The Best Gift, for Shoe-er!

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students turn an old shoe into a memorable planter that's a terrific gift for Mother's Day or any other occasion.

Subjects: Visual Arts

Grade Levels: PreK-2, 3-5

Objectives
Students will:

• bring in from home an old shoe (the older the better),
• paint the shoe with gold paint,
• insert into the shoe's opening a small plastic bag filled with potting soil, and
• plant ivy or another vine or flower seeds in the soil.

Keywords
gift, Mother's Day, mother, family, present, holiday, plant

Materials Needed

• an old shoe for each student
• gold paint (spray paint, metallic liquid paint, or yellow paint mixed with gold glitter); see lesson notes relating to student use of paints
• paintbrushes
• small plastic food storage bags
• potting soil
• vine or ivy cuttings or flower seeds

Procedure
Send a note home to parents inviting them to send in an old shoe or sneaker that the student has worn. The older the shoe, the better. (Shoes from when the students were toddlers would be great!) Be sure to note that the shoe will be used for an art project, so parents should not send in shoes that have any further usefulness.

Use gold spray paint or metallic liquid paint to paint the shoe -- to give it the look of a shoe that has been "bronzed." (If you cannot locate gold paint, yellow paint with gold glitter sprinkled in it is a possibility.)

Note: If you use spray paint, paint in a well-ventilated area; outdoors is best. With younger students, a teacher or parent volunteer should do this part of the activity.

Insert into the shoe a small plastic bag filled with potting soil. Plant vine or ivy cuttings or flower seeds in the potting soil to create a memorable planter that makes a great Mother's Day gift.

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