Stained Glass

Activity Overview

When talking about sensory exposure, light can be a beautiful way to expand our senses and use color mixing in a new way. The actions of using scissors, ripping, and pasting all strengthen the fine muscles in the hands and fingers. Tissue paper is a little bit easier to cut through than normal paper and can be a great way to build confidence in cutting.

What You Need

• Tissue paper in various colors

• Scissors

• Contact paper (if you don't have any, you can use white tissue paper, wax paper, or parchment paper)

• White glue

• Paintbrush

• A container to keep your cut up pieces in

Steps

1. Lay your contact paper out – sticky side up – on the table and tape it down on the edges so it stays nice and flat for the work.

2. Have students cut up tissue paper into different sizes and shapes – whatever size or shape is fine! Again, this activity is to help build their confidence in the act of cutting more than it is about cutting perfect shapes or perfectly on lines. Put all the pieces in a container.

3. If you are using contact paper, start sticking your tissue paper however you like.

   • If you are using tissue, wax, or parchment paper, get your glue and paintbrush ready. Use your paintbrush to spread some liquid glue onto the tissue, wax, or parchment paper.

   • Add the pieces of cut tissue paper on top of the glue in any way that inspires your student.

4. Stick your finished stained glass directly to the window!

   • If you are using tissue, wax, or parchment paper, let the glue dry, and use tape to hang it over the window.

Guiding Questions

• What shapes can you cut?

• What size pieces do you want on your work?

• Can you lay colors on top of each other and make different colors?

• Can you create patterns, scenes, animals or people with the paper?

• What do you notice about the paper as the sun shines through it? What kind of new colors do we see?

Extensions

• Try making similar pieces of stained glass in different colors.

• Can the student make a scene, an animal, the sun or some kind of representational work?