My second graders love this monkey project. It is so versatile and easy enough for even a substitute to get started. This monkey art project for kids is always a big hit!

A little theoretical thinking behind this lesson:

Guided drawing has a place in art instruction. It is important to always ask yourself what the goal of the lesson is. For this lesson, we were working on proportions and following directions. Students were shown photos of real monkeys, and they discussed the shapes in relation to each other to help them as they drew. It is all about balance. That is the theory behind the Party in the Art Room teaching methodology for guided drawing.

Process: 

The students practiced drawing on their own after the guided part. They made decisions about how to pose the arms and legs. It is fun to sneak a little movement into this by making them stand up and pose their own arms and legs in different ways. They were also encouraged to add their own details, such as hats or bows.

They traced with black glue (India Ink and Elmer's Glue All). After it dried, they cut it out and used chalk pastels to add color.

Next, they cut out leaves and branches.

When they were ready to assemble all of their pieces, they were asked to try several different things until it looked pleasing to them. They have to rearrange and give it a thoughtful look to find the best composition. Then, they are allowed to glue.

Feedback: 

Students were asked to write a letter for feedback on this project after they had finished. This allowed them to communicate with me their successes with the project. Throughout this feedback process, students communicated that they didn't know how to use the glue bottles. This wasn’t taught explicitly under the assumption that they already knew how. This is how Glue Surgery came into existence. Its four easy (and hilarious) steps that help students remember how to make their glue bottles work.

You might be interested in reading this post about how to teach students to use a glue bottle so that it works efficiently every time!