Students taking sixth-grade art often study the cultural aspects of art from various countries, including China. Ancient Chinese art takes its inspiration from Earth's natural beauty, so art projects should reflect that. Chinese New Year celebrations include many traditional artistic creations, so it often works well to incorporate the study of Chinese New Year and its symbolic meaning into the curriculum.
Calligraphy
Print examples of Chinese calligraphy on large pieces of paper so that every student can see them. Use words that can be strung together in a sentence, such as love, happiness, family, run, go, house, etc. Have students practice writing the characters using a calligraphy brush and paint. Once students feel comfortable with the calligraphy, have them illustrate and describe their favorite activities using the characters.
Paper Dragons
Cut out a dragon head and tail from card stock. Cut two long, narrow strips of paper that are equal in length. Lay one strip at a 90-degree angle to the other so that an L-shape is formed. Alternately fold each strip over the other to create a paper spring. Secure the ends of the paper spring with a small amount of glue. Glue the dragon head to one end of the spring and the tail to the other end. Paint the dragon in bright colors, and attach tissue paper streamers to the tail.
Chopstick Frame
Give each student four clean chopsticks, glue and one piece of ribbon. Hot glue works best when attaching wood to wood, so make sure that this activity is well supervised. Paint the chopsticks in bright colors. Arrange the chopsticks in a square shape and add a drop of glue to each corner. Attach the ribbon to two corners of the frame to create a hanger. Place a picture or drawing in the frame, and cover the back of the frame using a piece of card stock.
Scroll Painting
Give each student a large piece of paper. Display examples of Chinese scroll paintings around the room to serve as inspiration. Instruct students to paint nature scenes freehand using watercolors. Make sure the paper is oriented vertically. After the painting is dry, glue a ribbon to both ends on the back of the painting.
