I have something to share with you that I’ve been working on for a long time. I created a list of “what artists do” for elementary students. I have seen lists that were written for high schoolers, but those seemed…
Do you want to know what will really get first graders excited about drawing still lifes? Have them bring in their own stuffed animals! I invited the kids to bring in their favorite stuffed animals to draw. I also had…
Hello! Today I am going to catch up on some of the clay projects my students have been working on. The last few weeks we have been busy learning clay techniques, building and glazing. We weren’t able to use regular…
I have a fun creativity drawing project and excellent children’s book to share with you today. I came across this book called A World of Your Own (Amazon Affiliate link) by Laura Carlin and thought it looked intriguing, so I…
Vassily Kandinsky was one of the first pioneers of abstract art. Abstract art is art that does not attempt to show things realistically, but uses lines, shapes, colors and textures to show emotions and meaning. Kandinsky was…
Thank you to all who voted for my blog in the AOE Blog of the Year contest. While I did not win, I am still happy to have been a finalist. Congrats to all of the bloggers in the contest!…
Collage became a part of Modern art in the early 20th century. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque were credited with naming this type of art. The word collage comes from the French word coller, which means to glue. Collages can…
Paul Klee was an important painter in the history of modern art. I have always been drawn to his colorful, abstract pictures. Children can relate to the simple geometric shapes and bold colors. His art has been related to Expressionism,…
We have received our artist trading cards from Mini Matisse‘s MEGA HUGE ATC SWAP! My students were very excited to receive their cards. I divided the cards up into bags for each class and then the kids randomly chose numbers…
I’m proud of this lesson and how colorful and unique each of these pictures turned out! I like to introduce a bit of art history to the younger kids, but I didn’t want the kids to copy a famous painting.…
If you are looking for something to add a new dimension to regular painting, sand painting just might be the ticket! The tactile experience is something exciting for children. I recently taught a unit on painting with sand to my…
Are you looking for a fun new way to make snowmen with your kids? I got the idea to use makeup remover pads from Happy Hooligans. I did this project with 1st graders. Start by mixing shades of blue paint…
“A good picture is when the picture is full of magic, when you can feel the happiness in it, when it makes you laugh or cry, or when it makes something happen. It should be like a flower or a…
Ah, winter break! It is the perfect time to catch up on blog posts. We did a few winter themed projects before the break. Some of my students made adorable snowman puppets. We used white poster board to cut out…
Are you looking for a fun art project that your students will definitely be excited about? Create a COLORED SAND PAINTING! Kids love the tactile experience of touching the sand and the bright colors are so appealing. Using sand is…