"The Very Hungry Caterpillar": A Cut & Paste

This cut and paste lesson is inspired by the work of Eric Carle, a well known children's author and illustrator.  Your students or child will enjoy reading the classic, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and creating their own picture of the caterpillar eating through an orange. 

Vocabulary to Introduce:

illustrator

Materials:

-construction paper in black, orange, green, red, and yellow

purple and yellow oil pastel or crayon

-scissors

-glue sticks

Preparation:

For younger students:  Draw the circles in pencil beforehand.  Do not give them all the pieces of paper at the same time as they will often loose parts when throwing away scraps.  Children who are having a particular difficult time turning their paper to follow the curve of a circle can be shown how to shave small pieces to get closer to the line.

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process:

Concentric Squares: A Cut & Paste

This cut and paste lesson is inspired by the abstract geometric work of Frank Stella, an American painter and printmaker born in 1936.  Stella graduated from school at Princeton where he majored in history and painted.  After his graduation he would move to New York where he would begin painting more seriously.  Frank Stella is considered a leading figure of the Minimal art movement.

Vocabulary to Introduce:

minimalism
concentric
geometric shape (square, rectangle, circle)
abstract art

Materials:

-construction paper in bright colors

-scissors

-stencils of squares out of card stock or poster board

-pencils

-glue sticks

Preparation:

For younger students:  Cut squares of varying sizes using an inch difference between each size.  You can place these squares in a container or on a paper plate at the center of the table.

For older students:  Older students can either trace the shape using a stencil or create the square using a ruler depending on the age. 

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process: