1st Grade Space Adventures

This project has been finished for a while, but I'm just now getting around to posting it. It's a project that I've been doing for several years and there are other examples of it on my blog. I do this one a month or two into the year because it is a great way to have students practice multiple skills. This involves design, painting, coloring, cutting, and gluing. A big part of my first several projects in first grade is simply getting the students used to tools, materials, and procedures that they'll be using in the art room. 

My favorite part of this project is the spaceships that the students make. They come up with some really unique ideas. I usually post the lesson plan, but this is so simple that I'll just list the steps here. 

1. Check out cool pictures of spaceships and watch an awesome space shuttle launch. 
2. Each student uses construction paper to create a space ship.
3. On 12x18 paper, students draw at least three planets and color them using crayons or colored pencils. 
4. The "space" part is painted with black tempera. 
5. Stars are painted on using the handle end of a paintbrush.
6. The spaceship is glued on to finish.