Project Title: insect Sculpture Part 1
Medium: Recycled cardboard, masking tape, acrylic paint, embellishments
Grade Theme: Animals

Overview: Students will start an insect sculpture made from recycled, toilet paper cardboard tubes, masking tape, and paint. The first stage of the sculpture will be the “Caterpillar” stage and will rest on a leaf waiting for the second stage. In the second session of the sculpture unit, students will finish transforming their sculptures with embellishments and details, turning their caterpillars into butterflies, moths, dragonflies, etc.
Art Skills: sculpture, construction, cutting, taping, painting
Process: Students cut out a big leaf and will then fold, rip and cut cardboard and tape together a caterpillar body shape out of upcycled cardboard materials.  When all holes and joints are taped tight, they will paint them entirely in one color and rest them on their leaf.  Sculptures will be left to dry and must be stored by the classroom teacher until Part 2 when we return, next month to embellish and expand the form into a detailed mature insect or other creature. 
Materials: cardboard, masking tape, acrylic paint
Tools Provided by Classroom: paint shirts/ smocks, scissors
Vocabulary: sculpture: Three-dimensional art (meaning you can look at it from the front, back, top, or bottom) made by one of four basic processes: carving, modeling, casting, and constructing. Insect, caterpillar, metamorphosis 
Additional Resource: Link to Art History and Connection
Multiple Subject Integration: Environmental Science, anatomy, engineering

*Please note that samples were made by teaching artists.  Students will be encouraged to make their own versions of this project. Please DO NOT show students these samples in advance of the art lesson.

Description Summary: Today students had the first of a two-part special art lesson making insect sculptures.  They cut, folded and taped the parts together and painted them bright colors.  They then left their baby insects to rest on a leaf. When the art teachers return we will add eyes and other fun embellishments to them and turn them into adult insects.