The 4th Grade Lions made Halloween masks this year, and it turned out to be my favorite project I've ever done.  The masks made from plaster bandages was one of the many ideas I've borrowed from L.A.'s rock star teacher, Rafe Esquith. 

Sarah bravely agreed to be the guinea pig, as I demonstrated the process on her.  She trusted me to cover her face during a 20 minute break between parent/teacher conferences.  What was she thinking?! 

The next day we made 5 teams of 5, as we transformed the room into a MASH unit.  The students took turns with the various roles of doctor, assistants, nurse, and patient.  To make each mask the patient laid down on the desks while the doctor covered his/her face with Vaseline (a very important step!).  The assistants cut strips of plaster bandages and handed them to the doctor for dipping and applying to the face.  After letting them dry, the masks were carefully removed and painted a few days later.

I was pretty nervous going into this project, since a lot of trust was involved.  But it turned out to be amazing!  The best part was watching how well the students took care of each other.  Each round, the nurses were so focused on keeping the patient comfortable while quickly soaking up any drips of water running down his/her face.  They were truly an example to all in how to treat each other. 

See a video of the project below: