Help me give my students 80 rolls of duct tape to create an array of duct tape projects: from custom wallets and colorful flowers, to wearables like baseball caps and flip flops.
My students brighten my day and force me to get a good night's sleep every night just to keep up with them!
I am never bored teaching art to middle school students- just exhausted!
I love that I teach in an ethnically diverse school and that I can learn new things from my students-and be awed by their artistic creations with each project we do. My arts curriculum is full of multicultural and hands-on art projects that give my students an opportunity to design, build and create-not just draw and paint. My arts classroom is very diverse-and includes Gifted, English as a Second Language Learners, and special needs children with a variety of learning disabilities. I love that we all make art together in (mostly!) harmony and happiness. These young people may have different needs, challenges, and personal histories, yet the arts enable them to share a common thread, as they discover the magic and delight of making something beautiful with their own hands.
My Project
The 80 rolls of duct tape I requested will enable my 200 students to craft in ways they never dreamed possible, by learning to create objects of function and beauty out of only one material - duct tape. First, students make a duct tape wallet of their own design - billfolds, tri-folds, or even clutches - customized with flaps, inner and outer pockets and personalized logos and names. Then, students learn how to fashion flower petals out of duct tape, taping them together to construct beautiful roses just in time for Mother's Day. Lastly, students research and build a final advanced project of their own choosing. Past designs have included a wearable vest made from One Direction duct tape, a Pop Art inspired cheeseburger and fries, a backpack from paint splatter duct tape, and a Super Mario inspired purse in neon green, black and white!
Duct tape projects are not only fun to make, they provide an unforgettable experience in my students' lives!
When you use your own hands to create something that you are truly proud of, it can be a life changing moment. I glow when I hear from past students now in high school who have continued their love of duct tape and progressed to becoming budding entrepreneurs, selling their wallets on craft sites and earning money for college!
Likewise, struggling students who thought they had no real need for reading or math skills must access written directions and use a ruler for measuring tape. Suddenly, they are agents of their own learning and more active participants in the classroom. Duct tape truly engages all my students, making learning meaningful and relevant in their lives.
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