Paper Mache Men

One thing (of many) I like about teaching art is that it is a really free subject to do fun and different projects.  I don't have a specific curriculum for art at my school, so I am free to teach the students projects that I think they would really enjoy.  I found the following project through Pinterest, on Blog K-12.  It was the perfect project to teach my Grade 4 students how to use paper mache, practice their fine motor skills, and just something different than the regular drawings, paintings, etc. I also love working with paper mache - every kid loves getting a bit messy sometimes! :)

We started with making the shape of a man out of tinfoil.  We then covered these with paper mache strips.  And lastly, after letting it dry we painted them.  This project took two classes - one for the tinfoil and paper mache, and one for painting.  Here are some pictures to show the process and results!

1. Covering tinfoil with paper mache:

2. Painting over our paper mache men: