Printmaking is such a fun medium to teach to elementary students. I try to do at least one lesson in block printing per year and it typically ends up being the favorite/most memorable for the kids.
I thought I’d go out on a limb with the fourth-graders and teach them how to do a reduction print of a sea animal. Before we began, however, I demonstrated the concept of a mirror image by having one of the students stand facing me and mirror my movements. We discussed how when I move my right hand, the student moved her left hand and vice versa. The point I tried to make was that when carving a block for printmaking (in our case, styrofoam), the resulting print will be a mirror image of that carving.
Here’s a brief explanation of the project:
Below is the slideshow (Powerpoint) I used to introduce the project to the students. Feel free to use and adjust it to meet the needs of your classroom.