If you're looking for alternatives to screentime for your kids, nothing beats going "old school" with a pencil and paper! It's amazing how much fun can be had with such simple supplies. What you'll need All you need is a pencil, some paper, a flat surface to draw on, and my free download, "5 FUN Art Activities Kids Can Do with a Pencil & Paper". An eraser can also be … [Read more...]
Creative Extension Spinner for Early Finishers
December’s digital challenge at the Children’s Museum of the Arts in NYC is all about telling stories using cardboard story wheels. For a creative twist on this theme, try extending and enhancing the meaning of your students' art using a Creative Extension Spinner.... perfect for your early finishers! If you notice an increase in early finishers at the end of a … [Read more...]
How to Learn Your Students’ Names FAST!
With each new school year, teachers everywhere face the daunting task of learning the names of all their new students. Whether you teach a single grade level class of 20 students or you teach multiple classes of art, music, or PE and see the entire school every week, you’ll want to learn your students' names fast…. and the faster the better! Why is it so important to learn … [Read more...]
Prevent Summer Learning Loss with a ‘Retro’ Flash Card Flipper
'Summer Learning Loss', or 'Summer Slide' as it’s also known, is not just an issue for ‘at risk’ students. All students need to practice their academic skills to keep from falling behind over summer vacation. The year I taught 2nd grade I experienced firsthand how much students can forget over the summer. We wasted much valuable time that fall doing remedial work…. re-learning … [Read more...]
How to Make a Beachball Scavenger Hunt with the Elements of Art & Principles of Design
Helping kids learn the Elements of Art & Principles of Design (affiliate link) is easy when you make a game of it! This activity is adaptable across a wide range of ages. I’ve used it from 1st grade through high school by customizing my questions or directives for the students I’m using it with. Whether you have just a few minutes to fill or a whole class period, students … [Read more...]
Feed Your Creative Soul – with a Sketchbook!
Most art teachers I know struggle to find time for pursuing their own artwork.... so if that's you, you're not alone! Summertime provides a great opportunity for teachers to do things they otherwise set aside during the school year. But if we're trying to teach our students how important art is, should we really be putting off our own art until summer? (I'm speaking to myself … [Read more...]
Emergency Sub Plans
Most schools require their teachers to keep a folder of sub plans in their classroom, which is great for that occasional illness or emergency that causes you to be away from school for a few days. But where do you turn when life really gets in the way and your absence extends beyond the contents of your sub folder? This happened to me recently when I was called out of state … [Read more...]
How to Play the Elements of Art & Principles of Design Memory Game
I'm always on the lookout for creative, new ways to teach my students the Elements of Art and Principles of Design (affiliate link). You may have played a version of this game before Recently, I attended a bridal shower where we played a memory game.... the "put-a-bunch-of … [Read more...]
SmARTkids Fine Art Site
SmARTkids is a fine art site created for kids ages 7-12 by the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago. This is a great site for kids and parents to investigate together, or for just turning kids loose to explore and play. Through structured and open-ended activities, kids can look at, think about, and respond creatively to art. Activities on this site include … [Read more...]
Animated Art “Books” for Kids
Here's a fun site I just discovered for those of you with lower elementary age students... Mighty Books.com offers animated books for early readers with a variety of themes. Visit the page titled, "Art & Music" for slide shows of paintings by Van Gogh, Renoir or Remington set to the music of great composers, or assemble a virtual jigsaw puzzle made from the "Carnival of … [Read more...]