Construction unit begins in 2nd grade with exploration of the cube

Each child is given 6 squares. We discuss what makes a square a square. 

Kids use masking take to tape together the sides in the form of a T

Almost done!

Once done, they use masking tape to cover the slits on the sides. 

Some chose to decorate them

Some chose to make them into gift boxes. Some make them into dice. Others made them into fortune tellers. 

Here is one class' worth of cubes. 

Kindergarteners Create boxes

Boxes, boxes, boxes. Kindergarteners have been making boxes for this coming unit. Next, children will use their box-making skills to make houses.

Creating Varied Cones In Preparation for Totem Poles

As a skill building activity in preparation to making our paper sculpture totem poles, children used regular copy paper to create varied cones. They were given the basics of creating a cone and then asked to tweak the formula in various ways and explore how their cones were then different.

These cone making skills will be helpful when making their totem poles. A cone could be used to make their animal eyes, ears, nozzle or beaks. Next week, children will explore various ways to manipulate paper to create fur, feathers or scales. All these skills will help children in the end create a highly skilled animal totem sculpture.

3rd Grade Create Sculptures from Tetrahedrons

In art we discussed what a 3D shape was. Some kids began by describing 3D as a "pop-up shape". We went further in defining solid 3d shapes by defining it as an object that can be measured 3 ways; length, width, and depth.

My Monday 3rd Grade art class (Friedman) see me twice a week for the first quarter. One of those days is used to go further within the unit we are working. Today we learned about tetrahedrons. It's a solid shape made out of 4 equilateral triangles. Children traced 4 triangles as shown and created various tetrahedrons and begin taping them together to make a much more complicated shape solid.