Kindergarteners are currently making paper maracas. After rolling paper cylinders and sealing corn kernels inside with paper end caps, students test their seals by doing the shake test. If corn flies out, a hole needs to be patched with paper and tape. During this project, students learn about cylinders by constructing them. Kindergarteners engage in challenging spatial/structural problem solving as they draw, cut, trim, patch, and secure the lids of their maracas. Click the video below to see the KB and KE art classes test their maracas. Will the corn stay inside? Since these videos were made, students have begun to develop the maracas further with paper mache, faces, and cotton hair.
Stations of the Cross drawings and cloth pillow sculptures by 8th graders appear below. For the Stations project, students used the Renaissance-based grid method to create free-hand pencil and ink drawings of illustrations by contemporary artist Shari Van Vranken. Students colored and edited photos of their drawings with the Sketchbook app on their iPads.
