Stained Glass Name Designs

This is a simple project, and a great introduction to the concept of positive and negative space for younger kids. Any project using their names is typically a guaranteed hit!!

Materials:

• White paper, any size
• Pencil and eraser
• Black chisel tip markers
• Water-based markers in a variety of colors

Vocabulary:
Positive Space - the object or objects you are drawing (in this case, the letters)
Negative Space - the area around and in between whatever you are drawing

Directions:
1. Using large “stick letters”, write your name so that the letters touch each edge of the paper as well as each other, creating plenty of negative spaces. (If your name has more than four letters, you may want to use just your initials, or use a longer piece of paper.)
2. Trace over your letters (the positive space) with a broad tip black marker to make them nice and thick.
3. Color in the negative spaces inside and around your letters using colorful markers for a “stained glass” effect. (Remind students to color all one direction, so their designs look neat and not scribbly! When I'm taking to K's, I tell them this is coloring "the Kindergarten way", for 1st graders I say it's the "first grade way", etc. They really need this reminder!!)