Art Activities
for
K-5 grades
correlated with
Georgia Department of Education standards
Corn Husk Dolls
Materials:
Corn Husks
Rubber bands, yarn or string
Scissors
Optional: Corn silk, glue, and natural dyes
Preparation:
Prepare husks. If using fresh cornhusks, let them air dry completely before using or storing.
When you are ready to make the dolls, soak them for a few minutes in water (a little glycerin helps). Lay
them out on towels to absorb the excess water.
Husks may be dyed with natural dyes before making dolls. See the section on natural dyes for the
procedures. Simply dye the husks and then proceed with the doll making.
Procedure:
Lay
about 6 husks on
top of each other. About an inch from one end, gather the husks together and fasten with a rubber band, or
tie with string. Pull the long ends back over the tied area (1/2 to each side) and fasten again. This is the
head.
To make the arms, roll 2 husks together lengthwise in a tight roll. Fasten near the ends. Slip this
section inside the body husks, below the neck. Fasten the arms in place by wrapping some yarn, or string
across the upper body in a crisscross pattern.
To complete a girl doll, trim the bottom of the husks evenly to create a skirt. You may glue corn
silk or yarn on for hair.
To complete a boy, separate the lower part into tow sections and wrap each leg section tightly at
the ankle with a rubber band or string.
QCC’s: Fine Arts, Visual Arts
First Grade:
17. Explores crafts process, such as weaving, pottery and stitchery.
Second Grade:
8. Distinguishes between textures of a variety of materials, such as fabrics, yarns, paper, clay and
found objects.
14, Explores a variety of materials, such as paper, clay, wood and found objects, to create
sculpture (three-dimensional art)
15. Explores craft processes such as weaving, stitchery and pottery, emphasizing the use of texture
Third Grade:
12. Creates sculpture by joining forms
16. Produces an art product from each area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.
24. Discusses purposes for which artworks are created.
Fourth Grade:
1. Identifies black, brown, white and gray as neutral colors.
12. Uses complementary, light and dark colors and Neutrals in artwork.
17. Produces an art product from each area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.
18. Discusses how geography and natural resources have influenced the subjects and materials;
used by artists.
Fifth Grade:
9. Creates artworks incorporating specific subject matter, such as objects, themes, events or
symbols.
16. Produces an art product in each art area: Drawing, painting, Sculpture, Printmaking, and
crafts.
Natural Dyes
Long before commercial dyes were available people were dyeing fabrics and
fibers with dyes made from natural plant materials. The colors of natural dyes
are softer and more muted that the chemical dyes of today. To get a deeper
color you can let you object soak longer, be careful with paper it will disintegrate
if left to soak too long.
Materials:
Plant materials
Vinegar (mordant to set, or keep, the color)
Rusty nails (the iron acts as a mordant and makes the color darker, or
sadder if you want to use the proper dyers term)
Something to dye: fabric, paper, cornhusks, etc.
Large pot and water
Wooden spoon
Procedure:
 Gather lots of any one of the plant materials listed below. Cut or
tear the materials into small pieces, and put in the large pot. Add
just enough water to cover the plant materials.
 Bring the water to a boil and boil the materials for 5 – 20 minutes.
 Strain the dye. Pour it through cheesecloth or a strainer. The
colored water is the dye solution.
 Add mordant to the dye solution or dye bath. A tablespoon or so of
vinegar works great! This is where you add the rusty nails
 Reheat the dye
 Put object to be dyed into dye bath. You can do this by dipping or
immersing the object and them letting it simmer until it reaches the
color you like.
 Rinse your finished object in clear water
 Let it dry
For this Color:
Yellow
Red
Rose
Purple
Blue
Green
Tan
Use one of these materials:
Goldenrod, sassafras flower, onion skins, willow tree leaves,
marigolds, orange peels, chamomile flowers
Cherries, birch bark (gathered from the ground only)
Willow bark (gathered from the ground only)
Blackberries, elderberries
Red cabbage leaves, sunflower seeds
Carrot tops, grass clippings, spinach, moss
Walnut shells, tea leaves, instant coffee (tea and coffee do not
need to boil very long)
Many other plant materials will make a dye, experiment and see what you get!
Try dying any of the following objects: T shirts (how about tying it with rubber
bands first to have a natural tie-dyed T shirt?), corn husks for corn husk dolls,
yarn to later weave with, maybe even cut a lacy doily from a coffee filter sort of
like making a snowflake only lacier, more and smaller shapes) and dye that.
QCC’s:
Kindergarten:
1. Identifies red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, brown, black and
white.
7. Creates artwork emphasizing the use of color and line.
First grade:
1. Identifies red, yellow and blue as the primary colors.
2. Identifies orange, green and purple as the secondary colors
11. Creates artwork using primary and secondary colors.
17. Explores crafts processes.
Second grade:
1. Identifies warn (red, yellow, orange) and cool (green, blue, violet)
colors
2. Identifies light and dark colors
11. Creates artwork using light and dark, warm and cool colors.
15. Explores craft processes.
Third grade:
3. Identifies light colors in artworks as tints and dark colors as shades.
16. Produces and art product from each area: drawing, painting, sculpture,
printmaking and crafts.
