*** UPDATED for 2024 ***

Step By Step AGAMOGRAPH ART

Looking for a slow-paced art activity to ease everyone back into the swing of things after the Holiday Break? Here’s what we’ll be doing in our class in January. I will set the mood with soft music and let my kiddos take their time with this super cool, little art project. 😎

So, what is an AGAMOGRAPH anyway?

“An agamograph is an art form that uses optical illusion to create changes when you look at it from different angles.” (source: www.artscenterlive.org)

It was named after Isreali sculptor and experimental artist Yaacov Agam, who is widely known for his contributions to optical and kinetic art.

I’ve seen this type of art for years but never attempted one myself, until now.

Click here to watch my YouTube video where I take you through the process step by step. 

To make sure that kids of many different ages and abilities can be successful with this, I’ve created templates with 3 levels of difficulty.

Level 1: requires minimal cutting and pasting

Level 2: as seen on video

Level 3: from “scratch”

You can decide how much your kiddos can handle. You can find your FREE templates in my TpT store. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR BONNE ANNÉE ¡FELIZ AÑO NUEVO!

What you need:

* FREE templates

* FREE templates (found in my TpT store)

* markers or pencil crayons

* scissors

* glue stick

* optional cardstock to glue it onto (but I prefer to keep it as an accordion)

Step 1:

Choose your language and download your templates.

HAPPY NEW YEAR BONNE ANNÉE ¡FELIZ AÑO NUEVO!

Step 2:

Colour your images.

Step 3:

Cut off the excess paper. Be careful to keep the parts you need to keep (indicated on the pages).

Step 4:

Glue the strips onto the templates. Pay close attention to where the strips go. Then trim off the excess letters/numbers once you’re done.

Step 5:

Glue your two templates together. The edge of page A is glued behind the first strip of page B.

Step 6:

Fold like an accordion. 

Spread back out, step back, and admire your work of art!

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You've probably seen this type of beautiful poppy art on Pinterest or Instagram. I take you through the process step by step. 

Not an "artsy" teacher? No problem! Just press play and let me quickly demonstrate it to your class for you! Click HERE to skip the reading below and just watch the YouTube Video. It’s just under 1min long from beginning to end,  because we’re ALL pressed for time, aren’t we?

What you will need.

* construction paper:

> black (background and poppy center)

> red (poppy template photocopied onto red)

> grey (song lyrics photocopied onto grey)

> green (stem)

* scissors

* glue stick

* optional newsprint (instead of grey construction paper)

Step 1:

Download, print and photocopy poppy template onto red construction paper.

English Template

French Template

Step 2:

Select the lyrics to your favourite Remembrance Day song, (or just lovely messages of hope, being thankful for their sacrifice, etc…) Copy and paste, paste, paste, until it fills a page. Print and photocopy onto grey construction paper. 

OR

Find newspapers with lots of writing instead. I find newspapers hard to come by around here nowadays, so I opted to print the song we’re learning for Remembrance Day this year.

Step 3:

Rip the outer edge of your “newsprint” (all the way around). 

PRO TIP: Make sure there are NO straight edges anywhere. Then rip the page into larger pieces. I chose to go diagonally, but kids are welcome to do whatever they like. 

They should limit the number of pieces to 3-5 pieces to allow space between pieces when glueing them down.

GLUE the “newsprint” onto the black construction paper. Allow for some space between the pieces.

Step 4:

Cut the poppy pieces out and assemble (as per instructions). Once done, GLUE it onto your project.

PRO TIP: When glueing the top part of the poppy onto the lower part, turn it 45 degrees to give it more depth.

Step 5:

Cut out a slightly curved “stem” out of green paper and GLUE it onto your project starting at the very bottom of the page.

And VOILÀ! You’re done!

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You’ve probably heard the term “Boom Cards” and thought, “I don’t even know what that is.” and/or “I just don’t have time to learn yet another program for my class.” I hear you. I felt the exact same way. 

It wasn’t until Covid shutdowns began, and we were suddenly thrown into the world of “Distance Learning” that I was forced to find new ways to connect with my kiddos. That is when I took some time to figure it out (and quickly).

Am I ever glad I finally did. Within 20 minutes, I was completely hooked...and I bet you will too.

So what are BOOM Cards?

BOOM Cards are Digital Task Cards. They are easy to assign to your students and come in various formats: drag & drop, fill in the blanks, multiple choice.

Kids love them because:

> they’re fun;

> they’re bright and colourful;

> they’re easy to use.

Teachers love them because:

> they’re easy to assign;

> they provide INSTANT FEEDBACK to the kids!

Click HERE to see Boom Cards in action!

Click HERE to see how to set up your very own teacher account and how to assign them with a Fast Pin. Although boomlearning.com offers paid tiered accounts, most of the teachers I know are perfectly happy with their FREE account.

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Le Jour du Souvenir - FREEBIE

Looking for a FREE Remembrance Day activity for your class? Look no further. I have created a student booklet, word wall cards, posters, vertical puzzles all centered on 10 Remembrance Day vocabulary words. Did I mention it’s FREE? Visit my TpT store to grab your very own copy.

Oh, I can’t forget to mention that I also have a FREE deck of BOOM Cards that accompany this FREE product too. Click HERE to get your very own copy of the matching Le Jour du Souvenir BOOM Cards. 

Don’t know what BOOM Cards are? 

I’ve posted a short YouTube video:

> explaining what BOOM Cards are;

> giving a small peek at different types of BOOM Cards in action.

Don’t have a BoomLearning.com account yet?

I can help you get one set up. Click HERE to get instructions on how to create your own FREE account. In this YouTube video, I also show you how to assign BOOM Cards to your class (“Fast Pin” and/or Google Classroom™). 

Your kiddos will thank you for getting them started on BOOM, I promise!

 

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