Printmaking Sweethearts

This project was a whole lot of collaborative fun for my pre-K through first grade students. I gave them lots of random objects and trays of paint in two complementary neon colors. I had them work with a partner and experiment with stamping the different objects on a shared piece of paper. Some of the tools included: clothespins, cotton balls, buttons, recycled plastic lids, corrugated board, foam shapes, paper towel tubes, and dried up Model Magic dough (it dries into a squishy/foamy mound). I instructed them to use "feather fingers" as they put the objects into the paint and then pressed them repeatedly on the paper. 

On their second visit, we traced and cut hearts from the various paper we created. I simply had them trace, cut, and glue with gluestick on a small vertical strip of paper (about 6"). I had them choose two colors of oil pastels and put some texture on the surrounding strip of paper to create contrast.

The first graders then used extra printmaking paper and newspaper we mixed paint on in the fall. This was a great recycling project! I had them create five hearts in different ways: by tracing and cutting on patterned paper, by using cut out scraps of the paper to create a heart made of a negative shape, or trace and cut from newspaper. They were instructed to try to keep their collage balanced as they worked, putting one shape up top, one below, some in opposite corners. I love the visual texture in these projects!