Fingerprint art documents a child's creativity using her hands and works best in preschool and kindergarten classrooms. Materials needed include washable paint in a variety of colors, large sheets of paper, and aprons. Get the kids to mix paints to see what colors they can create and paint a large masterpiece completed by the class together. Do not limit students to only using their fingers. Let them get even more creative by also using their feet and entire hands. Get the class to paint one large picture, such as a garden scene or school playground.
No matter what the grade level you are working with, teach the class about American heritage and make a flag as part of the study plan. Depending upon the age you are working with you can create the flag with finger paints, coloring pencils, stickers or construction paper. If you have an older group of students you can help them sew a small flag, make a mosaic flag, or create one from a collage of patriotic photos.
Kids will dance around your classroom giggling, cheering and chanting with rain sticks they made themselves. You will need the cardboard insert to a roll of paper towels, colored construction paper, glue, crayons, scissors and stickers. You will also need dried beans, beads, unpopped popcorn, dry rice, or anything else that will make noise when shaken inside the tube. Have kids cut two circles out of the construction paper that are large enough to cover each end of the cardboard tube. Attach one of the paper circles to one end of the tube with tape, then fill the tube with beans, beads, paper clips or pasta. Seal the other end of the tube with the remaining paper circle. Let kids decorate and then use the rain sticks during music class.
Decorate your room and get kids ready for winter all with one simple craft. You will need white paper, glitter, glue, string and scissors. Have kids fold the paper in half, repeating as many times as they want to. Have them cut out slits in the paper where it is folded. When they open the folded paper it will take on the appearance of a snowflake that they can decorate with glitter. Tie a string to the top of the snowflake and hang from the ceiling, turning it into a winter wonderland.