Gustav Klimt Tree of Life

2BD's CONNECT display

Lesson Background:
Each year, our school has a focus word for the year.  This year, our word is "CONNECT" and we were set with the task to create a "CONNECT" display in our classrooms.  This is ours!  We have been talking a lot about having a growth mindset, and how we need to make connections in our learning and with each other, to make sure the "branches" in our brains grow thick and strong, instead of withering away and dying.

Lesson Materials:
6 sheets of light brown cardboard
Gold acrylic paint for the background
Black acrylic paint for the tree
Other acrylic paint colours to decorate
Brushes
Tape
Silver glitter glue
PVA glue

Lesson Steps:
1.  Stick the cardboard sheets together with the tape.
2.  Paint them with a thick layer of gold paint.
3.  Paint a swirly tree shape on top.
4.  On paper, each student draws, then paints a bird and a jewel shape.  We used step-by-step drawing cards off the Internet to help.  Once dry, coat in a layer of silver glitter glue and PVA.
5.  Stick the jewels and birds onto the tree with PVA glue, when the tree is dry.
6.  Paint coloured circle shapes along all the tree branches and trunk, then decorate them with silver and white dots both inside and around them.