Symmetrical Monsters

We had a great day in art class. Not only did we have a birthday girl in class, we also had a special guest parent working with us!

We began class by asking the question: "What is symmetry?" The truth is we really had no idea! At least, the kids were not familiar with the word. Once we discussed it's meaning, the kids were able to identify symmetry all around us, from the tables and chairs to one another's faces.

We followed up with a few worksheets to accustom the kids to thinking about, identifying and creating symmetrical images.

After that we got out paints and paper! I did a demonstration for the kids using a folded piece of paper and 4 colors of paint. I painted on one side of the paper only, filling a monster (triangle) shape with color. Then I carefully folded the paper in half and pressed it. When the paper was opened again, voila!, a symmetrical monster! As a final touch we added eyeballs to our monsters. The kids had alot of fun. It is a special project and well suited to the age because controlling the materials and being exact is not important. The most important thing is to be open to the unexpected results.

And the results were exciting and unexpected! After the kids finished we took a few moments to do a mini art critique. All the kids were brave enough to share their work - and all the kids participated in commenting on one another's work. Wonderful!