Keepin' it Easy: Thumbprint Pussywillows!

I was out for a walk today by a local pond and wetland area, and discovered some pussywillows growing, which, at least around here, are the predecessor of all other spring growth.  They are a favorite of mine, and made me recall a favorite one-class art project that I did annually with my kindergartners until I retired.

I think it is important to remember that a good art project doesn't have to be complex and take a long time to do to be worth doing.  There's a lot of value in the simplicity of this project.

  

Each year, I'd bring a batch of pussywillows in to the art room.  I would give my kindergartners time to touch them, feel their softness, and stroke their cheeks with them.  Then we'd look at the shapes of the branches, and how the little soft pussywillows grow along the stems.  The kids would also observe the dark little seed pods at the base of each fuzzy bud.

We looked at various vases I had placed on the tables, and how they were shaped.  Students each chose a sheet of colored construction paper (I usually offered a menu of various springtime colors), and began by choosing a shape for their vase, and drawing it using crayons.  Crayons were also used to add the stems and the little dark seed pods. Each table also had some real pussywillows on it, so the kids could use them for reference as they drew their stems.

Then I lightly mixed a blend of white paint with some silver and a touch of black, that I placed in a shallow dish on each table.  The kindergartners used their thumbs as stampers to stamp pussywillow buds on top of the seed pods.  And that's it!  Cleanup is as easy as a wipe of the thumb with a baby wipe!  Easy-peasy observational project that can be completed in one class period!   

 I did a similar annual one-class project with my first graders, when the lilac tree in my backyard bloomed each year.  Again, we looked at the flowers (and of course we sniffed them, too!).  We noted how they grow in clumps, and we looked at the shape of the lilac leaves.   We drew vases, this time including a table surface, and again we drew stems, adding leaves as well.  I mixed a selection of lilac colors, using varying amounts of white, purple, magenta, and blue, and the students used cotton swabs to paint their flowers.  Disposable paintbrushes = easy cleanup!  For more info, and much better  photos than those below, check out this post from June 2016.