Fourth grade;
1. Identifies black, brown, white and gray as neutrals.
2. Identifies complementary colors, such as yellow/violet, red/green and
blue/orange.
12. Uses complementary, light and dark colors and neutrals in artwork.
17. Produces an art product from each area: drawing, painting, sculpture,
printmaking and crafts.
Fifth grade;
1. Identifies several values of a color or a neutral
2. Identifies groups of related (analogous) colors, such as yellow-orange,
yellow and yellow-green.
10. Uses analogous colors in artwork.
16. Produces an art product in each art area: drawing, painting, sculpture,
printmaking and crafts.
23. Identifies specific media and techniques used to produce artworks.
Paper Doll Chain
Materials:
Construction paper cut into 18” x 3” strips
Scissors
Pattern
Procedures:
Have students fold paper in half (9” x3”), then in half again, and again, paper will measure
approximately 2 ¼” by 3”.
Students then trace the pattern onto the top layer of their paper. Be sure that folded edges are lined
up with areas marked fold on the pattern. If the pattern does not line up exactly be sure to extend lines out
all the way to the fold. Cut along traced lines, being sure to leave the dolls attached along the fold.
QCC’s:
First grade:
3. Identifies lines as outlines or edges of shapes
4. Identifies shapes and their sizes, such as tall and wide.
6. Identifies patterns.
7. Points out space between and around shapes
13. Repeats a simple shape to produce a pattern.
15. Explores a variety of techniques for folding, cutting and pasting.
Second grade:
4. Identifies shapes made with straight and curved lines
7. Points out space between and around forms
12. Uses lines and shapes to suggest specific objects such as people, animals, plants and buildings.
Third grade:
16. Produces an art product from each area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.
Fourth grade:
6. Identifies positive and negative shapes. Positive shape is the paper doll; negative shapes are the
shapes that get cut out.
9. Distinguishes between formal and informal balance (Symmetrical and asymmetrical)
13. Creates design using positive and negative shapes.
16. Creates artworks using formal and informal balance.
Fifth grade:
9. Creates artworks incorporating specific subject matter, such as objects, themes, events or
symbols.
16. Produces an art product in each art area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.
Quilt
Quilts were very much a part of life in the 1930’s. They were a way to utilize the leftover fabrics
from clothing the family made, and a way to keep warm during the winter, remember they did not yet have
central heat. Quilt designs were mostly geometric.
Creating paper quilts can be a great way for a class to create a group project where everyone has
equal input. Paper quilts can be built around any number of themes, or can be simply geometric, or even a
combination of both, assembled in a checkerboard style with drawn and geometric squares alternated to
form a checkerboard pattern.
Geometric quilt squares:
Materials:
8” drawing paper squares, one for each student
16” x 2” strip of colored construction paper, one for each student
Scissors
Glue
Procedure:
Students fold 8” square to form a grid of 16 squares. Fold paper lengthwise in half and then in
half again, this forms one long rectangle 8” x 2”. Unfold and refold crosswise in half and then in half
again, this will form the crosswise lines of the grid. Unfold and set aside.
Fold strip of colored paper in half, keep folding in half until it is a two-inch square. Unfold. Have
students cut only the colored paper on the fold lines to create squares. Next have them fold each small
square in half to create a triangle. Cut on these fold lines.
Now comes the creative part. Students may arrange their triangles on their white paper. The
triangles will fit inside the white squares Encourage them to try many different designs before they decide
on one and glue it down.
Picture quilt squares:
Materials:
8” squares of paper,
Crayons, pencils, or markers
Procedure:
Discuss the theme your class has decided upon. Possible themes include: Our trip to Plains,
Jimmy Carter, Presidents Day, and Life in the 1930’s.
Each student creates a drawing on his or her 8” square that relates to the theme of the quilt.
Assembling your quilt:
Paper quilts can be assembled in many ways. The simplest is to glue the squares to a large piece
of paper (bulletin board paper works well). To give the quilt a different look, the individual squares may be
mounted on slightly larger 10” – 12” squares of paper before mounting. This is a great way to add color.
To give the students a feel for the sewing process, quilt squares can be laced together: punch holes around
the edges of each square and lace them together with yarn.
QCC’s: Fine Arts, Visual Arts
Kindergarten:
3. Identifies shapes, such as circles, squares, rectangles, triangles and non-geometric shapes.
6. Creates art that expresses personal experiences in artwork.
14. Talks about own artworks
First grade:
6. Identifies patterns
8. Creates artworks from imagination and from real experiences.
13. Repeats a simple shape to produce a pattern.
15. Explores a variety of techniques for folding, cutting and pasting.
Second grade:
4. Identifies shapes made with straight and curved lines.
12. Uses lines and shapes to suggest specific objects such as people, animals, plants and buildings.
18. Talks about how artists get ideas for their artworks from real life settings, such as community
life and transportation.
