Fifth Grade Mandalas

"Mandala"comes from the Sanskrit word for "circle"

Mandalas appear all over the world, in various forms.  The mandala commonly represents unity, the circle of life or the universe.
Mandalas use Radial Balance, meaning everything comes from a center point, a circle with a center.  Think of spider webs, flowers, snowflakes; these are all examples of radial balance.

Students start with a circle. 

Divide the circle into equal sections.

        Add a repeating design. 

       And finally add color!

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Some students chose to work with a theme too:

Peace

Halloween

Cow

This is one of my favorite lessons to teach each year.  Even though it is a basic idea - radial balance, line and color - students always create such a great variety!  

- Miss Tomaso