I love to start the year by having my students decorate their portfolios! You can make your own portfolios inexpensively, and safely store a whole year's worth of artwork. The first time I see each class at the beginning of the school year, I like to read them one of my favorite art-themed kids' books - then we use that story as inspiration to decorate their portfolios. … [Read more...]
Children’s Prayers for the World
I love this project that 2nd-grade teacher, Barbara Mendence, does with her students each year! Not only is this a fun art lesson, but it makes for a great geography lesson and culture study as well. Armed with a list that includes all the countries of the world, her class commits to praying for every country over the course of the year. As they work through their list each … [Read more...]
Grade 5 Portfolios – Collecting Words
I LOVE kids' books!!! I just discovered a great new book, titled "Max's Words" by Kate Banks. While this book doesn't have a specific art theme, it inspired me to create a portfolio project for my 5th graders based on WORDS. Kids LOVE to collect things. I learned this from personal experience, with a daughter who collected Beanie Babies like there was no tomorrow, and a … [Read more...]
Stained Glass Name Designs
This is a simple project, and a great introduction to the concept of positive and negative space for younger kids. Any project using their names is typically a guaranteed hit!!Materials:White paper, any sizePencil and eraserBlack chisel tip markersWater-based markers in a variety of colorsVocabulary:Positive Space - the object or objects you are drawing (in this case, the … [Read more...]
Kaleidoscope Lettering Design
Upper grade "Allison" , colored in warm colors with colored pencilsLower grade "Allison", colored in cool colors with markers (the same lettering, but traced only four times instead of eight!) Combine art and math concepts to create an engaging project with a variety of applications! Kaleidoscope Lettering uses the concepts of bilateral (reflective) symmetry, tessellation, … [Read more...]
Grade 5 Portfolios – Collecting Words
I LOVE kids' books!!! I just discovered a great new book, titled "Max's Words" by Kate Banks. While this book doesn't have a specific art theme, it inspired me to create a portfolio project for my 5th graders based on WORDS. Kids LOVE to collect things. I learned this from personal experience, with a daughter who collected Beanie Babies like there was no tomorrow, and a son … [Read more...]
Alphabet Soup Art – The Verdict is In!
two examples of first grade "Alphabet Soup Art" It's official.... everyone LOVES Alphabet Soup Art! From first graders to sixth graders, the responses were all the same - this project is a hit!! A few of the youngest students had to be reminded to connect their letters, but other than that most students were able to work independently. This project is a natural for … [Read more...]
Alphabet Soup Art
In today's culture, some symbols have become so familiar that we've stopped noticing them. This idea is what prompted contemporary American artist, Jasper Johns, to create abstract paintings from symbols such as letters, numbers and maps to get his viewers to experience these symbols in new ways. Your students can follow these steps to learn about abstract art with this fun … [Read more...]
“Thank You” Drawings
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, what better time than now to focus your students on being thankful for the blessings in their lives? Have your students choose one thing they're thankful for and teach them how to write it with "outline letters", which they can then decorate to reflect the theme of their illustration.To make outline letters, lightly pencil in the word … [Read more...]