Canvas Tipis - grade 6

For the past two years, my homeroom class has been a grade 5/6 class. That means a lot of my grade 6's this year were actually my grade 5's last year. I did this project last year with the grade 6's, and this year, the new grade 6's were so excited to get their chance to do it!

Part of our social studies curriculum for grade six is First Nations Peoples and European Explorers, which is pretty much the best unit possible for art projects. Our first big project, after studying First Nation's habitats, was to make tipis.

I have a go-to tipi template, which can be found here. Students each get a copy of a tipi template, and then we spend some time in the computer lab, where they research First Nations symbols. Students are given about a hour to draw out their plans, focusing on symmetry, placement of symbols and color choice.

Once they have finished their rough draft, they are given piece of thick canvas material (I bought this canvas at an estate sale for probably under a dollar, and it was enough material for two years of tipis!) They tape their paper tipi template to their canvas, and cut it out.

Students then used Sharpie and acrylic paint to recreate their designs onto the canvas. Black Sharpie is used to make the base of their designs, then colored Sharpies are used for the small details. Larger details are filled in using acrylic paint. The paint thickens up the canvas, making it really sturdy - perfect for their tipis!

I had a donation of old binders, which I cut apart and we used for the base of their tipis. On top of the binder, students built a base using bamboo (purchased from the dollar store) and plasticine. Then, they stretched their tipi around the base, and used a hot glue gun to attach it.

Next came the really fun part - decorating their tipis with absolutely anything we could find in the class! Students used anything - paint, shells, rocks, yellow powdered tempera paint, fabric, plasticine, wire, etc. As with last time, this project was a HUGE success!!

They're just so beautiful. I'll be posting soon about our next First Nations project - wampum belts!! Can't wait!

Grade 6 Tipis (Teepees?)

This past week, my grade 6's made Tipis! We are currently studying First Nations of Canada, and we were learning about what people used to live in. I remembered that I had meters and meters of a thick, canvas like fabric. So the next day, I brought everything in and we got to work!

In the computer lab, we researched various First Nation's drawings and symbols, and students used a blank template to draw up an idea of what they wanted to put on their Tipi. Then, they cut out  their Tipi shape using a template I found here. Using Sharpies and paint, they colored in their designs. When they were finished, they used four pieces of plasticine (how authentic) and arranged 4 twigs in a Tipi shape (I think traditionally three were used as a base, but we needed four for support.)



Using thin wire, they attached the sticks together. They fit the Tipi shape to their sticks, then gently removed it so they could lightly stitch it together. When it was all stitched, they slid it over the sticks, and their Tipi was DONE!
Students with extra time were allowed to use the materials in the class to make decorations - firepits, paths, and log stacks. Many of them told me it was their favorite art project we've ever done, and we did it all using stuff I already had in my class. I'm so proud!