Bead Art (Crafts)

The picture above is from a lesson that involved crafts. The co-teachers introduced bead art in the form of using newspaper. The bracelet we made was for Mother's Day. We cut out a heart, wrote a sentence or two for our mother, and made the bracelet. To make the bracelet, you took thin (about an inch) pieces of newspaper and rolled them. We used glue at the end of the paper rolls to make them stay together. Then, we placed the white string through the paper rolls and tied the bracelet together.
You can make newspaper bracelets for any holiday like Christmas or Easter. They are a fun way to get the students to make something for someone special. You could use this activity when talking about other cultures and show the students bracelets from other countries.
 

Clay Masks

The picture above is from a clay lesson activity. We made clay masks for the clay lesson activity. We first were given a slab of clay and formed it into the shape of mask we wanted. After that, we made designs on our mask using lines and different textures. Then, we made the facial features of the mask (eyes, nose, and mouth). Finally, after our mask dried, we painted the mask. 
This lesson would be fun for students of all ages. You could incorporate clay into any lesson you are doing. Say you are in a social studies unit talking about American history. You could have the students make an American flag. This opportunities are endless for clay.   

Trees (Math/Science)

The picture above is from a math/science focused lesson. The group decided to focus on science. We were given either a blue, black, white, yellow, or orange piece of construction paper. We traced our hand on a brown sheet of construction paper and used it as a tree trunk. We talked about the seasons and made a scene of a season based on the color of our paper. 
This lesson is perfect for talking about seasons. You can incorporate it into a science lesson. You could do this lesson for every change of the season throughout the year and have the students use different materials to decorate the tree and the background each time.

Crayons

The picture shown above is from a lesson with the focus of crayons. Before we made the crayon drawing, we made did an activity that involved making a monster or funny character. We divided our paper into three sections and drew the face of the character. After we drew the face, we folded the paper so the face was hidden and the middle of the paper showed. We then passed our paper to another person and they made the body of the character. We then repeated this process for the legs of the character. Students got a kick out of how the characters turned out. 
The characters are a great way to get the students imaginations going. They have to come up with something from their imagination and this can get them focused in. This activity would be perfect for sometime when the students aren't able to go outside for recess due to poor weather. 
The picture above is from the main crayon activity of the lesson. We cut out the crayon shape and drew a scene in the middle of the crayon. I drew a swimmer swimming. 
This activity would be a fun activity in the classroom for the students to show their interests. You could do this at the beginning of the year when students are familiar with each other. Students can draw the in middle what they like to do and it can serve as an introduction. 

Scratch Art (2D Paper Projects)

The picture above is an example of scratch art. The lesson my partner and I made to present to the class was from the focus of 2D paper projects. We decided to make Mother's Day cards out of homemade scratch art. Scratch art is a great way for students to explore other art methods. It takes up time, so when incorporating it into the classroom make sure enough time is planned. 

The bulletin board above is the board classmate Whitney and me made to present the artwork our "student's" scratch art creations. Bulletin boards are a great way to show off students' artwork. Showing off the students' work gives them a sense of pride. It also lets them know they need to take the project seriously because it will be displayed in front of their peers.

Culture Masks (Multicultural)

The picture above is from a lesson focus of multicultural art. We made culture masks. The materials are endless with this activity. You need a paper plate and whatever you wish to decorate your mask. I used orange paint, glitter, construction paper and tissue paper. 
The culture masks are a great way to incorporate other cultures into the classroom. You can make the culture masks in your regular classroom as well as in the art classroom. This activity can inspire the culturally diverse to stand out and share their culture with their classmates.

Printmaking

The picture above is from a lesson with the focus of printmaking. First, you take a styrofoam sheet and create a design with an object that can make a dent. I used a pencil. After your design is made, cover it with paint and place it face down on construction paper. 
This activity can be useful when learning about printmaking. It is simple and would only take one class period for students to complete. As a teacher, you could introduce various elements of design, such as line or shape, and have them make prints of those.