Spring Break Craft: Paper Weaving!

Hey Parents!  Wondering what to do with the kids on this rainy spring break day?  

Check out the mini-post below, all you need is strips of any kind of paper!

 

  Students have been finishing up their projects in art and I started to wonder what quick, fun activities could I expose them to in the spare time they find within the art room?  Well, suddenly it hit me; paper weaving!  I made the example shown to the many different ways this one technique, can look so different!  During the introduction to the concept we talk about pattern (pulling in that math vocabulary!).  I found that students many times look at a pattern within colors or shapes, but don't connect that a pattern can be a way of doing things or a technique.  This project helped them make that connection!

Now, for all those teachers out there yes, this may sound like a bit of work but trust me it's worth it (and if you can see through the practice loom, I did with my feet up, watching tv after a long day!). I took 4x6 inch pieces of black construction paper, laminated them, and then cut strips almost all the way to the top. This made a great practice loom for the students to get the hang of the "under, over, under, over..." pattern technique.  Then, it was onto the "Super Duper Challenge Weave" as we called it in class.  Students were given strips of construction paper but this time, there was no loom they were shown how to begin with a "+" shape, and add onto each side maintaining the "over and under" technique.  The challenge is, the paper doesn't stay still and students need to think about not only the horizontal weaving aspect but in addition the vertical weaving.  Students have done an AWESOME job!  Check it out!

*Parents:  turn this into a recylced art project by using strips of paper from newspapers, magazines, circulars, and so on!*