Read the book "The Crayon Box That Talked," by Shane Derolf, to your students. Have your students draw a portrait of themselves on a piece of a paper shaped like the top of a crayon or triangle. Create an open giant crayon box out of construction paper and display it on a wall or bulletin board. When students finish their crayon portraits, display them inside the open box of crayons. This project illustrates the book's message: if we all work together despite our differences, the results will be colorful and amazing.
On a large piece of paper, draw the outline of a rainbow with red, orange, blue, green and yellow paint. Have one student at a time paint their hands in a color of paint of their choice. Have them place their painted hands onto the paper rainbow in the color arch that matches their hands. When complete, talk to the students about how they helped each other make the project a success.
Create a globe out of construction paper and hang it on a wall or bulletin board. Make paper doll templates. Have students trace the dolls onto card stock and cut them out. Show the students how to mix paint colors to make different skin tones and have them paint the dolls. Make templates shaped like pants and shirts. Have students trace the pants and shirts onto card stock. Students then cut out the clothes, paint them and glue them onto the paper dolls. They can glue google eyes and yarn for hair onto their dolls. Display the dolls around the paper globe.
Present a project that investigates another culture. Explain how the Hopi Indians make kachina dolls to help them teach their children about how things such as rainbows, clouds and rain came about. Show students examples of kachina dolls and have them consider what they could teach others using such dolls. Hot-glue Styrofoam balls onto empty yarn cones. Do this for the students so they don't burn themselves. The students can then cut out arms and facial features from cardboard and use masking tape to attach the pieces to the bodies and heads of their dolls. Have students apply gesso to the dolls to create a smooth, even surface. When the gesso has dried, have them color the dolls with acrylic paints. Students can then glue beads, feathers and yarn on the dolls for decoration. Stage a show-and-tell in which each student can share her doll with the class, reveal its name and talk about what she could teach others using her doll.