I really wanted to share this idea with you because this is not only a great lesson for any grade level, the result is stunning! We had an Arabic calligrapher come and visit the grade 6 and 7 students. He showed the students the different ways they could write their names using calligraphy. The kids all practiced writing their names and the following art lesson they were ready to work on their blank segment which would later transform into a radial design.
The steps were simple: Divide up your segment into three parts. The top section for your name in English, a bigger section in the middle for your name in Arabic using one of the styles taught by the calligrapher and the bottom section for a geometric design.
Each section was colored in brightly using pencils, crayons and markers. Once the sections were finished, they were color copied eight times.
Wow!
Finally, each student arranged all of their segments and were blown away when they were all put together! If you have ever played with a kaleidoscope and loved the way new designs were made with each turn, this was the same feeling. Each tab was glued and then the finished artwork was glued onto a piece of colored tag board that would help bring out the colors.
Don’t you think these look so beautiful?
From this to….
…this!!
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ART LESSONS FOR KIDS 
Hi, I’m an Australian art teacher – and I love your site. I’ve done a similar lesson to this in the past and thought I’d share it. I got the kids to write their names in a funky style in a 1/8th section of a circle. Then they turned it over and drew on the back to get the mirror image. Next, inside a full circle, the kids trace their image 8 times to complete the circle, turning their image over for every second tracing to get the mirror image. The result is stunning, as they turn out symmetrical.
Hi Luke. Thanks for stopping by! Where can I see the lesson you did? it sounds wonderful–what a great idea!
What book can I find this in. I love it and would like the dimensions. Thanks! Traci
Hi Traci. I made up the lesson myself–there is no book 🙂 . As for the dimensions, start with a triangle, any size you like and fill in the space with any design you like. Think of a pizza slice or wedge or go crazy! Then color copy (easy way if you have a lot of students) your section until it creates a full shape. Have fun! You are welcome to check out my lessons page (tab at the top of the blog under the heading) where you can find e-books I have created with a whole bunch of fun and exciting lessons you might want to try out and use. All the best and thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Hi – I did this projects with my students, but ran into a problem. I printed out the pie piece you have on your page and then enlarged them, however, they are not piecing together to well. Any suggestions?
Hi Amanda–which pie piece did you print off? Whichever pie piece design you create should connect easily. Is there any way you can trim the pieces without ruining the designs? When my students did this I remember they need to trim a little bit between sections but it wasn’t such a big deal as everything connected. I hope this helps.