2nd Grade Stamps

As a preface to our printmaking unit students created these simple, but really interesting and fun stamps.  To create the stamps we used string, rubber bands and blocks of wood.  Although students had more trouble with wrapping the string around the wood they quickly realized that the rubber bands, although easier to use, did not create as interesting of a stamp.  To add another element to the lesson we used complimentary colors between the paper and paint color chosen.  This color contrast added a nice pop to the final compositions.

POP ART STAMPS 

As a continuation of and wrap up to our stamp unit students were introduced to pop-art and its connection to the type of repetitious printmaking we were about to do.  After learning about pop-art students picked a pop-art word, or made up their own, to use in creating their foam stamp.  The tricky part about this project was students had to write the word backwards so it would be legible when printed.  To achieve the ever difficult backwards word I had students first draw their design with a sharpie on a thin piece of copy paper.  Being able to see the bleed-through of the paper we flipped it onto our foam stamp and traced over the backwards word designs with a pencil.  Once students were finished they took the paper off to reveal the backwards foam carving!

As for stamping, this was set up in a similar way at both of my classrooms with the exception being that one room has 4 tables (4 printing stations with 4 colors) and the other has 6 (6 printing stations with 6 colors).  Students had a lot of fun doing the actual printing, and through do so many repetitions of the same thing they were able to learn from their mistakes and continuously improve upon their printing technique.  To further promote student improvement I circulated throughout the class asking students what they would do differently in their next print?  More ink?  Less ink?  Press down too hard?  Press down harder?...