This is great for the beginning of the year and creates a wonderful piece of art for a wall of the classroom!

Each student is given a square piece of paper.
Use a ruler to find the middle of each side and mark it with a dot.
Use the ruler and a pencil to connect the dots so there is a diamond in the middle of the paper.

For grades 1 and 2, simply have the student make a self portrait in the middle and draw things they like in the sides.
For grade 3, you can ask for more detail:

Write the following instructions on the board or overhead for the students while/after explaining:

This Thomas Edison Timeline Lesson Plan provides a good opportunity to teach your students about the process of invention.

Edison was not only one of our country's most famous inventors but he was a big user of pencils as well. So we've selected a lesson plan that uses color pencils as part of the creative activity.

Here are a few additional links to Thomas Edison Information on the web to help your students build the timeline: