In this lesson, we made a pop-up character art project with a partner. First, we each drew two characters and picked a scene from a pile of options. My partner and I ended up with a cow, a bunny, and a city background. We planned on how to arrange our scene and deciding on the construction paper colors. We chose purple for the night sky. Next, we marked where the pop-up sections would go and cut two slits, about one inch wide and two inches tall. Then we started designing our scene. We cut out buildings and added windows for the city, created yellow diamond shapes for stars, and drew a moon. We also drew a cow and positioned it as if it were jumping over the moon. For our pop-up elements, we included the bunny (as required) and a “no jumping” stop sign for the cow, attaching them to the slits we had cut. Finally, we shared our project with the class and explained it in two sentences, describing what was happening in our design.

As an extension, students could create a “mini comic” using their pop-up characters. They could make 2–3 small pop-up scenes that continue the story from their original artwork, showing what happens next to their characters. They could use the same cutting and folding techniques to make each scene pop up, add simple backgrounds or props, and write a short caption for each one. This activity combines storytelling and 3D art, allowing students to be creative with movement and sequence in their designs!

 

Mosaic tiles

We made mosaic tiles using air-dry clay. We had to brainstorm ideas and symbols for our designs, like favorite foods or drinks, hobbies, family traditions, or places we’d like to visit. We sketched our ideas on a small paper-like square before working with the clay. Next, we prepared our clay by wedging it, then used a roller to flatten it evenly and make it large enough to fit our square template. Once the clay was the right size, we placed our sketched paper on top and traced the square outline onto the clay. After cutting out the square shape, we started designing. Our project required three techniques: additive, subtractive, and one of our choice. The additive technique involved adding pieces of clay, while the subtractive technique meant carving or removing clay. When using the additive method, we scored the clay by making “X” marks and adding a bit of water so the pieces would stick together securely. Once our design was complete, we finished the project by painting our tiles however we wanted.

My additives were an iced coffee, a teacher clip bored top left, a bow bottom left, and the letter K for my name in the middle. My subtractive was making a checkered background, my carving lines in a pattern. I used lots of pink for my painting, and the background was black and white. I really liked how mine turned out!

As an extension, students could create a small series of story tiles inspired by their original mosaic tile. Each tile would show a scene or moment connected to their design, like a favorite hobby in action, a family tradition, or a place they love. They could continue using additive and subtractive techniques to add texture and detail, then paint the tiles to bring the scenes to life. Once finished, the tiles could be arranged to tell a short visual story, combining art and storytelling in a fun, creative way!