Are you looking for a fun new way to make snowmen with your kids? I got the idea to use makeup remover pads from Happy Hooligans. I did this project with 1st graders. Start by mixing shades of blue paint with white and other cool colors. Explain to kids that when you mix white with a color, it makes a lighter tint of that color. Paint a background for your snowmen. Let it dry. Next, set out makeup remover pads, … Read more…
“A good picture is when the picture is full of magic, when you can feel the happiness in it, when it makes you laugh or cry, or when it makes something happen. It should be like a flower or a tree. It should be like Nature. It should be that we miss it when it isn’t there.” Hundertwasser Friedensreich Hundertwasser believed that nature and beauty was the key to happiness. He was born Fritz Stowasser but created his “artist name” … Read more…
Ah, winter break! It is the perfect time to catch up on blog posts. We did a few winter themed projects before the break. Some of my students made adorable snowman puppets. We used white poster board to cut out a body and then glued or taped a jumbo craft stick to the back. We cut out hats, arms, clothing and accessories for our snowmen. Some of the materials used were felt, foam shapes, buttons, construction paper, washi tape and … Read more…
Are you looking for a fun art project that your students will definitely be excited about? Create a COLORED SAND PAINTING! Kids love the tactile experience of touching the sand and the bright colors are so appealing. Using sand is a novel experience and kids have fond associations with playing in sand boxes or on beaches. Today I am going to show you an easy way to create beautiful sand paintings using paints, Elmer’s glue and colored sand. My students … Read more…
Because I didn’t have enough to keep me busy, I am now a Girl Scout co-leader for a kindergarten Daisy troop. My daughter wanted to join Girl Scouts and there wasn’t any already established groups that worked for us. We have 10 girls in our troop, all kindergartners and we meet twice a month. I have enjoyed following other Girl Scout leaders’ blogs to see what they are doing, and I thought I would share some ideas in case anyone … Read more…
Hi! I hope you are enjoying your winter so far. I like to make little greeting cards to give to my students at winter time for various reasons.. thank yous for gifts or just because they want a little piece of my art. A few years ago I made a cute little polar bear coloring card and it was a big hit with my students. Now I know some art teachers cringe at coloring pages, but I think they’re fun. … Read more…
First, there is a huge sale today at TPT.. 20% of all of my art teacher resources, plus use coupon code SMILE for an additional 10% off your entire order: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Art-Is-Basic Today I am going to show you an easy doodling technique for Artist Trading Cards. This is a great one-day art project for kids and possibly for a substitute lesson plan. Create doodles on the Artist Trading Cards and fill in with paint pens, Sharpies, or gel pens. My … Read more…
Happy Thanksgiving! I searched for some fall art to inspire you and here are some gems that I found. Norman Rockwell is always a winner. I really love this folk art landscape by Walt Curlee. This would be good to show students to demonstrate perspective and depth techniques. How about this painting by Grandma Moses called Catching a Turkey? Is it snowing yet by you? Janet Fish has some amazing still lifes, including this pumpkin one. and this one… Do … Read more…
My third grade students recently made these fun Artist Trading Cards (or ATCs for short.) They are sized at 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ and they were made using a fun technique on coffee filters. To make these cards, you will need Artist Trading Card blanks Sharpie permanent markers Crayola markers Coffee filters Spray bottle with water Scissors and glue Steps: 1. Doodle lines and shapes on a coffee filter with Sharpie permanent markers. 2. Color in the background spaces … Read more…
I got this project idea from the Art Teachers group on Facebook. A teacher had posted a similar personal grid lesson from high schoolers with stunning results! I loved the concept and adapted it for my 4th and 5th grade class. The first step is to divide your 12″ x 18″ paper into 3 inch squares using a ruler. Then you fill in each squares with drawings and designs that are personalized to tell something about yourself. The catch is … Read more…
Here are some of the Artist Trading Cards my students made for the ATC swap that Nic Hahn is coordinating. The students filled out a sheet for the back with information about their card. You can download this sheet for free at my TPT shop. Artist Trading Cards are mini works of art, sized at 2.5″ x 3.5″. They can be traded, collected or given as gifts. They can be about anything! Some of the materials my students used were: … Read more…
I had the opportunity to try out Dab and Dot Dauber Markers and write a blog post for their website DoodleHog. These are similar to other paint dotters, but one difference I noticed is that the colors seem richer and better than other brands I have tried. The colors mix together very well. Piet Mondrian Dab and Dot Art Project Piet Mondrian was one of the most important and well known abstract painters. But did you know his early work … Read more…
Today is Veteran’s Day. A day to remember our history and the people who fought for our freedom and safety. Every year my students create Veteran’s Day posters that are displayed at the Senior Center for their Veteran’s Day ceremony. My fifth/sixth grade students go on a trip to the program and sing a few patriotic songs and participate in the ceremony. You can see some of the artwork made in year’s past and read more about this lesson in … Read more…
Age Level: Kindergarten/First Grade Learning Objectives: Learn how artists can use letters and numbers in art Use overlap Identify and use shapes Develop fine motor skills by tracing and painting Materials Board Mate Repositional Paper Letters/Numbers Board Mate Jumbo Reuseable Stencils Other assorted stencils of your choice Painter’s Squeeze ‘n Brush paints (or other tempera paint of your choice) Watercolor paints, brush, water or brush markers White cardstock or thick paper Process: 1. View and discuss artworks that have words … Read more…
I read my 5th/6th grade class the book Beautiful Oops, which many art teachers are already familiar with. It’s a great message, but also the interactive parts are very inspiring and fun! We also looked at Barney Saltzberg’s other book A Little Bit of Oomph. Both of these books have parts that fold out, pop out, twist or turn! Here is a video from Workman Publishing about the oomph book. You can see the pages of the book if you … Read more…
