Illuminated Letters

When I was asked to create "some decorations" for yet another performance, I knew I had to make it a worthwhile art experience for the students. Sometimes I feel like the art teacher is the go to person for all "crafty" projects. 

Back to the play. . . in groups each student had one letter S-H-A-K-E-S-P-E-A-R-E  and tons of examples of illuminated letters and print outs from Dover's Decorative Alphabets and Initials.  

Amazingly these were completed in one hour with three students working on each one.

In our next class, we discussed the significance of illuminated letters. It was interesting to discuss the history of illuminated letters after students created their own. Usually I would have discussed the history first but I think the Fourth Graders were much more interested after the success of their own illuminated letters.  Success! A painless backdrop for the play that was also a cool art lesson. 

So do you incorporate teacher requests for "decorations, scenery, costumes, etc" into the art curriculum? What are some of the best ideas you've seen.