1st Grade: Painted Hand Portraits

For this project, I began by reading the book I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! about a mischievous child who paints himself. Then I teach students how to draw a self-portrait using simple shapes.  I start drawing mine on the board and have them follow step by step.  Then, while they are coloring in their portraits, each student gets to pick out 3 colors of paint for their hand.  I quickly brush their 3 colors onto one of their hands and have them squeeze both hands together.  Then they print it on paper and wait for them to dry.  Next they cut out around their portrait, and around their hands (once dry) and glue both onto the black background.  I have to remind them "thumbs should be next to eachother".