Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 3
Creative arts: exploring materials and techniques – Week 2 focus
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Creative arts: exploring materials and techniques – Week 2 focus
Download the Lessonotes Mobile South Africa app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Life Skills
Class: Grade 3
Term: 2nd Term
Week: 2
Theme: General lesson support
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This week in Creative Arts, we're going to continue our exciting journey of exploring different materials and techniques. Last week, we may have touched on basic materials like crayons and paper. This week, we’re diving deeper! We'll be focusing on using natural and recycled materials to create art. This is important because in South Africa, like many places, we need to be mindful of our environment. Learning to reuse and repurpose materials not only helps us create beautiful art but also teaches us to be responsible citizens who care for our planet. Using natural materials connects us to our land and heritage.
Let's talk about the materials we'll be using and the techniques we can use them with.
Natural Materials: These are things we find in nature. Think about your garden, the park, or even the beach!
Some examples are: Leaves: Different shapes, sizes, and colours of leaves can be used to make collages, leaf rubbings (placing a leaf under paper and rubbing a crayon over it), or even to decorate 3D sculptures.
Twigs: Small branches from trees can be used to create sculptures, picture frames, or even miniature houses. Make sure they are dry and easy to handle.
Sand: Sand can be mixed with glue to create textured paintings or used in sand art bottles. Remember to wash the sand first!
Stones/Pebbles: Different shapes and sizes of stones can be painted and decorated or glued together to make sculptures or mosaics.
Seeds/Beans: Dried seeds and beans can be glued onto paper or other surfaces to create patterns and textures. Think about using different coloured beans for a beautiful effect!
Flowers: Pressed flowers are beautiful in collages or as decorations. Be careful when picking flowers and always ask permission.
Recycled Materials: These are things that we would normally throw away but can be used to make new things. This is called recycling!
Some examples are: Cardboard boxes: These can be used to make houses, cars, robots, or anything else you can imagine!
Plastic bottles: These can be cut and shaped to make flowers, animals, or even planters.
Newspaper/Magazines: These can be used to make collages, paper mache, or even rolled into beads.
Egg cartons: These can be painted and decorated to make caterpillars, flowers, or other small creatures.
Old fabric scraps: These can be used to make collages, patchwork designs, or even small dolls.
Techniques: These are the ways we use the materials.
Collage: Cutting or tearing pieces of paper, fabric, or other materials and gluing them onto a surface to create a picture.
Sculpture: Creating a 3D object using different materials. This could involve gluing, taping, or even just stacking materials.
Rubbing: Placing a textured object (like a leaf) under paper and rubbing a crayon or pencil over it to create an impression.
Painting: Using paint to add colour and detail to your artwork.
Assembly: Putting different pieces together to create something new. Why is this important for South African Learners? Many South African communities face challenges with waste management. By learning to recycle and reuse materials, we are becoming environmentally responsible citizens. We can reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and keep our communities clean. Also, many of these materials are freely available, meaning art doesn't have to be expensive. We can make amazing things with what we have around us! Think of creating a beautiful mosaic using colourful broken tiles found in your neighbourhood.
Making a Leaf Collage: Collect different leaves. Dry them by pressing them between heavy books for a day or two. Cut or tear the leaves into different shapes and arrange them on a piece of paper. Glue them down to create a picture. Maybe you create a picture of a South African animal using the leaves!
Building a Cardboard Box House: Find a cardboard box. Cut out windows and a door. Use other pieces of cardboard to make a roof. Decorate the house with paint, crayons, or even pieces of fabric.
Creating Sand Art: Find a clear plastic bottle or jar. Use different coloured sand (you can colour sand by mixing it with food colouring and letting it dry). Layer the sand in the bottle to create a design.
Guided Practice (With Solutions)
Question 1: Name two natural materials and describe one art project you could make with each.
Solution:
Natural Material 1: Twigs - Art project: A miniature bird's nest. Collect small twigs and glue them together in a circular shape to create a nest.
Natural Material 2: Stones - Art project: Painted rock animals. Find smooth, flat stones and paint them to look like ladybugs, tortoises, or other South African animals.
Question 2: You have an empty plastic bottle. Describe how you can turn it into a useful object.