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Gratitude Turkey- Distance Learning

Illustrated Gratitude Turkey with feathers labeled: school, books, friends, family, art, home, nature, chocolate, music, my dog.

Here is a fun social emotional project that works for distance learning too. I started with a how to draw a turkey sheet I found online. I wanted to link it here, but when I went to look for it again, it had disappeared! I’ve searched and searched and can’t find the original tutorial. Anyways, you can do the same thing by finding a “how to draw a turkey” step by step online and then doing the next steps you … Read more…

Shape Collage

Colorful abstract shapes, including crescents, stars, and organic forms in orange, red, pink, and yellow on a light background, create an enchanting shape collage.

Last blog post, I showed how to make different types of painted papers with watercolor paints. We are still doing distance learning, so my students did this lesson at home. These are the slides that I used to show them how to make a shape collage. Shape is an element of art. I like to show a lot of examples from different artists, contemporary and modern.

Painted Papers

Two painted papers with colorful watercolor patterns and designs, including lines, dots, and squiggles.

I had my students make painted papers for one week’s assignment. Their task was to make 4 painted papers (two with swatches of color and two with line patterns.). Then, they are going to turn their painted papers into collages the next week. Here are the steps I gave them. We are fully remote here. Watercolor paints was something I put on their supply list.

Latinx Heritage Month Art Books

Colorful book cover titled "Maybe Something Beautiful" features a child painting flowers and buildings in the background, celebrating creativity during Latinx Heritage Month.

From Wikipedia, “National Hispanic Heritage Month is a period from 15 September to 15 October in the United States for recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.” Our Spanish teacher invited us to bring some children’s books that highlight Latinx authors and artists to our classroom this month. With the librarian, language arts teachers and Spanish teacher, I brainstormed books to read to my classes. These are some of … Read more…

Call to Art 2: Free Online Un-Conference

Mark your calendars for the week of November 9-13. Cindy Ingram is hosting another Un-Conference, which is sure to be filled with fabulous information and ideas. Last summer, over 8,000 art teachers participated in this online conference which had so many wonderful presentations about equity, inclusion, classroom management, STEAM, choice based art and tips for teaching online. This Fall, Cindy is back again with another exciting FREE professional development opportunity for you! Free Online Conference for Art Educators Call to Art: … Read more…

Distance Learning: Overlapping Circles

Distance Learning: Overlapping Circles

Overlap means to place one object over another object. This is a simple project that easily transfers to distance learning. I did not create this lesson, it was given at my daughter’s school last year by her wonderful art teacher. The example above is by my daughter- she made it in 4th grade at home for distance learning. The concept is about overlapping and repetition. Also, more advanced students can bring in some shading and contrast. The example below is … Read more…

My Camera Set Up for Distance Learning

My Camera Set Up for Distance Learning

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…

Distance Learning Art: Name Design

Distance Learning Art:  Name Design

Here is a great project for the first week or day of school. I put up these directions in my Google classrooms for my students and they completed them in their own time, asynchronously. Here is my example of a Name Design NOT using block letters if that is too difficult for your students. Here is a book I read to go along with this project.

Distance Learning- First Week of Art- The Studio book

Distance Learning- First Week of Art- The Studio book

I apologize for not regularly adding to the blog lately. It’s been a bit overwhelming here and I haven’t had the motivation. With the day off today, I felt like sharing one cool new book I bought that I have been using with my little students (grades K-2). This book called Studio, A Place for Art to Start is perfect for the first weeks of school. (Affiliate link has been used at no extra cost to you.) This book shows … Read more…

Equality Murals

Equality Murals

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.

Anti-Racist Art Teachers Resources

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…

Fun Finds: Two Collage Books

Fun Finds:  Two Collage Books

I found two new collage books that I thought were pretty cool! If you know me, you might know that I love stickers! The first book I found is called the Antiquarian Sticker Book: Over 1000 Exquisite Victorian Stickers. (Amazon affiliate links have been used at no extra cost to you.) I made a video flip through of this book so you can see all the cool stickers inside. The next book I discovered is brand-new, just published. It is … Read more…

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