Celebrate and Remember

Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2

The Celebrate and Remember Unit has art lesson plans for Kindergarten, year 1 and 2. There are lots of artwork lesson plans for important events throughout the year. From celebratory fireworks to Remembrance Day and Easter. Students can create a gorgeous red poppy wreath using painting and collage techniques for Anzac Day or Remembrance Day. Students will learn how to create this 3D collage from found objects, turning an everyday item into a beautiful artwork. They will focus on tracing, cutting and layering to create stylized representations of poppies. They will learn about balance, harmony and symmetry as they work to construct and arrange their finished artwork.  

We’ll have fun creating one of the fireworks artworks. There is an easier, printmaking version (with a bit of teacher prep.) for Kinder and then a scratch art for the older kids to try out. We’ll use oil pastels and black paint and create a wonderful night scene and light up the night sky with explosions of colour. Students will learn a range of key skills, including printmaking and drawing techniques and will learn about the power of contrast and colour theory and how to use the elements of line, shape and colour to really make an artwork pop.  

For Easter there is a silhouette bunny artwork to draw. We’ll focus on pattern and contrast to create this black silhouette on a brown paper background. The rabbit will be detailed with pattern using white gel pens onto the black silhouette. The lesson plans draw on the concepts of repetition, contrast, pattern and colour. Students will learn about positive and negative space and will practice their collaging skills as they create their own bunny silhouette to decorate with their choice of patterns.  

Grade 3 and 4

Celebrate Easter, Halloween and Mother’s Day and Father’s Day with these fun art ideas for grades 3 and 4. We’ll create a gorgeous Easter Rabbit collage using a variety of painted brown papers and a painted and stamped background. There are printmaking, painting and collage techniques to create the artwork featuring one or two rabbits. Students will learn about colour and value and how to use these elements to create shading and form within their artwork. Teachers can adjust the outcome of this project to the speed their students work by choosing one or two rabbits to collage.  

We have a colourful geli plate printing heart to make for Valentine’s Day and a wonky Halloween House to design and draw. Students will learn simple printmaking techniques to create vibrant, patterned prints that focus on colour, repetition and symmetry and which can be used as a Valentine’s gift for someone special.

Students will enjoy adding all the details such as bats and cobwebs to their haunted house as they learn to use a range of media and techniques, including oil pastel, collage and line drawing. We will focus on analogous colours, contrast, repetition and pattern and balance. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day mugs are an easy, one hour art project for a quick and thoughtful gift for parents on their special day of the year. Students will learn how to use paint pens and markers to turn a plain ceramic mug into a thoughtful and practical, personalised gift. They will use simple contour drawing techniques and learn about colour theory, balance and emphasis as they decorate their mug for a special parent or grandparent.  

Grade 5 and 6

The grade 5-6 category will have students creating a beautiful still life painting, incorporating mixed media elements. Students will be learning about colour theory as they experiment with painting a background in warm and cool colours and then creating flowers, a vase and table to complete the composition. The artwork focuses on positive and negative space and looks at ways to establish emphasis within their artwork through the use of these aspects, as they create a wonderful bunch of bright blooms for Mother’s Day. 

Valentine’s Day features a heart artwork created with printing geli plates. Textural details are added with created stamps and when the prints are dry further details can be added with markers. Students will learn about analogous colours and how to use these to create a harmonious composition.  

The Father’s Day card project focuses on developing drawing skills through the use of line drawing, which students will use to create patterns and textures to their work. Students can use cross hatching, and repetition to build tone and variety and will look at the concepts of positive and negative space while creating their artwork. Colour can be added to really make this artwork pop. This idea could easily be adapted to create a Mother’s Day or card for a different occasion as well.