Messy Mache

Currently I am helping five Art 1 classroom complete a messy messy Paper Mache project. It's a lot of fun and at the end of the year an engaging activity to keep students going.

Aside from the obvious lessons in uses, history and experimenting with 3d work, Paper Mache acheives what I feel is one of the best lessons in art: Problem Solving Skills!

Every step of this process is ripe with problem solving activity - oh no! my monster is falling over! How do I make a sphere? Why won't he balance? Um...It like, totally, collapsed and I hate it. 

All of these are wonderful opportunities to jump in and tell a student to 'Keep going' and 'it will look better when it is complete...just stick it out!' They don't believe me, but low and behold, two class sessions later, their paper mache monster looks awesome. 

this dragon was huge. amazing. scary monster flowers!