This was part of our Ancient Civilizations unit, we talked about the Aztecs, and after learning some interesting facts, students used a stencil to trace the outline of a mask (made with cardboard) They then added eyes, nose and a mouth, making sure the details were big and simple enough, as cutting shapes around can be challenging for younger students, add more challenges and a more sophisticated design for older students.
I demonstrated how to use a pencil to mark where to cut the paper when we need to “fit inside” a space. Such as around the eyes. Just place the paper on top and trace around with a pencil, then cut. You can see the pencil mark left behind around the right eye of the pictured mask, telling me this girl was actually listening to me! Once they got the basics, we were ready to start and I handed cardboard paper in different colors cut out in long strips (omit this step for older students), as well as squares of white cardboard and asked them to design and cut out the facial features first, then work their way using only squares of colored paper to fill in the rest of the space. They also outlined the mask using thinner lines (rectangles). I handed some sheets of gold shiny paper that they could use for whatever they decided and they got very excited about it, if you can find inexpensive shiny paper, it will make your students very interested on the project. Some used it to make earrings, crowns, and some used to outline their mask (as the case of this Grade 2 student).
This looks more simple than it really is, specially for younger students, it demands patience and focus. Interestingly, this tells a lot of the mathematical skills each student has, and is a great practice for spacial thinking skills.
Enjoy!
1st Class Art 