How to Make a Simple Pop Up

This past weekend we made pop ups.  We had received a pop up card and C was intrigued how the card was made so I decided to show her how to make a simple pop up. As an Elementary Art Teacher my students would always love making any type of pop up art. Keep reading to find out how to make a simple pop up.

Materials Needed:

9x12 construction paper

Construction paper scraps

glue

 scissors

First fold the construction paper in half like this, but keep it folded.

On the fold, create two cuts that are about an inch apart.  You can create more cuts if you want more pop up elements.

Open up the folded paper and reverse fold the part you cut like this.

This is what the pop out part looks like from the side.

Lastly, cut out the shapes or objects that you want to pop out. If you want to add a second piece of paper to the back so there is no holes or if you want it to be a greeting card.

In our finished pop up, C connected two papers together and the caterpillar was popped out with two pop out pieces.

ENJOY MAKING POP UPS!

If you love making pop ups, you'll love this book:

Twisted Paper Sculpture

Today I am over at PreK + Sharing blog.  Find out how we made these Twisted Paper Sculptures.  Let me know what you think. So many great ideas on this collaborative blog.

Free Art Play: Construction Paper Tree

Do you ever let your children just explore with materials without an intended outcome? I hope so. Even as an Elementary Art teacher I would give my students free roam of the "scrap box" and let them create what they wanted....boy did they love that!  Often we are pressured as Art Teachers (and Bloggers) to always have a beautifully finished product to showcase.  Tell me the truth.  As readers,  don't you expect a project in my posts?

In this post I did not have a project for C to do.  I just caught her in the act of creating her own little project.  She always has access to construction paper, tape, markers, crayons, glue, and who knows what else.  Here is her amazing Tree that she created with construction paper, tape, scissors, and markers. What do you think?

Here are the simple supplies she was using.  I absolutely LOVE construction paper.  My Mom always had a huge stack of it around and even as an Art Teacher I couldn't get enough of it.  It was so difficult for me to throw away any scraps too.

C in action.

She must have been occupied for at least 45 minutes or more.

The tree once again.  She told me there was a bird on top and on each side too.

Not too long after the tree C was on a roll creating these panda bears.  She had taught herself how to draw a panda from a drawing book and decided to create them in construction paper.  I love them.

I sure hope that you encourage your children to create independently.  This is where children truly get creative.  I have found when you keep presenting children with so called "projects" some children lose interest.  Even my daughter from time to time will tell me she is not interested in doing what I'm presenting her.  I want to present beautiful ideas on my blog and sometimes I need to remind myself of the value of free play with art materials too.  I hope I have convinced you of that too.

What Independent Art Projects Have Your Children Been Working On? (Please Share)

Would You Like To See More Ideas Like This On The Blog?

My absolute favorite construction paper : Tru-Ray Sulphite Construction Paper Why: it keeps it color longer, doesn't tear so easily and has vibrant colors.