Colour Chip Check Ins
Colour chips can be collected from hardware and paint stores. Colour speaks all languages and allows us to connect and learn about each other in a unique way. They can be a wonderful way to explore feelings and emotions.
Link for an emotions colour wheel – click on the colour and the emotion comes up with the word description and a picture.
Design your own Tattoo or Personal Logo
Having older students design their own symbolic tattoo or logo is a great creative design activity to promote self awareness and expression. The imagery incorporated into the design can represent important events, people, memories, ancestry. Messaging can be included that has significance or inspiration.
Making Mandalas
The act of making mandala art is not only relaxing, it has the wonderful side effect of self-discovery. Throughout time many materials have been used from stones and leaves to sand and seeds. Creating mandalas is another path to mindfulness and a wonderful expression of creativity.
Exploring Identity and Big Ideas Through Art and Slam Poetry
Slam poetry is performance poetry that combines the elements of performance, writing, and audience participation. Students explore big ideas and their own identities in the creation of their own slam poems and accompanying artistic interpretation.
Red - A Crayon's Story
RED has been piloted in elementary, secondary and adult learning environments. The simple clear message about personal identity provides a multitude of entry points.
The Arts Companion Lesson – Identity Sculpture has helped to bring deeper understanding and support of creative expression and discussion of personal identity.
Micrography Self Portraits
Micrography is created from text that forms an image when viewed at a distance, creating an interplay between the text and image. The aim is for students to create portraits that are more like their true selves than a traditional portrait as personalized words create the lines in the portrait. (From a distance, we recognize the person, but to get to know more about them, we must get closer.)
Exploring Perceptions About Identity Through Self-Portraits
When students learn about each other’s identities, it helps them understand their own biases and prejudices, as well as build a space of respect and tolerance for all. In this lesson, put out by Edutopia, students will explore their identity through art and a self-portrait creation
Erasure Art
Have students sift through a page of words and identify words that have meaning to their own personal identity. Use sharpies to go over all the other words on the page and in the process create a meaningful design.
Inner Critic and Inner Champion Sculptures
We all have an inner critic – it is that voice inside our heads that whispers, or yells, negative remarks to you about yourself. What does your inner critic say to you?
Create art that represents students’ inner critic and inner champions.