Dollar Daze and Thrifty Finds: Cheap Chic Continued -- Ideas to Inspire!

Creating with Glue + Chair = An Experience and Story of Events

Creating, making is an experience that students will remember. Products generated by computer applications are fleeting moments in a student’s life. But creating, via the kinesthetic touch, is a memorable experience that one can revisit.

Limited school budgets have sparked my interest in developing activities using inexpensive resources. I have embraced the philosophy of mindful imagination and reinvention to aid in the development of activities that engage students in new ways of learning. To that end sale items is my focus.

“Decorate to Educate!”

Scholar's Mantra

Consider a bottle of glue and a chair. What can you create?

This month Scholar’s School Glue and the Blue 14” Classic Series Chair lend themselves not only to decorating but involve students in learning.

Activity: The Unit/ Year in Review!

Material: Scholar’s Glue + Chair

1. The activity can be adapted to address a variety of subject/grade content initiatives and skills. Possible subject applications include: Social Studies, Senior History, Science, Art, English, Geography

2. Skills addressed:

Imagination

Thinking

Sensory

Visual Discrimination

Motor Skills

Social Skills

Teacher Preparation required:

1. Mix Glue in Scholar’s No Spill Paint Pots with water: 2 parts glue to one part water. This will create a special mixture called “Podge”.

2. Students will be divided into 5 groups and will be assigned one topic as listed below.

3. Groups are assigned one chair per group, per topic.

To Do Instructions for Students:

1. Collect 10 significant news (this will occur over the duration of the unit/semester as determined by the teacher) stories from a variety sources covering categories as indicated. Students are to select one topic from the list below, as related to the course.

Science, Technology, Medicine and Invention
Environmental Issues, Weather, Natural Disasters, Earth Science
Social Justice
Political Events both Local, National and Global
Trending Issues

2. Record bibliographic information of sources retrieved/found. Use a computer citation generator to format information.

3. Summarize and record the intent of each article in 3 sentences max. Be clear and concise. Submit this record, along with Bibliographic information for completion and evaluation.

4. Articles are to be posted along a time-line of events (using months of the year banners) around the classroom/library.

5. A 2 minute oral report by each student, followed by questions and answers, can reinforce knowledge and skills. This can be a daily or weekly event for the duration of the unit/year.

6. Create Headlines for each event retrieved using a word processing program. Use interesting font and colour for each headline. Google or a specialized school database can serve as a search engine facilitating retrieval of an image to support and illuminate the headline. Sources of images retrieved must be acknowledged. Images can be searched in a variety of Creative Commons as well that gives students permission to use images.

7. Print and tear out the individual headlines and supporting images. You are now going to create a collage of events.

8. 5 chairs, and 5 topics are assigned. Students work in groups to complete the task.

9. Glue headlines and images to your assigned chair with the mixture provided. Apply a coat over the image as well. This coat preserves the image and leaves a matte finish

The Product: Criteria to consider--Layout and Design…

1. When “podging” your headlines and images consider layout and design techniques to effectively display your message—The Year/Unit in Review.

Use this statement to guide your imagination:

“The Question is not what you look at but what do you see?”

Henry David Thoreau

Suggestions…

· Use Colour, acylic paint, torn coloured paper to distinguish topics and add interest.

· Consider layering, texture/dimension, such as torn corrugated paper to add interest to each headline/message.

· Use frames/shapes/arrows to direct the eye, and to enclose different ideas, concepts.

· Use found recycled material, where possible eg. Birthday present wrap, paper bags, ribbon. Material, when mounted, must lie flat. The chair must also serve its purpose as a chair.

· Use purchased stamps or stamps created from foam, or found objects to add interest.

· Melted crayons can also be used to emphasize topics or to create interest.

Upon Completion of the Assignment…

*Use the “designer chairs” in the classroom around a table to serve as a special zone.

*Reuse, Recycle and Repeat the project, every semester or yearly with the same chairs.

Products to support activity…

Scholar’s Sale Catalogue:

Scholar’s School Glue, Blue 14” Classic Series Chair, Acylic Paint, Acylic Paint Brushes, Coloured Paper, Stamps (Paw Prints, Insects, Finger Stamps), Plastic Jars with Lids, Dollies, Foam to create stamps, Crayons, Corrugated Rolls, Popping Pattern Spring Flower Cut Outs, Peace Sign Cut Outs, Scholar’s No Spill Paint Pots, Month’s of the Year Banner