About Elementary Aboriginal Art Lessons
Aboriginal art projects can be easily accomplished in elementary classrooms using basic materials. They are educational ways to teach children about the history and culture of the Aborigine people. Traditional Aboriginal art uses line, shape and color to tell a story and express emotions.
Looking at Aboriginal art
Post pictures and images of Aboriginal art around the classroom. Have the students study the artwork and notice the patterns, lines and colors. Tell them how Aboriginal art was originally drawn on cave walls.
Handprint
The Aboriginal people often painted their bodies as well as the walls of the cave. Give each child a piece of construction paper and have them trace their hand. Cut out their hands and return them to the kids. Have them use cotton swabs and thin paintbrushes to paint designs on their paper hands. Dots, swirls, lines and combinations are common patterns.
Rock paperweight
Take the students on a field trip to locate a suitable rock. It should be medium-sized. After you gather them, bring the rocks to the classroom and clean them off. With the kids, paint the rocks black using tempera paint and dry overnight. Use a cotton swab and paint an Aboriginal-inspired design on the surface using colored paint. When the paint has dried, let the kids take them home to use as paperweights.
Dance sticks
Ask a local paint store for a donation of paint stir stocks. Most give them away for free and are happy to accommodate teachers for the project. Give each kid two paint sticks. Have the children use a pencil to draw a design on both sides of the paint stick. Encourage them to use the sticks to tell a story. After the artwork has been penciled on, use paint to cover it. Use bright colors and let each side dry before painting the other. When the sticks are dry, gather the children in a circle and clap the sticks together in unison. Take turns dancing across the circle, clapping the sticks together and showing off a few dance moves that relate to the stories on the sticks.