Bucky Badger Designs by Kids

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A collage of colorful, hand-drawn Bucky Badger designs dressed in various themed costumes, featuring playful designs, displayed vertically.

This past summer, there were painted Bucky Badger sculptures all over our city.  The Badger is the mascot of the University of Wisconsin.  I wrote all about it in a previous blog post which you can read here. I shared already the large collaborative Bucky Badger puzzle designs we made.  After we made the large group Buckys, each student made their own smaller Bucky design.  They had the opportunity to design it however they wanted.  Take a look at some … Read more… →

Fall Still Life Paintings with Kids

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Colorful still life with fruits, flowers, a golden goblet, and a decorative spray on a vibrant gradient background, evoking the essence of fall.

My third, fourth and fifth grade students just finished up these gorgeous fall still life paintings. Over the years I have built up a collection of fall decorations, artificial leaves, pumpkins and gourds.  I also brought in some real pumpkins and gourds as well.  If you want to do some seasonal art and still have solid art standards covered, observational drawing is always a good go-to lesson. For this project, we talked a little about arrangement and composition, which usually … Read more… →

Yayoi Kusama Dotted Pumpkins for Kids

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A stylized yellow pumpkin with dots and lines on a colorful, patterned background, inspired by Yayoi Kusama.

I love the results of this dotted pumpkin project inspired by the dotted pumpkins of Yayoi Kusama.  I did this art lesson with 3rd/4th grade. (Amazon Affiliate links have been used, at no extra cost to you.) I based our project after the lesson taught on the blog Plastiquem.  First, I read the book Yayoi Kusama, From Here to Infinity, which is an inspirational book about her artwork and life.  This is on my list of top 10 favorite books … Read more… →

Ancient Egyptian Art Choice Menu

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Ancient Egyptian Art Choice Menu

We recently had an inservice at our school and they talked about making choice menus to give the students different ways to show understanding.  I decided to make a few that could go along with different units I taught.  This one would go along with my Ancient Egyptian art lessons.  The free digital download is here in my shop. I plan to use this with my students after they have completed our main art project as an extension activity.  Feel … Read more… →

Halloween Themed Choice Menu

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Halloween Themed Choice Menu

At a recent inservice, we were introduced to ways to give differentiation to learners of different paces and allow them to pursue activities or topics they may be interested in.  One of these ways is a tic-tac-toe choice menu.  You can make menus for students for the main project in a unit (for example, different products to make to show understanding after reading a novel).  I like the idea of having menus as enrichment or extensions of a unit.  I … Read more… →

Shape Monsters Art Project

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Shape Monsters Art Project

I found this cute book called My Very Silly Monster Book of Shapes.  I read this book to my Kindergartners and then we did a shape monster art project similar to the shape monsters seen on this blog. After reading the book, the kindergarteners were given the choice of several different shape templates:  rectangles, ovals, stars, hexagons, squares, etc.  They traced the template onto construction paper.  Then, I demonstrated how to make eyes by cutting circles from white squares, then … Read more… →

Best Art Materials for the Elementary Art Classroom

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Art supplies arranged around a sign that reads 'Best Art Materials,' with 'Art Ed Blogger's Network' logo above.

We all have our favorite art supplies.  What are your MUST-HAVE art supplies for an elementary art classroom?  Here are some of my favorites!  (Amazon Affiliate links have been used in this post at no extra cost to you.) Kwik Stix.  Oh, how I love these paint sticks! They go on smoother than oil pastels, they have such bright, vibrant colors and they are so easy to use with low mess!  They come in metallic, regular and neon. On this … Read more… →

I am Human, a book by Susan Verde & Peter Reynolds

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Cover of the book "I Am Human: A Book of Empathy" by Susan Verde, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, featuring a boy with arms open.

I wanted to share with you a new book that just came out that I discovered!  It is called I am Human and it is written by Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter Reynolds.   I LOVE the illustrations of Peter Reynolds.  The two of them have collaborated before on books before that I’ve enjoyed in my classroom, including I am Peace and The Museum.  Peter is also the author of the very popular art book The Dot, which has inspired … Read more… →

Bucky on Parade- Group Puzzle Artworks

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Bucky on Parade- Group Puzzle Artworks

This summer, my kids and I had fun hunting for Buckys!  Bucky Badger is the mascot of the University of Wisconsin.  Bucky on Parade  was a community and public art event.  85 painted Bucky sculptures were placed all over the city and surrounding areas.   Kids (and adults) followed the maps to find the Buckys.  Prizes were awarded as kids checked them off their list.  The Buckys were auctioned off to raise money for charity. Here are some pictures of our … Read more… →

Collaborative Dot Day Art Project

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Collaborative abstract art with four quadrants: a pink sailboat, jagged lines, green-blue shapes, and red swirls on a green background.

I’m going back in my archives!  I’ve got lots of folders of photos I’ve been meaning to share but haven’t yet.  One of these is the Dot Day collaborative circles.  Four students complete one section each of the circle, and then they are put together for display. Nic Hahn shared this lovely idea and template. Visit her TPT shop for a free download of the template.   International Dot Day is celebrated September 15-ish!  More information can be found here. … Read more… →

Whimsical Landscapes (Justin Vining artist study)

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A colorful abstract drawing featuring a mix of landscapes, cityscapes, and whimsical elements like waves and a rocket, inspired by Justin Vining's artist study.

I love this lesson!  I teach about contemporary artist Justin Vining and the kids explore the qualities of watercolor pencils to create their own whimsical landscapes. You can see artwork from another year at this blog post. You can read my interview with Justin Vining here. I even got this lesson published in a magazine! Here are some of my 4th/5th grade students’ artworks from the end of last year. When teaching this lesson, I show the students some YouTube … Read more… →

New Products in Shop: Little Doodle Sketchbook & More!

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New Products in Shop: Little Doodle Sketchbook & More!

I have a few new products in my shop you may be interested in. First is the Little Doodle Sketchbook. Learn all about Inchies, Twinchies, Thrinchies, Artist Trading Cards and Artist Trading Coins in the Miniature Artwork Package!   Need a simple Artist Award?  I’ve got one!! Click here to check it out. Big Bundle of Growth Mindset Coloring Pages— fun for early finishers

Positive Words Banner: Inspiring for Back to School

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An inspiring display with colorful words like "Curious," "Amazing," "Creative," "Awesome," and "Imagine" drawn on a whiteboard, adorned with various decorations.

At the end of the year last year, my students created this colorful and inspiring banner that we are displaying in the hallway now.  We loosely marked out the ABCs on a large banner and kids thought of positive words to go along with each letter.  Then, we used letter stencils of varying sizes to write the words.  These were colored in with patterns and designs. I had this project set up as a choice activity after they were done … Read more… →

Model Magic Insect Sculptures

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"Model Magic Insects" showcasing a colorful clay insect with googly eyes, pipe cleaner antennae, and decorated wings, highlighting creative insect sculptures.

I often like to connect what we are doing in art to what they have learned about in science class.  Insects can provide a lot of inspiration for artists.  The colors and designs in insects can be intricate, beautiful and amazing. Start by showing the students pictures of many types of insects (or collect real ones, if you are brave.)  Talk about the parts of an insect.. head, abdomen, thorax, antennae, wings.  Looking at reference photos and begin sketching insects.  … Read more… →

  • Banner with colorful artwork promoting an art shop featuring kindness coloring pages, artist activities, and resources for teachers.