Fingerprint Plates for School Auction
We made 3 fingerprint plates for our school auction. The materials we used were The first was a Dr. Seuss themed “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” plate for the Kindergartners. The fish are made from…
Elementary Art Lessons, Projects & Teaching Ideas for K–5
Because art is fundamental to who we are. Art has always been a basic form of human communication. From cave walls to classroom walls, art helps us express ideas, tell stories, and better understand the world around us. I believe art is an essential part of every child's education, which is why I chose the name Art is Basic. Here you'll find K–5 creative art lessons, teaching ideas, and printable resources to help K–5 art teachers inspire young artists.
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My 3 Top Tips to Increase Student Engagement in Art
This month the Art Ed Blogger’s Network is talking about student engagement and participation. When I tell people that I am an art teacher, some people who say ”Wow, that must be so much fun! I bet the…
Class Project for Auction: Clay Mosaic Mirrors
Every year my students and I create artworks for our school’s auction. If you look here, you can see some of the auction artworks from previous years. This year, each student in grades K-8 made textured clay circle…
Sailboats from Milk Cartons- 1st grade
Earlier I wrote a tutorial on how to make sailboats from milk cartons. My 1st grade students have finished making their sailboats. Here are some of their finished projects! After the boats were made, the students drew pictures…
Fairy Houses and Gnome Homes- Drawings & Sculptures
What could be more fun than fairy houses and gnome homes? I don’t know, but let me know if you find out! I’ve discovered that kids love 1) Open-ended projects 2) Getting to choose from a huge pile…
Kindness Coloring Pages: Free Sample Page!
Coloring for kindness!! Kindness and character education are important topics in the classroom. Unleash the therapeutic benefits of zen-coloring for mindfulness! These fun and unique coloring pages feature inspirational phrases, perfect for accompanying lessons on kindness or just…
Ideas for Early Finishers in Art
This month, the Art Ed Blogger’s Network is talking about how to enrich art class for students who finish early. I think this is an ongoing concern for most art teachers. Kids work at all different paces. Some…
Cube Mural Inspired by Street Artist Thank YouX
Earlier this year, my co-worker Jayne found the idea to make a collaborative school-wide paper mural based on the artwork of Thank YouX. The idea for a student mural originally came from Jenell Novello and you can see…
Pipsticks Envelope Opening: Sticker Subscription
You may have heard me mention Pipsticks before. I love stickers. One of my dreams is to own a toy/craft/art supply/STICKER store. Who knows if that will happen some day, but I have always loved stickers! When I…
Digital Tessellations on Amaziograph- My Daughter’s Artwork!
This month we were very proud that my 2nd grade daughter’s artwork was selected to be in her school’s Youth Art Month show at the public library. This is Daria below, with her art teacher, Ms. Tuttle. They…
Zen Painting Workshop
I went to a really fun painting workshop last summer for a weekend which I never shared on my blog…. until now! The workshop is called Zen Painting and it was taught by Jodi Ohl. I have been…
STEM Coding: Ozobots!
We tried out these super cool little coding robots at a Girl Scout event this weekend! We had so much fun! This is the Ozobot in the video: (Amazon affiliate link) If you are reading from a blog…
Milk Carton Sailboat Tutorial
My 1st graders are working on these fun boats now to go along with their explorer unit. Okay, I know they are not really explorer ships, but we can pretend, right? And they are so fun and cute. …