Aztec Art

For this lesson we learned about Aztec art and the different designs that are common in Aztec art. We learned about the history of the art and how they commonly used bright colors in their art. We got to create our own sun dials and even tested them out. We got to sketch out some symbols that represented us. We then were instructed to pick one symbol, and then put it in the center and then create designs around the center. We also needed to use bright colors and also had to put numbers on the outside just like a regular clock. We then went outside to test out the sun dials, and they actually worked. We had to poke a hole in the middle and then use a stick or pencil to cast a shadow. We then read the shadow and that was how we knew what time it was.
An extension activity that students could do with this is if we were learning about ancient civilizations, and create other inventions that other civilizations used.

"Earth Day"

For this lesson we learned about Earth Day. They started out the lesson by talking about Earth Day and how it is very important to keep the Earth clean and not pollute it. They showed us pictures of a dirty Earth and we discussed ways to clean it and keep the Earth clean such as; recycling, picking up trash, and planting trees. After we discussed different cleaning the Earth Strategies we got to create our very own Earth. We were to create this using shaving cream and paint. We were given a circle and shaving cream placed on a piece of wax paper. We smoothed out the shaving cream and squirted paint onto it in any design we wanted. After we got to take a spoon and swirl the paint. We used yellow and blue paint because that makes green. When we created the design we wanted we placed the circle on top of the shaving cream and then lightly pressed down and then pulled the paper off to create what is shown in this picture. The shaving cream created the texture that we wanted to create our own Earth.
An extension activity that students could do is with science, if the students were learning about clouds, since the shaving cream already kind of looks like clouds, it would be something easy for them to create.

"Dream Catchers"

For this activity we got to create our own dream catchers. We learned about the background of how dream catchers came about and how the Native Americans believed in them. The dream catchers would catch the bad dreams and release the good dreams. We got to create our own using a paper plate, string, beads, and feathers. First we had to weave the string in the holes and then put whatever beads we wanted to on wherever we wanted. We could use whatever combination of beads as long as we used three different colors. We were also instructed we could weave whatever pattern that we wanted to, after we went through every hole we got to put feathers on. We also learned different knotting techniques to knot the beads onto the string.
An extension activity that students could do would be to learn more about Native American culture and compare and contrast the beliefs of different tribes.

"Pop up Books"

For this lesson we got to create pop up books. We were first read the story "If you give a Mouse a Cookie." After reading that we learned about the different parts of a story, beginning, middle, and end. Also about characters, setting, and plot. After that we each brainstormed what we wanted our story to be about, then we were put into groups and had to combine the stories and put them into one. We each needed to create two pages of the story. To make these books pop up we were instructed to cut out slots to make the pop up parts of the book. An extension activity you could do with this is to create a history story, or a story about animals and their habitats to integrate it with other subjects. We had instructions that we needed at least one sentence on a page and illustrations to go along with it.

"Ribbit"

This lesson we learned about clay making and shaping. We got to create clay frogs out of clay. Walker and Joel taught us how to mold, sculpt, and form clay. We learned many different techniques to get the air bubbles out of the clay. You have to make sure to get the air bubbles out so that your clay sculptures will not break apart easily. After getting the air bubbles out, we got to form the different parts of the frog we also learned how to wet and stitch the pieces together to make it stick together. This was a very fun and creative lesson, it was something different working with clay.
An extension activity that you could do with this could go along with any class. You could choose to make something important in history, like the liberty bell or something. You could use it in social studies to make a clay outline of the United States also.