Ndebele Symmetrical Houses Grade 2

This project is based on the painted houses of  the Ndebele tribe of South Africa.

The project  took about 3-4 40 minute periods. 
To  make the houses the kids used 16x18" white paper that they folded in half and then cut to become a symmetrical house (or house-looking shape). 

I then had them use pattern reference sheets and draw a design on half of the house.  To make the design symmetrical, students trace their pencil drawings in /Sharpie and then folded the paper backwards so the marker would show up through the back.  Carbon paper was put in between the halves and traced onto the other side in pencil.  They traced the newly drawn side with Sharpie and then colored the whole house with Crayola paint pens.

 Initially I had wanted the project to be done in paint, but I realized very quickly that the designs the kids were making were way to small and intricate to be painted in.  I had the paint pens lying around from last year and so I gave them a try.

 The children seemed to like using them but after 5 classes of 20 children, over the course of 3 periods, the soft brush-like tips were smashed into oblivion and many of the markers had almost completely died out.  The paint pens are fun, but they're certainly not the most durable supply to color with!