Recycled Kindness Monsters

"We are doing research into recycling, is there anything you would want to do with them for that in art class?"

Yep, that is how the recycled kindness monsters started. I wanted to start by having it be 3D to prepare my 2nd graders for next years as 3rd graders. 

So to start, had students bring in a box. Not a super big box but not super tiny. Then using small snack bags filled with kitty litter. (my go to for weighing anything down) Students had to figure out how many they might of needed to keep their box from falling over. Then we gessoed! I had them gesso so painting over those bright colors of some boxes would be easier. 

For painting, I let them go at it with whatever colors they wanted. This gave them an opportunity to experience getting their own paint and taking responsibility for my paint bottles themselves. Plus getting to mix paints however they wanted. 

Now at this point I introduced the book I used "My Friend the Monster" a little book about a family that moves into a house and the son finds a monster. The monster is kind and just wants to be friends. I used this to base the "what are we doing with these??" question.

Last the fun part. I have been saving supplies for them to build their monsters with for awhile. We used yarn, fabric, and paper scraps along with cardboard tubes and spools. My one design requirement for these monsters was the mouth. It had to be saying something kind that they would want to hear every day. A motivational saying to get them going. Some really got it and had great ideas. A few, not so much. 

Note: to get the tubes and spools to stick I did have to get out the hot glue gun. I manned it and gave students a limit of visits. 

I would like to do this project again but might put more parameters on the size of the box and requirement of the mouth. See if I can get the classroom teacher to come up with some good phrases. Otherwise I feel successful in this integration and sort of diving into maker space.