Details:
- This lesson is intended for younger cycles, although it can be modified
- It can be a part of an LES about sharing
- Connects to: lines, shapes, space, texture
- This lesson is intended for younger cycles, although it can be modified
- It can be a part of an LES about sharing
- Connects to: lines, shapes, space, texture
Extra Yarn is a picture book by Mac Barnett. A little girl finds a mysterious and magical chest that contains a seemingly endless supply of rainbow coloured yarn. She shares this gift with the town--animals, strangers, a bully--and it unites and brightens the community. This book can be used to inspire the team-building exercise using yarn, as well as art activities. The theme, of course, is sharing with others which consequently creates a more tight-knit community! ;)
Yarn Exercise
The teacher will bring out a chest, much like one in the book. This will intrigue the students as they wonder if it, too, has magical yarn. The chest will be opened and inside is a ball of rainbow yarn.
Students sit in a circle and one by one they will pass the ball of rainbow yarn to another classmate. Once a student receives the yarn, they must tell the group of a time when they shared something with someone. Before rolling it to another friend, the student holds onto the string of yarn, creating a colourful web at the end. At the end of a discussion about the meaning and power of sharing, the teacher will emphasize that sharing unites us, as demonstrated by the web of yarn. Each student will receive a portion of the yarn in their hands and this is when the creative process begins! (The string may have to be measured/estimated so that each student receives about the same length of string. In any case, the strand must be long.)
Students sit in a circle and one by one they will pass the ball of rainbow yarn to another classmate. Once a student receives the yarn, they must tell the group of a time when they shared something with someone. Before rolling it to another friend, the student holds onto the string of yarn, creating a colourful web at the end. At the end of a discussion about the meaning and power of sharing, the teacher will emphasize that sharing unites us, as demonstrated by the web of yarn. Each student will receive a portion of the yarn in their hands and this is when the creative process begins! (The string may have to be measured/estimated so that each student receives about the same length of string. In any case, the strand must be long.)
Activity
The students will be prompted with the question: "What would you want to share with ______?" They may think of their parents, sibling, pet, friend, teacher, etc. Some children might think of something concrete or abstract (like love!) and this difference is to be expected. They can also write a word instead, if this is what they would want to share.
Essentially, the students are brainstorming at least 2 things they want to share with someone and then they must choose 1. For example, "I want to share _laughs_ with _my friend_" or "I want to share _my lunch_ with _others/those who need it_". Students might struggle with brainstorming, so it might be a good idea to discuss what students have available to share and and this is an ideal time to dig deeper (abstract) and at the same time help children realize their worth. However, don't push an idea too much--leave it open for interpretation and creativity.
Now that the students know what they want to share and with whom, they will use the rainbow yarn that they received earlier to depict what they chose, by cutting and gluing the string onto white cardstock. The teacher will have revised the different tactile textures and lines (squiggly, layering, etc.) and students will keep these techniques and concepts in mind.
Essentially, the students are brainstorming at least 2 things they want to share with someone and then they must choose 1. For example, "I want to share _laughs_ with _my friend_" or "I want to share _my lunch_ with _others/those who need it_". Students might struggle with brainstorming, so it might be a good idea to discuss what students have available to share and and this is an ideal time to dig deeper (abstract) and at the same time help children realize their worth. However, don't push an idea too much--leave it open for interpretation and creativity.
Now that the students know what they want to share and with whom, they will use the rainbow yarn that they received earlier to depict what they chose, by cutting and gluing the string onto white cardstock. The teacher will have revised the different tactile textures and lines (squiggly, layering, etc.) and students will keep these techniques and concepts in mind.
This is not quite the example I was looking for, as the artist appears to have used marker instead of yarn, but it does give the main idea. Students will cut the yarn and place it strategically on the page to represent what they want to share. The students first shared with the class during the team-building exercise, and now they are broadening their scope by sharing their artwork with more people (parent, friend, etc.). Overall it is very symbolic by building ties with the community! On a didactic panel, the students can write what they depicted, why, and for whom. |
Photo credit: http://marenoite.tumblr.com/post/21564530783/de-manuais-supernormal
Modified Activity for Older Students
Have the students use the yarn to create string art, as seen below. They can design whatever shape, word, or message they want. Of course, the teacher would have to find materials which would not pose a risk to the students (i.e. not using nails and a hammer; perhaps a cork board instead).