Are you wondering what to get a child in your family for the holidays? As an art teacher, I see what the kids really like and what they gravitate towards to when they are given free time in art. These are some popular items for kids that I have personally used and recommend. Most of these can be found at your local Target or Michaels (or other craft/art store). Don’t forget to print off a coupon online if you are … Read more…
These collograph prints by 2nd graders were made by gluing cut out foam letters and shapes to a piece of cardboard. The kids drew and cut out their own foam letters and shapes, but I also had a selection of other foam pieces to add. We tied this project to the art of Jasper Johns. Before rolling and printing the plates, the kids glued shapes of colored paper on their background, so there would be some color showing through. Then, … Read more…
The 2nd graders studied Dr. Suess books in their classroom. In art class, I showed them the art of Dr. Suess. Did you know he made paintings and sculptures? I showed them this book: The Secret Art of Dr. Suess.. a must-have for art teachers teaching about Dr. Suess! I love his artwork. Fantastic, whimsical, charming! There are a few pictures in there better left for adults, so photocopy the pages you want the kids to see and pass them … Read more…
“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” Andy Warhol The 2nd graders learned about Andy Warhol. We read Getting to Know Andy Warhol, by Mike Venezia and we viewed a short video about the artist. The students drew themselves while looking in a mirror. Then, I photocopied each drawing so the students had multiple … Read more…
Our last summer art workshop was a fun one! We decoupaged tissue paper on to glass vases. The cylindrical ones could be candle holders. We tore and cut tissue paper and adhered them to the glasses with Matte Medium. I hate the smell of mod-podge, so I rarely use it. I get headaches from it, does anyone else? I figure if I get headaches from it, it probably is not good for the kids to inhale. This Blick Matte Medium … Read more…
I am teaching 3 summer art sessions. Each session is two hours long with one or two art projects. For this session, I had 2 students going into 4/5th grade, 2 students who just finished kindergarten, and one student going into kindergarten. It was a small class, which was perfect for this project, since the pictures were LARGE. To start, we traced our bodies on large butcher paper. Then, we outlined them with markers and used collage materials (magazine images, … Read more…
This is a picture-heavy post!! The 2nd graders reminded me that we had not done any clay this year yet! How could that be? So I decided to try this project that I come up with based on a clay flower in a pot that my sister-in-law has. I’m not sure where she got the flower but I think it was picked up at an art fair or something… We used regular firing clay, acrylic paints, beads, and a flower … Read more…
