As art department budgets across the country continue to shrink, art teachers are increasingly on the lookout for inexpensive materials that can be used to teach a range of concepts. In this article, the authors describe a newspaper beam tower project inspired by the book, "The Wonderful Towers of Watts" by Patricia Zelver. There are many more…

The author suggests a variety of ways in which aluminum and aluminum foil can be used in elementary and junior high art classes: relief drawing and rubbing; printing; repousse; sculpture; mobiles; foil sculpture; and three dimensional design. Sources of aluminum supplies are suggested. (SJL)

Sculpture concepts are acquired by a young child from many sources in his or her environment. Discusses the synthesizing of these concepts for children and outlines a chart of sculpture concepts for the art teacher. (Author/RK)

Describes a fourth-grade unit in junk sculpture, inspired by the Watts Towers. (SJL)

Describes an advanced elementary art project that was inspired by a fountain. Explains that the students created water fountains for tabletop display using hand building clay and glazing techniques. States that students selected a design based upon their abilities. (CMK)

Describes an art project that taught students about the work of two different artists: (1) Edgar Degas; and (2) Alexander Calder. Explains that students created drawings of ballerinas, created sculptures in the style of Calder, and created sculptures of ballerinas. (CMK)

Describes a unit on clay casting that introduces students to relief sculpture. The unit takes three 45 to 50 minute class periods three weeks apart. Discusses each class session in detail: (1) creating the casting; (2) turning out and rinsing the casting; and (3) enriching the surface with color. (CMK)

Recognizes the importance of children's art made at home and focuses on having children express themselves through handmade art. Gives examples of different types of handmade art, such as making room accessories and furnishings, constructing "portable" artworks, and building figures in different mediums. (CMK)

Describes an art project where students create strange creatures using scraps of wood. Discusses how the students use the wood and other materials. Explains that the students also write about the habitat characteristics of their creatures. Includes learning objectives. (CMK)

Discusses a fifth-grade sculpture project that uses a subtractive, rather than additive, technique. Students carve an animal sculpture from a block of simulated stone compound. Explains the process and how to make the simulated stone compound. (CMK)

Presents a project in which students used the modeling compound called Sculpey to create miniature creatures called "wee folk". States that the project students were required to learn two new techniques: (1) working in stages; and (2) using round wooden toothpicks as primary tools. (CMK)

Describes an art project in which fourth-grade students create three-dimensional castles out of papier-mache. Explains that the students created paintings of their castles before they created the three-dimensional castles. Discusses in detail the process of creating the castles. (CMK)

How third, fifth, and sixth graders made sculptures from polystyrene strips is described. Specific instructions for introducing the lesson are provided. (RM)

Describes a schoolwide parade that was the culminating event of a three-week unit of study into the world of masks by elementary students. Unit emphasized the use of exaggeration, repetition, and symmetry in maskmaking. Provides examples of student work. (DB)

Describes an art project for fourth-grade students where they created their own three-dimensional sculptures or structures using recycled computer disks and CD-ROM's. Explains that the students were assessed on their creativity, sturdiness of their structures, and overall design. States that the use of ordinary materials made the lesson more…