Hey, Elementary Art Teachers! Are you looking for some fun winter art project ideas to do right now? I have lots of winter art projects I have done over the years. Save this blog post, because you can look at these ideas later when you are out of ideas. If you have signed up for my newsletter, you have already received this fun round-up, but I figured it was something that would be useful to other art teachers as well who haven’t … Read more…
Recently our school participated in a service learning project for all of our grades, K-8. The local senior center approached my co-worker Sharon who shared the project with me. The senior center was looking for students to decorate lunch bags to distribute to homebound seniors through the Meals on Wheels program. I thought this would be a great opportunity for our students to connect with the community and share kindness and cheer through their art. Here is an article from … Read more…
Here is a fun project to do for the element of art texture. It is great for the little kids in grades K and 1, but I have found that the older kids in grades 3 and 4 enjoyed it too. It is also good as an early finisher activity for the older kids because it doesn’t require a lot of instruction. The supplies are simple. You will need a marker to draw the shapes, peeled crayons and texture rubbing … Read more…
Here is a fun art project I taught kids awhile back. I have been going through my picture files and rediscovering old projects that I want to try again. I have lots of art projects in my archives that I have never blogged about before. I was thinking this summer I can post a few of them. First, read a book about PEACE. I like Peace is an Offering, by Annette LeBox or The Peace Book, by Todd Parr. (These … Read more…
We are in the depths of winter here with lots of snow and cold weather. I am so looking forward to Spring and thought this colorful project would brighten your day. This was a distance learning lesson I did last Spring when we were home from coronavirus. I made a video to show how to do this project. You use magazine pages, scrapbook paper or whatever colorful paper you have. You can even use the inside of patterned envelopes or … Read more…
You are invited to follow along and join in with Angela C. Hawkins, a children’s author illustrator, as she recreates 52 Masterpieces in her children’s book style. Every Monday she will post them on her blog and her social media. She says, “For this project, I’ve preselected 52 Masterpieces to render in my children’s book style. Every Monday in 2021 I will post each rendition and some thoughts on Instagram, Facebook, and my blog. (Don’t forget to look for two mice in each … Read more…
When I first started distance teaching, I tried all different types of camera arms and stands. This is the one I found that works best for me. It is not perfect, but it works pretty well for my needs. First, the stand is an Arkon Pro Camera stand. It is sized to fit cell phones. This is perfect for when you want record a video of your hands making art from overhead. The cell phone sits securely inside the clamp. … Read more…
This is Part 2 in my blog posts about the Black Lives Matter murals in downtown Madison, WI. There were so many of them, lining the streets of State Street. See my first post with more murals here.
After the death of George Floyd, protests happened here in Madison, WI (as well as all over the country). Some businesses had windows broken. Artists covered the boarded-up windows with beautiful murals calling for justice and equality. I will have two posts of photos of some of these murals, because there were so many amazing artworks.
I wanted to point you to this great place to start your journey on becoming a more inclusive, anti-racist art teacher. The new Anti-Racist Art Teachers website has loads of resources to get you started with reading, listening, learning and reflecting on how to remove stereotypes and false narratives in your art curriculum. They even are starting a collection of lesson plans specifically designed for the art classroom. You can now download these posters for FREE at these three TpT … Read more…
I wanted to let you know about some inspiring and informational professional development that is starting this week! I am recommending this Un-Conference to energize art teachers. While you are at home this week, be sure to check out this Call to Art: A Free Un-Conference for Art Educators. I know many of these presenters and they are amazing art educators with a passion for what they do. I’m sure you will leave with some new ideas to implement when you return to … Read more…
I haven’t posted much lately because I’ve been focusing on other things– I’m in charge of the cookies for our Girl Scout cookie sales and that is like a part-time job! Also, I’ve been getting ready for my presentation at NAEA. If you are going to the NAEA conference, let me know.. I would love to meet up with new people! I have a lot of fun art journaling exercises prepared, including this one- using watercolor circles as a launching … Read more…
This is a new resource in my shop! I use these as reward charts for free days in my classroom. Each art class kids can earn points for things like quiet listening, being respectful to others, working hard, talking at a reasonable voice level, cleaning up and so forth. Fill in one spot on the chart for each point (for example, color in one paint splotch). When the class fills up the sheet, they receive a group reward. “Free Days” … Read more…
Have you ever considered all the things kids learn from looking at art? Empathy. Curiosity. Visual intelligence. Self-awareness. Higher order thinking. The list goes on and on. But how often do students spend looking at art? Not long enough. My friend Cindy is on a mission to change that. She founded Art Class Curator and the Curated Connections Library to share smart, creative, engaging ways to teach art history and art appreciation. With her techniques, students do more than look at … Read more…
Hi! I am here today to tell you about 2 products that I enjoyed learning about at the NAEA Convention in the vendor halls. What is the vendor hall at NAEA? The vendor hall is one of my favorite parts of the convention. I love trying out new art materials, techniques and buying art resources! Here are some of the things I got as samples or purchased in the vendor hall. (Most were free!) In the vendor hall, I stopped … Read more…
