Going LIVE tonight, Wednesday at 8pm CST to talk about some art teacherin' issues! Hope you'll join me over here. See you real soon! As my fourth graders are wrapping up their Candy Heart Sculptures and drawing, I'm thinking ahead to a fun fibers unit for them. Last year, this group explored embroidery and did a really fabulous job. I know they will love expanding their knowledge and creating these fun stitched monsters!
I wanted a stitching project that would introduce them to the following: pattern cutting, pinning, sewing, stuffing and embellishing. I also wanted a fun contemporary artist tie-in and I found the artist behind Cotton Monster, Jennifer Strunge, to be perfect.
Aren't her monsters just the most amazing thing ever? I need one in my life, stat. Here's the video I created to introduce my kiddos to Jennifer and all things stitching! Feel free to use it in your art teacherin' world. I think it would be perfect for 3rd grade on up.
I anticipate this project will take my students 3 one-hour art classes. When I share my video, I show it to the kids in short bursts. I then allow them to go work and set my timer for the amount of time I expect it will take them. When the timer goes off, finished or not, all kids report to the floor for the next video viewing.
On Day 1, we'll learn about Jennifer Strunge, cut out arms, pin them in place and, hopefully, stitch one side. The following day, we should be able to wrap up the stitching, turn inside out and start working on the face. We will pulling out our Monsters of Creativity collages and looking at those for inspiration!
Day 3 (and, let's be honesty, probably Day 4) will include gluing the parts of the face down, stuffing and stitching closed.
I'm thinking of tasking my early finishers to think of themselves as toy creators and their monsters as their creation. As such, they'll need to think of their monster as a product. Who will it be sold to? How will it be packaged? What will be the price? Why should people buy it? I'll keep you posted on this adventure!
Have y'all done stitched monster projects with your students? Love to hear what you've done! And if you do this project, please be sure and let me know, I'd love to see your student's creations.
For the 9 x 12" flet, did you have the students cut that felt in half for the body? And for the arms and legs did you have a fabric pattern or did the kids create their own arms and legs? I love, love, love your blog... thank you so much for all your inspiration and help!
The needle threader is genius! My third grade boys are loving the sewing! The video is great too. I went over the directions and play sections over and over while I circulate and help my kids. I need to learn how to make and edit videos. Easiest way to keep from reteaching over and over and over individual students. Also sewing hearts with the second grade and adding the silly faces. They are loving being "grown-ups" and using pointy needles!
For the 9 x 12" flet, did you have the students cut that felt in half for the body? And for the arms and legs did you have a fabric pattern or did the kids create their own arms and legs? I love, love, love your blog... thank you so much for all your inspiration and help!
ReplyDeleteThe needle threader is genius! My third grade boys are loving the sewing! The video is great too. I went over the directions and play sections over and over while I circulate and help my kids. I need to learn how to make and edit videos. Easiest way to keep from reteaching over and over and over individual students. Also sewing hearts with the second grade and adding the silly faces. They are loving being "grown-ups" and using pointy needles!
ReplyDelete