Tinted Valentine Hearts

First graders need practice mixing secondary colors, but I just can’t get too excited over making color wheels on paper plates. Instead I had them focus on just mixing purple (plus a little white) in honor of Valentine’s Day.

1. I made an 11" x 17" size template of printed hearts which you can download HERE. Print at 77% for an 8.5" x 11" size template.

2. Students received printed paper, a paper plate of red, blue and white tempera paint, a brush and a cup of water. They were to see how many new colors they could mix, and then fill in the hearts as they wish.

CA Visual Arts Standard: 

2.2 Mix secondary colors from primary colors and describe the process.

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Wayne Thiebaud Cupcakes

Wayne Theibaud is famous for his paintings of cafeteria style food. He used lots of repetition, so having students create multiple cupcakes was a good way to imitate his style.
1. I gave each student a 3.5" square piece of paper and pencil and had them draw a simple cupcake. Then I gave them a 3.5" square of carbon paper and showed them how to trace and make a copy. If they traced their first drawing onto the middle of a 9" x 12" paper, and then one on the left and one on the right, the drawing had a good chance of being balanced.
2. A table line was added, all the lines were traced with a black marker.
3. The cupcakes were colored in with any colors the students chose.

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Custom Light Switch Plates

I saw this project in an Arts & Activities magazine. When your fridge and walls are already filled with your child's art, have them paint your switch plates!
1. Your local hardware or home improvement store carries plastic switch plates for every need and they're quite inexpensive.
2. Provide the students with lots of acrylic paint and a switch plate and maybe some ideas of subject matter. Small motor skills are needed so they should think of detailed images to make the most of their “canvas”. Be sure to have lots of thin paint brushes too so that painting tiny details is possible.
3. After the plate is painted, spray with a sealer to protect from scratching.

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