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Text "Art is Basic" in a purple watercolor style with paint splatters.

Art Projects for Kids + Tips for the Teacher!

  • Home
  • Free Art Sub Plans
  • Art Projects
    • Back to School
    • Great for Grades K-5
    • Kindergarten
    • First Grade
    • Second Grade
    • Third Grade
    • Fourth Grade
    • Fifth Grade
    • Clay
    • Collage
    • Drawing
    • Fibers
      • weaving
    • Painting
    • Printmaking
    • Sculpture
  • My Shop
  • About Art is Basic
  • Contact
Text "Art is Basic" in a purple watercolor style with paint splatters.

Art Projects for Kids + Tips for the Teacher!

Colorful abstract drawing with swirls and curves in shades of pink, blue, green, purple, orange, and yellow.

Frank Stella Inspired Pictures

First, I want to give a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who follows my blog.  I appreciate your support in…

  • August 4, 2016
  • 3 Comments
  • abstract, contemporary artists, drawing, fifth grade, painting, printmaking, sixth grade
Colorful abstract landscape art featuring a rainbow, planets, and buildings includes text about the artist Justin Vining. This artwork was recently highlighted in a published article.

Published Article

Great news! I have been published in the Summer issue of School Arts magazine. I wrote an article about artwork…

  • May 28, 2016
  • 5 Comments
  • all grades, contemporary artists, published
A colorful abstract face with various patterns and textures, featuring two horns and closed eyes.

Jesse Reno: ambition over direction

When I found out that Jesse Reno was going to be at the National Art Education Conference this year, I…

  • March 25, 2016
  • 1 Comment
  • abstract, all grades, artists, contemporary artists
A colorful 1st Grade drawing of four cartoon animals, a butterfly, and a tree on green grass under a blue sky with a yellow sun, resembling cheerful still life drawings.

Stuffed Animal Still Life Drawings with 1st Grade

Do you want to know what will really get first graders excited about drawing still lifes?  Have them bring in…

  • March 2, 2016
  • 13 Comments
  • 1st grade, animals, artists, contemporary artists, drawing, first grade, Uncategorized
Abstract painting with vibrant colors, bold black lines, and various shapes including circles, flowers, and organic forms.

Abstract Paintings Inspired by the Art of Shinique Smith

Have you heard of the artist Shinique Smith?  I just love her artwork!  It’s very gestural, colorful and it just…

  • September 12, 2015
  • 8 Comments
  • abstract, collaborative artwork, contemporary artists, fifth grade, fourth grade
Illustration of a tree figure and a green bear with a water gun, labeled "Hybrid Machine-Animal Drawings.

Hybrid Machine-Animal Drawings

After looking at the art of contemporary artist Nicolas Lampert, my students combined two or more different objects or creatures…

  • August 23, 2015
  • 2 Comments
  • abstract, collage, contemporary artists, drawing, fifth grade, sixth grade
Children engaging in an art project, using colorful paper and drawings, diligently creating a large blue poster board with contemporary art concepts.

New Ideas and Resources to Teach about Contemporary Art

In previous blog posts, I talked about contemporary artists you may not have heard about before and I put together…

  • August 11, 2015
  • all grades, contemporary artists, Uncategorized
A rubber ducky dressed as a cowboy with a hat, red bandana, green checkered shirt, and blue overalls.

Rubber Ducky Public Sculptures in St. Joseph, Michigan

A couple of weeks ago we took a summer trip to my brother’s cabin in Michigan.  We spent some time…

  • June 28, 2015
  • 1 Comment
  • all grades, animals, contemporary artists, sculpture
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Display of end-of-year memory books and zine templates for students; features accordion books, illustrated art reflection pages titled "My School Year" and "My Year in Art," plus a beginner guide on how to make a zine.
Colorful paper 3D flower garden craft displayed upright, with assorted hand-crafted flowers and green stems, advertised as a fun, low-prep classroom project.
A promotional image for yearlong art choice boards, featuring sample boards for August, September, October, February, and December; includes text highlighting 12+ months of activities.

Free Sub Tub Guide

A colorful flyer titled "Ten Easy Art Activities for Subs" features images of art supplies, a worksheet about creating an “Art Sub Tub,” and highlights free art sub plans perfect for substitute teachers.

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Helpful Line Handout

A chart displays 14 types of lines, including straight, curvy, wavy, thick, thin, loopy, scalloped, dotted, dashed, bumpy, zig zag, castle, spiral, and scribbly.

Top Posts & Pages

End of Year Kindergarten Fingerprint Art
Art Projects that Go Along with Children's Books
Easy End of Year Art Activities for Kids (Simple Art Projects with Low-Mess!)
Cube Mural Inspired by Street Artist Thank YouX

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A checklist of art class supplies is displayed on a clipboard next to various colorful art materials like scissors, markers, and paper—perfect for any elementary art classroom.
Stack of children’s books focused on art projects, with text promoting over 150 book suggestions and a printable checklist, from the website www.artisbasic.com.
Art centers for early finishers display with colorful hexagonal pieces, origami books, and bricks in a basket.
A collection of colorful elementary art sub plans and project sheets arranged on a purple background with the text “Elementary Art Sub Plans—Easy & Mess-Free.”.
A collection of colorful elementary art sub plans and project sheets arranged on a purple background with the text “Elementary Art Sub Plans—Easy & Mess-Free.”.

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Collage of favorite art supplies featuring a watercolor set and markers, surrounded by colorful hearts and rainbows.
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