Cooperative Art

This week we completed our first cooperative art project for the year.

Cooperative projects have us working together; either as an entire class or in a smaller groups.

Children don't have their own individual project to complete when we are working cooperatively.

I love to step back a little and watch kids work on things together. 

Strange things happen . . . they have conversations like adults sitting around a table eating.

Sometimes they encounter problems and they have to work through them and find solutions.

Team work.

Group Sharing.

Problem Solving.

Building Relationships.

So priceless and foundational for how life really works.

Last year we did several of these projects and this year I am setting a goal to do one cooperative art project a month.  This first one had them working in smaller groups . . . groups of two or three at a time.

This project also was a great project for me to assess where each child is at on cutting. We have been talking about colors this month as well so this fit great for a first project.  

PAINT CHIP ART

Cut. 

Paint chips are awesome for kids to practice cutting skills. They are just the right length for a one or two cuts.  Now you have something to do with those paint chips. Last year we did rainbows with them. Check those out here.  

(To assess cutting I had them come and do this in groups of 2 or 3. Even my police man and firefighter took a break from saving the classroom to cut for me.)

Glue and Arrange

We did this in groups of two. 

One friend glued for an entire row and the other friend choose the color and placed it. (And I refrained from telling them what colors to pick ....  I may have sometimes strategically placed certain colors closer to them so we wouldn't have an entire row of one color but for the most part they did all the arranging.) 

Our work now hangs proudly in our hall way next to our class HEART HANDS.

I think our extra paint chips will stay out this year in our Creation Station (art center). We'll see if anyone decides to create with them again.

This could be adorable hanging in a child's room or play room. 

You could even choose the colors. :))

(I don't have a source to refer you to for this project; a good friend of mine did one with her daughter and shared the idea with me and she saw it on Pinterest. Thanks Angie!)