Zentangle Hands!

I started off the year with fourth graders in a Zentangle frenzy.  Last year I did this project closer to the middle, but I got a new art room this year and there were no tables, so being the flexible art teaching acrobat that I am, haha, I decided that Sharpies and 80 lb. paper were enough materials for students sprawled on the floor (although I then went with Kindergarteners and paint, but more on that later).

I showed some Zentangle videos from youtube (kids love the betweed pattern  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h0XuK95omE), and printed out a packet of sample patterns.  I stressed the notion that "ANYTHING CAN BE A PATTERN".  I once had a student do each section in the repeated name of a NJ town.  If a student is stumped, I hint for them to think of things that they like (slices of pizza, baseballs).  Anything can be a pattern!!

I always encourage students to overlap hands and have hands or parts of hands going off the page.  This is a built-in extension because certain students (you know who they are!) will definitely say they are done after half a class session, and others will take 3 classes and still say they need more time.  

I will post more examples soon...