For a temporary art project, students can use one kind of material to spread on a large, plain background that forms a canvas. For example, spreading light sand as the medium on a dark floor can evolve into scenes. A package of baking soda scattered and then swept can resemble a large-scale object such as a bridge in your community.
Collected rags, fabric pieces or recycled clothing can resemble organic forms set on a plain background. For example, students can cut, bunch or roll fabric to create a plant for an artful garden with a green lawn or floor as the backdrop. Each student can create one plant, such as a rolled-up rose bud, to join the landscape of recycled surprises.
Chalk drawings can turn a sidewalk or wall into a colorful gallery until the next rainfall or hose down. Geometric forms or patterns can include colors of nearby plants or buildings so the drawings can harmonize with the surroundings. For example, students can draw pieces of playground equipment with matching colors for the sidewalk drawings.
The square as a motif can inspire wall art. For example, students can recycle a catalog of wall paper samples by cutting into squares and mounting the squares on individual stiff board pieces. The squares then mount on a large, blank wall to showcase the wall paper as an art object.