Now that summer’s here, how do you keep your kids learning, creating, and spending more time outdoors than in front of a screen? One way is with this inspiring little book, “Look What I Did with a Leaf!” by Morteza E. Sohi. This is not so much a read-aloud type of book that you would share with a roomful of students, but rather a book to enjoy at home with your kids, or for … [Read more...]
Illustrations with Surrealism
What better way to celebrate April Fool’s Day than with an image of Salvadore Dali caught in the act of pulling a prank??! Surrealism is a cultural, artistic, and literary movement which began in the early 1920’s. Founded by French writer and poet Andre Breton as a ‘revolutionary movement’, Surrealism is probably best known as a style of art featuring photorealistic images of … [Read more...]
Oil Pastel Houses Inspired by Marc Chagall
Students enjoy creating these quirky street-scapes inspired by Russian artist, Marc Chagall. There's just something really fun about crooked buildings and random things flying through the air! Materials: 12x18 black construction paper #2 Pencil with pink eraser (the eraser is handy for "sketching" your layout!) Oil Pastels "Wet wipes" for clean up Examples of the … [Read more...]
Kindergarten Rorschach Prints
This is one of my favorite Kindergarten lessons, based on the famous Rorschach Ink Blot Test. The process of making these prints seems almost magical to a five year old who's doing this for the first time. It combines colorful paint with the element of surprise and plenty of imagination... what's not to love about that?! I begin by reading the book, It Looked Like … [Read more...]
Popcorn Drawing – Observation & Imagination
Have you ever looked at a cloud and seen an animal or some other random image? Most everyone has used their imagination to "find" things in clouds, and popcorn offers this same creative experience! This is a great lesson for 5th grade and up. Make sure you create a sample to illustrate the steps... a picture is worth a thousand words here! After doing this lesson, your … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
Yesterday (March 2nd) we celebrated a very special birthday in our Kindergarten classes.... that of beloved children's author/illustrator, Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka "Dr. Seuss". In his lifetime, Dr. Seuss published over 40 children's books which have inspired both reading and imagination for generations of children. His birthday has fittingly been adopted as the date for the … [Read more...]
Gung Hey Fat Choy!
Chinese New Year falls on Valentine's Day this year! Chinese New Year is often celebrated with a parade led by a long, colorful dragon. My 1st graders drew a fun Chinese Dragon to ring in the "Year of the Tiger"!1. Cut a piece of 12"x18" white construction paper in half to measure 6"x18".2. Using pencil, draw a long curvy "snake-shape" across the middle of your paper. Leave … [Read more...]
“Hide-a-Heart” Valentines
This lesson is adapted from Karen Card, my children's middle school Art teacher. You can do this versatile project with any grade level, scaling it up or down as needed. It's fun to give kids a little structure and a lot of freedom to be creative.... then watch as all the great ideas start flowing out!1. Talk about how the elements in a design can be obvious or more subtle. … [Read more...]
Dot Monsters!
Dot Monsters are a perfect activity to teach to the whole class or use with those "early finishers" who end up with free time after completing a project. Kids from 1st grade through 6th grade love making these! Dot Monsters nurture imagination and encourage creative thinking and problem solving.... and they're FUN! Here's how you make them: 1. Any size paper will work for … [Read more...]
