Art Class for Special Needs

Art Class for Special Needs - Cardboard Sculpture

Last month, I took a long-term sub job for a friend of mine.  Twice a week, kindergarten and first grade age students who have autism, came to art for a half-hour each time.  When they arrived, we watched the video from YouTube to "Shake the Sillies Out."  After that, we went over to the demonstration table and I showed them how to glue a tower of cardboard shapes.

Early in my art teaching career, a special ed teacher requested that I do a lot of 3D lessons with her students.  She told me that this was something the kids rarely got to experience.  So, I've kept this in mind over my career and tried to incorporate more sculptural experiences in their art classes.

       


Before they arrived at the art room, I had chopped up a large corrugated box into a variety of shapes.  I had styrofoam trays full of glue.  I also had cut cardboard squares for sculpture bases.

The students dipped the surface of the cardboard shapes into the glue and stacked them upon each other.  They stacked them any way they liked.  Overnight the sculptures dried and the next day the students painted them.