First Grade Organic Shape Monsters

Books can be such a great inspiration in the Art room. First grade read "There Was an Old Monster" by Rebecca, Adrian, and Ed Emberley. It's pretty silly, so I heard lots of giggles while I was reading. Students then learned what an organic shape is and how this is different from our "math" shapes, like triangles, circles, squares, etc. Students then used a tied string on construction paper to create an organic shape that would be the body of their monster they would create, and then traced around the string in pencil. Next, students used tempera paint (polishing our paintbrush skills) to paint the monster and possibly a background if there was space left over. Finally, students added details with oil pastels. They certainly came up with some creative creatures.