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  • Banner with colorful artwork promoting an art shop featuring kindness coloring pages, artist activities, and resources for teachers.

Easy Printable Art Sub Plan for Elementary: A Balancing Act

Substitute plan poster titled "A Balancing Act" features an illustration of a whimsical stacked tower. This Art Education piece includes goals and steps for using color and shape to create a balanced picture, serving as an ideal Art Sub Plan.

This is a sub plan that is perfect for upper elementary. If you wake up sick one day, it’s a good idea to have prepared sub plans that are easy for any teacher to follow (even if they don’t have an art background). This is a simple, one page art handout with goals, steps and an example. I saw this idea on a Facebook group many years ago and created this handout to share with other teachers. This drawing activity uses … Read more…

Free Art Sub Plan: Primary Color Hands

This Free Art Sub Plan provides a creative worksheet for Grades K-2 featuring the "Primary Color Hands" project. It includes detailed steps and a charming hand-drawn example, showcasing vibrant patterns on traced hands for an engaging art experience.

This is an art project perfect for a kindergarten to 2nd grade substitute lesson plan. When you have to take a sick day, you never know if your sub is going to have an art background or not. This is a simple, one page art handout with goals, steps and an example. In order to print out the full, high resolution handouts, visit my TPT shop for the FREE download! This was a lesson idea a former colleague shared with … Read more…

Art Sub Plan- Free! Geometric Shaded Animals

Instruction sheet for shading an animal drawing. Includes color value scale, goals, steps, and a geometric shaded animal illustration with labeled color areas from white to black. Perfect for art sub plans.

This is an art project perfect for a substitute lesson plan. When you have to take a sick day, you never know if your sub is going to have an art background or not. This is a simple, one page art handout with goals, steps and an example. The second page has a value scale to practice shading on. In order to print out the full, high resolution handouts, visit my TPT shop for the FREE download! This was actually … Read more…

Art Sub Plan for Elementary Students- Animals in Cars!

Illustrated animals in cars shaped like food items provide the perfect creative art assignment for elementary students, including detailed drawing guidelines ideal for an engaging art sub plan.

Hello! I have been working on a series of “print and go” substitute teaching plans for elementary art class. These will be set up with goals and steps clearly written for a sub. You can print off these handouts for the students, gather supplies and have things all set to go in case you have an emergency illness and need to stay home. Some I will be offering for free on my blog and others will be in my shop. … Read more…

Creative Sub Plans: Cut Paper Art Idea

Paper collage of a campsite featuring a blue tent and a campfire, set against green hills and a sky with white clouds.

I found this post in my draft folder. I had written the post and then it was right before Covid hit, so somehow I missed posting it! This is one of my go-to sub plans. Use up the paper in your scrap bin and make a picture just using cut paper shapes. All you need to do to prepare is leave the scrap box available and provide a few examples. You can print these out or make your own! I … Read more…

New Products in Shop: Little Doodle Sketchbook & More!

New Products in Shop:  Little Doodle Sketchbook & More!

I have a few new products in my shop you may be interested in. First is the Little Doodle Sketchbook. Learn all about Inchies, Twinchies, Thrinchies, Artist Trading Cards and Artist Trading Coins in the Miniature Artwork Package!   Need a simple Artist Award?  I’ve got one!! Click here to check it out. Big Bundle of Growth Mindset Coloring Pages— fun for early finishers

Designer Tree Houses

Designer treehouse with a small cat looking out of a window, rainbow scales, and a bubblegum pink background.

Hi!  One day when I was sick I left a sub lesson plan for my students to design their own tree houses.  I printed out examples of tree house drawings for inspiration, like these here and here.  There is also this resource by Art Sub Lessons which has many pictures of real tree houses for inspiration. I did not leave a lot of directions or specific requirements, but encouraged creative thinking and unusual designs. Here are some of our whimsical pictures.  I think … Read more…

A World of Your Own: Creativity Drawings

Children's book "A World of Your Own" features two creative drawings.

I have a fun creativity drawing project and excellent children’s book to share with you today. I came across this book called A World of Your Own by Laura Carlin and thought it looked intriguing, so I ordered it. I love the illustrations in the book and the story encourages children to think of how they would imagine a world of their own. On a day when I was out sick, I left this book for the substitute teacher to … Read more…

A Page of Hearts (Valentine’s Pictures)

A Page of Hearts (Valentine’s Pictures)

Valentine’s Day is coming!  Are you looking for a fun heart project idea to try with your kids?  This challenge for my 3rd graders was to design 9 different hearts.  I used this project with a substitute teacher earlier this week when I was home with sick kids.  The students received a photocopied grid and they were challenged with drawing hearts in each rectangle and designing them in unique ways and to try a variety of materials.. these were made … Read more…

Art History Sketchbook Prompts: Set #2

Art History Sketchbook Prompts:  Set #2

My first set of Art History Sketchbook Prompts have been popular and I recently made a second set with all different artists and prompts. This new set has 16 NEW art history prompts!   16 DIFFERENT artists. These art history cards feature a selection of inspiring artworks with a prompt that can be used to spark drawing and writing. Print off the cards on cardstock, cut in half and laminate to protect them. You can print off as many copies … Read more…

Art Discussion Cards for Class Critiques or Art History Lessons

Art Discussion Cards for Class Critiques or Art History Lessons

Hi there! I have a set of Art Discussion Cards that might be useful to you!  These questions are great to use in small group discussions, individual writing responses and as a whole class critique.  You can use these questions to discuss a famous artwork or student artwork in peer-to-peer critiques.  If you order them, all you need to do is download them, print them off, cut apart and laminate.  You can reprint them as many times as you would … Read more…

Mazes

A hand-drawn maze titled "Dragon Quest" features a dragon in the center and a wizard at both the start and end points, creating an engaging labyrinth adventure.

When I was gone on my trip to New York for the conference, one of the sub plans I left was to draw a maze.  The instructions were to draw a maze lightly with pencil, then color it as they wished.  They could choose to include a theme for their maze, or just make it artistic and creative.   I am amazed at these mazes!  They are so beautiful and fun to look at.   I think I’m going to start drawing … Read more…

Substitute Assignment

A child's drawing depicts someone at 30, with family and work, and at 70, using a cane and standing alone.

On Wednesday I had a substitute teacher.  I left this drawing assignment for the 2nd graders to complete.  Divide your paper in half.  On one side, draw what you imagine your life to look like when you are 30 years old.  On the other side, imagine how your body will look when you are 70.  What will your life be like then?  I got this idea from Teaching Drawing From Art.  This book is from 1988 and only has black … Read more…

  • Banner with colorful artwork promoting an art shop featuring kindness coloring pages, artist activities, and resources for teachers.