Gabriela's lesson was very free in terms of how the students apply their stamped elements, but I need more structure! That's where David and one of his limited edition postcard sets came in. This particular postcard was designed by Maura Cluth, so really this project is 2 parts Gabriela, one part David, and one part Maura. Whew.
One of the kindergarten standards is identifying and creating patterns through repetition of shapes, lines, and colors. Maura's postcard served as a visual introduction to pattern and repetition for the kinders. We then created our own patterns on my dry erase board for group practice.
I also talked about "color families" with the kids and how 2 primary colors mixed together will make a new color. Each class used one color family in their stamp project.
The students and I first broke our paper into different windows by using vertical and horizontal lines. Before the kids started stamping I modeled how to hold their stamp and use it properly. Their stamp was a strip of cardboard that was about 1x2". I showed them how to dip it into the tempera paint and press it onto their paper.
Like Gabriela's students, my kids used one color at a time. They had about 5-7 minutes with each of the 3 colors to stamp before I switched it with the next color. We also experimented with dragging the cardboard across the paper to create a solid shape or two. Students could use the corners of the cardboard to make smaller marks. On the final color students got to use q-tips and/or empty glue caps to add dots and circles to their stamped pattern images.
This was the first time I have done a tempera paint project with the kinders in a LONG time. For some it was their first time using it, so it interesting to see how they handled it. There were a couple "tasters" and quite a few body painters. I was cool with the body art as long as it was THEIR body.
The kids definitely had fun with this one!
Thanks for the inspiration Gabriela, David, and Maura.