Every semester, I try to incorporate optical illusions. My 5th and 6th graders love to make optical illusions. I created a smore flyer that they can access via iPads to see lots of links to videos and idea sheets. I've also assembled a collection of videos that I will show at the end of art during clean up, or to introduce the unit. Here is a link to the good ones that are safe for kids, because many of the optical illusions videos on youtube are restricted.
Last spring, I had students use a 9X9 square, draw a heart or trace a cicle in the center with white chalk. Then they drew curved lines on the surface of their shape and an EVEN number of 'rays' coming out of the center. Then, they colored their shape so that the outside of the stripes were darker, and the center was brighter (using white) so it would look more rounded. They also added a little bit of willow charcoal towards the center of the rays and blended it in so it would look darker in the backgroud, like the shape was floating.
Last spring, I had students use a 9X9 square, draw a heart or trace a cicle in the center with white chalk. Then they drew curved lines on the surface of their shape and an EVEN number of 'rays' coming out of the center. Then, they colored their shape so that the outside of the stripes were darker, and the center was brighter (using white) so it would look more rounded. They also added a little bit of willow charcoal towards the center of the rays and blended it in so it would look darker in the backgroud, like the shape was floating.
Sadly, when I went to collect this display from the mall, many of the images had been smeared by tiny fingers. This was th display the day that I hung it. Two weeks later, the ones on the bottom were all ruined by little kids touching them or brushing up against them. I will never take chalk art to be hung in public again.
Chalk is very messy. I always set up a couple of water tubs, cut some watercolor paper, and have students shake the extra dust into the water. Instead of blowing it into the air---this traps some of the dust and I can lay the water color paper on the surface and pull soem abstract looking marbled prints off the top.
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