3rd grade Cast Iron Pour sculptures

 3rd Grade Cast Iron Pour Sculptures

I’m excited to share a special project made possible through a grant from the Education Foundation. With this support, my students had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with the Western North Carolina Sculpture Center in Lenoir, North Carolina, to create their own cast-iron low-relief sculptures.

Cast iron is used to make many everyday objects — from pots and kettles to artistic sculptures and industrial metal parts — but seeing the process up close brings a whole new appreciation for the craft.

At the Sculpture Center, a mold was created using a clay and sand mixture designed to hold molten iron safely in the desired shape. My students then carved their own Miró-inspired designs into the mold surface, carefully planning each line and texture. Watching their ideas take physical form was inspiring.

Once the molds were ready, the Sculpture Center team poured molten iron into each one. After the iron cooled, the castings were removed, revealing the students’ finished sculptures in solid metal — a powerful transformation from sketch to carving to iron.

Each year, the center also hosts a Cast Iron Day where families can come watch and even participate in the process. It’s an amazing community event that celebrates art, craftsmanship, and hands-on learning.

I’m so grateful for the grant, our partnership with the Sculpture Center, and the chance for my students to experience art in such a lasting and memorable way.

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Randy  Knauf photographer 

Paul Klee 3rd grade bleeding tissue paper collage

 Paul Klee 3rd grade art lesson

My 3rd graders had so much fun with this assignment. Students are learning about ocean life in their classrooms, so this was a perfect lesson to accompany their unit. We viewed the many works of Paul Klee, with emphasis on his paintings with squares of color. Students divided their paper in half with the top being the sky and land and the ocean at the bottom. 

 

After they drew their ocean scene students traced over it with a black marker. Students were to use warm-colored bleeding tissue paper squares for the top of their drawings and cool colors for the ocean part. They wetted the top part with water, laid tissue paper squares on top then painted water on it again. 

 After they were dry I helped shake the squares off into the trash can. They loved this lesson! 

Picasso Blue Period Self Portrait 3rd grade art lesson

 Picasso Blue Period Self Portrait 3rd grade art lesson

My 3rd graders viewed Picasso's Blue and Rose period paintings and we discussed how colors can convey emotions. Thanks to Art Projects for Kids https://artprojectsforkids.org/picasso-projects-for-kids/ for the idea. I just changed it a bit. 

Students folded their 12" x 9" multimedia paper into fours which acted like a guide to help them draw big! After they drew the self-portrait,  they traced it with a black permanent marker, made a pattern with a white crayon on their shirt and background (if they wanted to), and then used liquid watercolors to paint over the entire thing. They turned out beautifully! 

3rd Grade Starry Night Oil pastel Owls

 3rd Grade Oil Pastel Owls

Students were given a 6" x 9" piece of scrap paper to make their owl pattern. They folded the paper in half and then I demonstrated how to draw half of an owl so that when they cut it out it would be the same on both sides. 

3rd graders drew a large tree branch across their 12" x 18" black paper and colored it with oil pastels. They traced their owl pattern on the branch and then they could use neon oil pastels or regular oil pastels to color them. The last step was to add a starry night to the sky like Vincent Van Gogh! 

3rd grade winter mittens art project

 3rd Grade Winter Mittens art project 

I found a photo of something like this on Pinterest. It was a painting by adults but I thought my 3rd graders could do something similar. 

If you want to see how I taught this here is the link

https://youtu.be/bLXfo7TeBeY 

                Students painted a curvy or loopy line across a 12" x 18" piece of blue construction paper. 

They then used a q-tip and painted dots all over their paper. They loved this part! 

 I provided mitten patterns for my 3rd graders to trace. I reminded them to make sure they drew two left hand mittens and two right hand mittens. They used 12" x 18" multi media paper. 

We discussed various pattern ideas and then my kiddos used neon oil pastels to draw their designs. They loved the colors!

When the mittens were complete they painted over the pastels with liquid watercolors. I would remind them to keep the lids on each cup of paint while they aren't using them. I've had to many students ruin the watercolors because they drip paint over them. 

They could paint outside the lines since we would be cutting them out. 

Finally when the mittens were dry, they cut them out and glued them on their snowy sky paper. 

                                     I think they turned out great and they loved making them.