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Category Archives: third grade

Chalk and Oil Pastel Landscapes using Stencils

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Two childlike oil pastel landscapes: one with a purple sky, sun, birds, tree, and waterfall; the other with a red sky, birds, trees, a river, and mountains.

Are you looking for a highly engaging art project using chalk pastels? I must admit, chalk pastels are not my favorite. The dust, the crumbles, the mess… and not to mention that chalk gives me the heebie-jeebies (as one kid said at school!) But, this project, the kids LOVED! They thought it was so exciting. And I love this project because it allows for a lot of creative freedom. It also give students the chance to see the difference between … Read more… →

Art Sub Plan- Free! Geometric Shaded Animals

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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… →

Abstract Art Project: Mixed Media Explorations

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Explore the vibrant world of mixed media with this art project worksheet and example. Featuring a list of materials and a colorful abstract design, it invites creativity as pencils, paint palettes, and decorative elements surround the image.

This is a fun art project I like to use to get students exploring different types of materials at the beginning of the year. It’s also a low-pressure way to introduce mixed media and abstract art. Set up the room by placing a wide variety of art materials in a centrally located place in your room. The way this works is that you start by drawing an abstract design on your paper using a variety of shapes and lines to … Read more… →

What To Do On the First Day of Art Class

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Colorful watercolor frame with a paintbrush and palette surrounding the text "First Day of Art Class, Projects & Books.

Hello! I am already seeing lots of posts in Facebook groups asking what to do in the first few days of art class. In this post, I will walk you through what I plan to do this year in my classes. This is very similar to what I have done in other years. First, I start all classes with basic introductions and talking about the room and art class. We go over the rules and expectations. I use a video … Read more… →

Character Creation Workshop with Tracy Subisak: A Fun and Creative Experience

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A child with dark hair and a blue snail face each other with the text "Sorry, Snail" above them.

Our school had an amazing visit from Tracy Subisak, a Taiwanese-American author and illustrator known for her children’s books. She shared her creative process, read “Sorry, Snail,” and demonstrated character creation techniques. Students then created their own characters. I got a signed copy for my collection. Have you hosted an author visit before? Read more… →

Outerspace Artwork for Kids

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Outerspace Artwork for Kids

This was a super fun multi-day, mixed media project with a lot of different techniques and processes. Day One: Start by painting papers with a paint scraping technique. Use scraps of cardboard dipped into neon paint (Amazon affiliate links have been used at no extra cost to you- the money goes towards maintaining my blog and buying art supplies) and scrape across your paper to create an interesting textured effect. Make several pieces of paper in different colors. Leave these … Read more… →

Non-Objective Art Project for Kids

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Colorful abstract art featuring a central multicolored heart with swirling lines, stars, and additional hearts in the background.

Hi! This is a project I repeat in some form every year with my 3rd/4th grade class. Often I do it to teach about shading and values. Here’s an example from 12 years ago (wow, I can’t believe my blog is that old) of a black and white non-objective lesson. This year, I wanted to add pops of color to the hallway and I wanted the kids to explore color and blending. We first learned about non-objective art- art that … Read more… →

Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos Art Project

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Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos Art Project

This year during Latinx Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) I will be teaching my 3rd graders about Frida Kahlo and her many pets. It is a good reminder to teach about diverse artists throughout the year and throughout your curriculum. Frida Kahlo’s had many pets including macaws, parakeets, a parrot, sparrows, a cat, a fawn, monkeys, an eagle, and hairless dogs with ancient Aztec lineage. Many of her self-portraits feature herself with animals.  The animals are like children to her, … Read more… →

Thankful for… Mobiles

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Thankful for… Mobiles

What kinds of artworks have you done with the theme of Thanksgiving? I wanted to do a mixed media fibers project with my students so we made these gratitude mobiles. Students wrapped and twisted strips of fabric, yarn and wire with beads on embroidery hoops to create hanging mobiles. They attached card stock tags with words written to show what they are thankful for. Have you made any “thankful for” art projects? Please leave a comment and share!

Outdoor Art Creator Badge- Brownie Girl Scouts

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Colorful birdhouses, a green art piece with sticks, and a leaf artwork are featured in the "Outdoor Art Creator Badge" exhibit.

Last year, my 3rd grade Girl Scout troop did a variety of art projects. One of the badges we earned was the Outdoor Art Creator Badge. Here are some of the activities we did to earn the badge. I thought I would share with you, because these are some fun projects you could do with a group of kids, maybe in an after school, day camp or scout program. Here is a link to the PDF guide for the badge, … Read more… →

Hopes and Goals Girl Scout Art Project

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Hopes and Goals Girl Scout Art Project

Here is a fun and successful project for kids to do at the start of a new year! We did this with my Girl Scout troop of 3rd graders last January at the beginning of the new year. We talked about setting goals and intentions of what we wanted to accomplish such as personal goals for sports and activities, academic goals, goals for Girl Scouts or to be a better person and friend. It was right at the start of … Read more… →

3 Back to School Ideas

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Colorful and creatively designed children's backpacks with various patterns and drawings, featuring rainbows, hearts, and unicorns. Ideal for back to school, these backpacks inspire imaginative ideas among young students.

During the first week of school, you want to be teaching routines and expectations for your art class. I always like to ease into the school year with some simple, yet creative projects to get to know my students. I am going to share with you three fun Back-to-School ideas that you can try in your art classroom. 1. Creative Backpack My students used the template created by Hey Art Mama to make these creative backpacks. (I do not receive … Read more… →

Decoupaged Stool and Romero Britto Inspired Hearts Canvas

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Colorful decoupaged stool seat with abstract designs and inspirational words like "Strong" and "Creativity," against a black background.

My students and I recently made two colorful artworks for our school fundraiser. We painted a stool with acrylic paints. I had kids from grades K-3 come up two or three at a time to take turns painting the sections. After the base layer was dry, we used magazine cutout words to decoupage the stool. Black sharpies were also used to outline and accent the edges. Students in grades K-3 helped with this project and I had some older kids … Read more… →

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