Art Using Train Tracks
In my last blog post, I reviewed the book Old Tracks, New Tricks. It is a super cute and creative book. The book itself is good for up to about 1st or 2nd grade, in my opinion. The…
Art Projects for Kids + Tips for the Teacher!
Art Projects for Kids + Tips for the Teacher!
Elementary Art Projects & Creative Lessons for Kids
Welcome to Art is Basic, a blog full of elementary art lessons, easy art projects, and teaching ideas for K-5 classrooms. Browse hundreds of engaging activities designed to inspire young artists.
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Review of Old Tracks, New Tricks– Children’s Book about Trains
Get the whole free download here! I have a fun book to share with you today. Innovation Press sent me a free copy of Old Tracks, New Tricks to review. I selected to receive this book because it looked…
Mixed Media Collages by Kids – Inspired by Sabrina Ward Harrison
In my last post, I showed you some of Sabrina Ward Harrison’s artwork and talked about what she shared with us at her artist visit. Her artwork is very inspiring, messy and beautiful. Please check out the other…
Mixed Media Artist: Sabrina Ward Harrison
We recently had artist Sabrina Ward Harrison visit our school to give an artist talk and workshop with the kids. Today I am going to introduce you to her artwork and life as an artist. In Part Two…
Clay Masks with 3rd Grade
To make these charming clay animal masks, we used plastic face molds (with a layer of plastic wrap in between) as a slump mold for the clay. Another option was to use the back side of a…
Iron Pour Event
This month I participated in an Iron Pour event. This was put on by a group of iron artists in our community. My friend invited me to do this because she had done this last year and thought…
Easy Coffee Filter Snowflakes
My kindergartners recently made these pretty coffee filter snowflakes. The process is simple. First, color the coffee filter with Crayola washable markers. Then spray with water. The colors will run and blend together. Let dry. During the next…
Tree of Life and Talking Sticks
I forgot to share these pictures of our display when I wrote the blog post about Talking Sticks. My co-worker Jayne taught the lesson behind these talking sticks which were Tree of Life acrylic paintings on canvas boards.…
Kindergarten Confetti Hearts for Valentine’s Day!
Here is a fun and beautiful Valentine’s project! I call it “Confetti Hearts” with a side of Matisse. This idea came to me after seeing these painted hearts on Pinterest. Start by tracing a heart template or…
Talking Sticks
The talking stick is used in many Native American traditions. Whoever holds the stick has the right to talk. The talking stick is used to make sure that each person in a group has a chance to express his…
Make Your Own Creature with Fabric and Paper Scraps
Little artists love digging into a big box of fabric scraps to find the perfect patterned piece that speaks to them. We have an upcoming Fine Arts Night with the theme of Animals. We are calling it “Wild about…
Primary Color Hands for Kindergartners
Here is a simple lesson to introduce your students to the primary colors. We started out by reading the book Mouse Paint, which is a fun story to teach about primary colors. My kindergartners, while I love them dearly,…
4th and 5th Grade Profile Drawings: In the Style of Egyptians, Mixtec Codex and Duncan Tonatiuh
My students were treated to a visit by illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh. He is both Mexican and American. He grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York City. His images are…
A Few of My Favorite Posts from 2016
Another year has come and gone. Here are some of my favorite posts from 2016. Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year! My Top 6 Favorite Posts in 2016.. in no particular order. 1. Huge Printable List of…
Stitching on Burlap: A Painting & Sewing Experience for Children
One type of art skill that I haven’t been the best at consistently teaching in my classroom is sewing. I was reminded of how you can sew on burlap after seeing some painted and stitched leaves at my…