October 31 to November 2 is the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. My first grade students learned about the celebration a bit in their Spanish class and then in art class, we read a story about the holiday and drew these symmetrical skull pictures. The book we read was Day of the Dead, by Tony Johnston. It’s a nice story with great pictures. My only complaint is that the book is very very small, so the kids have to … Read more…
Sometimes when the scrap box gets too full or it is holiday that gets the kids all hyped up (like Halloween) I will give the class a “scrap box challenge.” What can you make by using the scraps in the scrap box?! Here are a few of their fun creations.
Aren’t the colors of the fall leaves breathtaking? I scanned some of the leaves that I found on the trees here in Wisconsin. Feel free to print these out, color designs on them with permanent or paint markers, make a collage or just draw from the pictures. They would also look good on a bulletin board. Download the higher resolution version here at TPT for free! The book Leaf Man, by Lois Elhert, would be a great way to … Read more…
My third grade students learned about the photography, films, paintings and children’s books by contemporary artist William Wegman. I actually talked to Bill on the phone and had an interview with him, which you can read in this blog post. William Wegman is known for his anthropomorphic photos of dogs dressed in various costumes. Anthropomorphic means giving human characteristics to animals (or other non-human things.) We read his books, watched some of his short films and saw pictures of his … Read more…
Wow, do I have a treat for you today! I had the amazing opportunity to talk with American artist William Wegman on the phone. Bill is well known for his photographs of Weimaraner dogs, dressed in all sorts of costumes and settings. Did you know he has also written and illustrated children’s books as well as created films and paintings? If you’d like to see some of his artworks, there is a wide selection on his Pinterest page. Two of … Read more…
Like many other art teachers around the world, my students participated in International Dot Day. The students dressed up in polka dots, we watched the story of The Dot and sang along to The Dot song. If you have not read the book The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds, it’s a must-have for the art teacher! Two of my classes made the giant 3-d stuffed dots. These were super fun to make. I traced a hula hoop onto a large … Read more…
I hope you are enjoying your first few weeks back to school! Here is a Reach for the Stars bulletin board my students made as their first art projects. The tape letters were made by 1st graders. I don’t know how people use painter’s tape for this technique, because it just caused my paper to rip. I discovered the Post-it Label Roll which worked great to block out the letters. The kids painted over the label tape with a crayon … Read more…
Are you looking for some new contemporary artists to teach your students about? On the Facebook Art Teachers group, members suggested LOTS of contemporary artists that they teach their students. These are now all compiled into ONE HUGE LIST on Google Docs! I added websites and short descriptions to most of the artists so it is easier to use. Thanks to all the teachers who collaborated to share their ideas and add artists. This huge list has about 130 artists … Read more…
This summer, I have been working on creating a new PDF set of Art History Sketchbook Prompts. The first two sets have been very popular and there are so many artists I want my students to learn about. These cards are a great way for students to do some independent learning if they finish an art project early. This is set #3 of the Art History Sketchbook Prompts, with all NEW artists! These art history cards feature a selection of … Read more…
I was trying to find a good activity for my daughter to do for Father’s Day and decided to make my own. Here is an interview printable for your little ones. Have fun! For the PDF downloads, click the links below. I recommend printing from the PDF files because they are crisper with a higher resolution. Fathers Day Printable Grandpa Printable
I was approached by a representative from Build a Sign to review a product from their website. They have a variety of types of signs (metal, vinyl, etc.) and also things like bumper stickers, magnets and license plates. I chose the 3 foot x 6 foot vinyl banner! I thought it would be fun to make a banner for my art room and also to hang up when we have an art show at school. I used the feather and … Read more…
HEATHER KORDSMEIER you are the winner! Congrats and email me your address. Heather Kordsmeier May 20, 2014 at 5:05 pm I teach 3rd grade language arts and social studies. After our standardized test in April, I start Art and Art History. I have been puting together an artist timeline. We have learned about artists, their techniques, and do some sort of project using their techniques.
[cryout-pullquote align=”left|center|right” textalign=”left|center|right” width=”100%”] How do you experience your brain? What does your brain do for you? How can you express the feelings of your brain? [/cryout-pullquote] Students at our school connected with a scientific researcher to create diverse and artistic representations of their brains. I teach art at a school for gifted and talented children. Our students are highly interested and curious about science, so when I was contacted by Ayla Kruis to work with her on a project … Read more…
I opened up my email this week and was thrilled to read the following message: I wanted to thank you for your post regarding portfolios and interviewing. I was recently hired at a fantastic school, and the interview wouldn’t have gone well without your advice about preparation. Yay! I love it when someone finds something useful in something I’ve written! The post she was referring to was Art Teacher Portfolio Ideas. Later, I posted an article about digital portfolios. I … Read more…
Hi! For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, you probably have seen some of the baby pictures. Desmond was born this past weekend! Desmond Arthur Beckett was born on Saturday, April 19 at 9:47 am. He weighed 10 lbs 6 oz! The c-section went smoothly and even though I was SO nervous beforehand, the doctors and nurses were very reassuring. After I realized that I actually was not going to feel any pain during the surgery, … Read more…
