a huge hit. Also a mess with bits of scratched pastel everywhere, but so worth it when I heard students say “this is so cool!”

1. I recently found the perfect Dad font called “Marcelle Script” and “Marcelle Swashes” at www.stereo-type.net. I used it to print a large “Dad” with a swash on letter size paper, and then made copies to 9" x 12" drawing paper at school.
2. I handed out all my odds and ends of oil pastels, and instructed kids to heavily color the entire paper with first a bright color (such as yellow or orange) and then a dark color (such as blue or purple). Note: Even the black letters are colored over. Only after two layers are complete do they take a wooden stylus and scratch lines to their liking. To get the best results, they should test combinations on another paper before they begin. Not all combinations create a lot of contrast, which is needed for the scratches to have impact. Also, the only oil pastels I do this with are the Portfolio® brand found at Staples and art stores like Dick Blick. They have the soft slippery quality needed for the scratches to work.

This sample was made with green pastel over bright yellow.

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Father’s Day Popsicle Pencil Holder

Popsicle sticks have a warm wooden, eco-friendly look and are really inexpensive too. I’ve created a project that uses your average 15 oz. tin can as a base, and my own invention of how to make a removeable band of popsicle sticks.

1. I started with two thick wooden rulers and taped them down to a cardboard base. I left just enough space in between for a row of popsicle sticks to lie flat. I placed 25 sticks that were all touching side by side, and then glued down two fabric ribbons with some craft glue.
2. Let dry for about 15 minutes so that the sticks and ribbon are mostly bonded together. Carefully pick up the row of sticks with the ribbon and let dry for at least an hour.
3. One side of the ribbons gets trimmed flush with the stick edge, and the other is trimmed down to about an inch. Glue those ends to the inside of the opposite side and secure with a paper clip until it is dry.
4. Paint an empty, clean 15oz. can and let dry. The popsicle band should slide right over the can. A ribbon may be added for decoration. I like this one from the Martha Stewart collection found at Michael’s.

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Father's Day Stamp Box

Father's Day art projects always seem harder to find for me than Mother's Day, but I like this simple stamp collage box project.

1. I wish I had a giant stamp collection to make art with, but in lieu of that I found some photography on the internet and made duplicate color prints. Print enough to have a dozen or so per student so they can pick and choose their favorite. I also purchased some of the simple wooden boxes available at Michael's, most of which cost about 99¢.

2. Have the students cut out the stamps they want very close to the edge.

3. I've found that the trick to decoupaging paper without any bubbles is to coat both sides with Mod Podge (meaning the box and the back of the stamp) and press together with a brush. Press firmly and coat the top of each stamp with Mod Podge too. Repeat until covered, taking care to wrap some around the edges to cover as much of the box as possible.

4. Let dry completely and finish with a final layer of Mod Podge.

This is a great box for any guy to store all that pocket change they always seem to have.

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“I Love Ewe” Father’s Day Gift

A box of twisty ties at a restaurant supply store inspired this project. I was pretty sure that because they were cheap, and easy to bend and glue, something could be made from them. A few (ok, a lot) of experiments later and this curly haired sheep project took form.

1. I had the students count out 11 popsicle sticks to make their boards. I had kinders so I placed the glue on the two back sticks, and let them line up the remaining 9 on top.

2. I gave the students a white paper rectangle that was the width and height the body needed to be. They were to just cut off the corners to make an oval and glue it on the middle of their board.
3. With a pencil or dowel, the students wrapped the twisty ties around it to make a coil, and slid it off when complete. About 15 or so needed to be made, depending on the size of the body. The oval body was then covered with a generous amount of white glue, and twisty coils were placed on it, as close together as possible.
4. The students were given a narrow strip of black paper that they could cut little rectangle legs from, along with a triangle head. White pencil crayons were used to make dots for the eyes. The legs were slid under the body and the head was glued on top of the coils. When dry, a corny message was added with a black Sharpie.

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