Third grade:
9. Creates artwork that demonstrates an awareness of details observed in the environment.
15. Creates an artwork, such as posters, books and ads that communicate a message.
16. Produces an art product from each area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.
24. Discusses purposes for which artworks are created.
Fourth grade:
10. Creates artworks form observation of different environments.
17. Produces an art product form each area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.
Fifth grade:
9. Creates artworks incorporating specific subject matter, such as objects, themes, events or
symbols.
12. Creates artworks that communicate a visual message, such as logos, symbols or signs.
16. Produces an art product in each art area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.
18. Researches regional history to create artwork.
Simple Basket
Materials:
Cardboard or poster board
Basket pattern
Scissors
Yarn, string, natural vines
Procedure:
Trace the Pattern onto cardboard and cut out. Fold the sections up at the base to make the basket form.
Start weaving your fiber strips at the bottom, securing the end of the first piece of fiber inside the
basket with masking tape. Weave different pieces of fiber over and under the cardboard strips, adding new
or different types of fiber as you go. When you add another piece, weave it over the end of the last piece
you used, to hide the end.
Continue weaving over and under, working up the side of the basket as you go. Weave up to
about ½” from the end of the basket frame. Fold the cardboard ends back and tuck them into the weaving;
then finish the last rows, hiding the cardboard ends with them.
QCC’s: Fine Arts, visual arts
Second grade:
14. Explores a variety of materials, such as paper, clay, wood and found objects, to create
sculpture.
15. Explores craft processes such as weaving, stitchery, and pottery, emphasizing the use of
texture.
Third grade:
16. Produces and art product form each area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.
Fourth grade:
11. Creates two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks using contrasting shapes, colors and
textures.
17. Produces an art product from each area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.
Fifth grade:
4. Recognizes that form can be open and hollow or closed and solid.
11. Creates a sculpture, which is open and hollow or closed and solid.
16. Produces an art product in each art area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.
Design Your Own T Shirt
Materials:
Copies of T Shirt design handout.
Iron on fabric crayons. (Crayola makes a nice one that is easy to find.)
Cotton/Polyester blend T-shirts the polyester is really important, the colors
will wash out of all cotton shirts.
Iron
Procedure:
Did you ever notice that wherever you go there seems to be a T Shirt to commemorate the event or
location? There sure are a lot of interesting things to remember in Plains, Georgia. Choose something
from your visit that you would like to remember. Draw it with fabric crayons on the handout. You will
notice that Plains, Georgia is done in “mirror writing.” This is because the transfer process is a printing
process and a finished print is a mirror image of the original. Be sure to color in the lettering and the
border, it will not transfer unless you color it with the fabric crayons. When you have finished your design,
your teacher will transfer it with the iron to your T-shirt.
Teachers: don’t have energy or resources to make a T-shirt transfer? Simply have the students do the
design phase. There is a handout with a “T shirt” already in place if you want to do design only.
QCC’s: Fine Arts, Visual Arts
Kindergarten:
6. Creates art that expresses personal experiences in artwork.
7. Creates drawings and painting emphasizing the use of color and line.
12. Identifies subjects in artworks, such as animals, family, friends, plants and building.
First grade:
8. Creates artworks from imagination and from real experiences.
12. Creates drawings using a variety of lines and shapes.
Second grade:
12. Uses lines and shapes to suggest specific objects such as people, animals, plants and buildings.
18. Talks about how artists get ideas fro their artworks from real life settings, such as community
life and transportation
Third grade:
9. Creates artworks that demonstrate an awareness of details observed in the environment.
15. Creates and artwork, such as posters, books and ads that communicate a message.
24. Discusses purposes for which artworks are created
Fourth grade:
10. Creates artworks from observation of different environments
17. Produces an art product form each area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.
26 Talks about the purposes of art in today’s world.
Fifth grade:
9. Creates artworks incorporating specific subject matter, such as objects, themes, events or
symbols.
12. Creates artworks that communicate a visual message, such as logos, symbols or signs.
16. Produces and art product in each art area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.
Vegetable Printing
Materials:
Fresh vegetables
Newspapers, to protect work surface
Paint: tempera works well
Paper to print on
Trays to hold paint
Procedure:
Cover work surface with newspaper. Prepare the vegetables by cutting or slicing, vertically or
horizontally, or butting the foods into shapes.
Pour paint into trays. Dip the foods in the paint and then press them in place on the printing paper.
Experiment by using different patterns and colors, as well as different textures and colors of paper to print
on.
To use this process on fabric, such as a T-shirt of pillowcase, or maybe even a sock, use acrylic or
fabric paint.
QCC’s: Fine Arts, Visual Arts.
Kindergarten:
3. Identifies shapes, such as circles, squares, rectangles, triangles and non-geometric shapes.
5. Identifies objects, which appeal to the senses: touch, sight, sound, smell and taste.
6. Creates artworks emphasizing the use of color and line.
First grade:
4. Identifies shapes and their sizes, such as tall and wide.
6. Identifies patterns.
13. Repeats a simple shape to produce a pattern.
18. Explores simple printmaking processes using geometric and nongeometric shapes.
Second grade:
16. Explores printmaking techniques using pattern.
Third grade:
16. Produces an art product from each area: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and crafts.