Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) was one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. Born in Russia, she emigrated with her family to the United States in 1905. Her unique artistic style was influenced by the cubist movement, co-founded by Pablo Picasso, and the found object sculptures of Marcel Duchamp. Calling herself “the original recycler”, Nevelson is … [Read more...]
4 Easy Ways to Sharpen Your Scissors
Scissors in the art room can get dull fast, with being shared by so many students, and cutting who-knows-what! But sharpening your inexpensive classroom scissors is easy to do and can add new life to dull scissors that you might otherwise just toss and replace. And the best part is that you probably already have all you need to do it! 1. Basic aluminum foil works great … [Read more...]
A Colored Pencil Test
When it comes to buying art supplies for your classroom, how much does your budget influence your buying decisions? Do you sometimes choose your cheapest option just because, well, it’s the cheapest? There’s such a range of quality when it comes to student grade colored pencils and the difference in price doesn’t always make up for the difference in quality. The next time you … [Read more...]
Making Monoprints with a Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate
I recently discovered a new product that I've become obsessed with... the Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate. I've always loved monoprinting, but Gelli Plates take this art form to a whole new level. Printmaking with a Gelli Plate is similar to gelatin printing, but the plate itself is much more durable, it's reusable, you can store it at room temperature, and the resulting … [Read more...]
Art Hanging System from IKEA
Parents, ever wonder how to display all that wonderful artwork your kids bring home at the end of the school year? The mom of one of my students shared this great idea with me (thank you, Molly Craig!) and it's so clever I had to pass it along! She created a "hallway gallery" for her son's artwork, which can be easily changed as often as they like. This simple … [Read more...]
Stay on Schedule with the Time Timer
My students and I LOVE our new Time Timer! I first learned about the Time Timer on the Art of Education site. The Time Timer is a fabulous time management tool for any classroom. It comes in three sizes: 3", 8", and 12". I purchased the 8" size from Amazon.com for about $20, and it's worth every penny! The Time Timer can hang on the wall, stand on its collapsible legs, … [Read more...]
Marker Set Storage
Crayola Markers are my go-to product when I want a lesson with bright colors and easy clean-up. Last year I experimented with Crayola's "washable" markers and now I'm sold on them! Most washable products don't have the quality I look for, but these are different. The colors are clean and bright, and my experience has been that they're "juicier" and last longer than the … [Read more...]
All You Really Need for Teaching Art to Kids…
Here are my basic supplies for teaching kids' art.... most of my lessons use just these simple materials. Pictured above are the items that I use about 90% of the time, so I try to make sure I always have a good supply on hand. (FYI - I normally use the "Sargent" brand of colored pencils, although Crayola is pictured here. The Crayola Watercolor Pencils are my newest … [Read more...]
Animal Sculpture with Air-Dry Clay
Kids LOVE using clay, maybe more than any other art medium, yet most schools and homes do not have a kiln for firing. If this is your situation, don't let this stop you from sharing the experience of working with clay with your students! Crayola Air Dry Clay is a good alternative to the traditional clay that requires kiln firing. We used the art of French sculptor Francois … [Read more...]
YES! Paste / BEST! Paste
If you work with kids and don't already know about YES! Paste, you need to. YES! Paste puts your traditional glue stick to shame. How many times have you used a glue stick to attach something, only to have it pop off a few days later?? Or maybe you've tried mounting art with a glue stick and then had it refuse to lay flat even after being pressed under a stack of books?? … [Read more...]