Bird Pictures with First Graders & Studying Audubon
I am so proud of how well my first graders drew these beautiful birds and I’m excited to share them with you. We started by reading the beautiful book The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John…
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.
Read More...Bird Pictures with First Graders & Studying Audubon
End of Year Kindergarten Fingerprint Art
Our Kindergarten teachers approached me with a request for an art project for the back cover of their memory books. The kids have filled out pages in their memory books all year and they wanted a colorful back…
Non-objective Drawings by 3rd and 4th Graders
I love non-objective art. Non-objective art means that the art does not represent or depict person, objects or places. It is a picture with lines, colors and shapes as the subject. I teach this drawing project every year…
Color Scheme Studies with 3rd Grade
My third grade classes studied color theory by using the color wheel. They learned about many different color schemes including warm, cool, neutral, primary, secondary, rainbow, analogous, monochromatic and complementary. First, they started by coloring in this Color…
Paper Hats with 2nd Graders
This is just a quick post to share with you a simple and fun project for the end of the year.. paper hats! The kids started with a long strip of construction paper, drew designs on their hats…
Art Around the World – Sketchbook Prompt Cards
I am super excited to tell you about my new pack of sketchbook prompt cards. My students enjoy learning about different art works and they like getting small nuggets of information along with the chance to create artwork…
Making Talking Sticks with Kids
Earlier this year, one of the second grade teachers approached me about an idea for an art/social studies collaboration. She had read a story to the children about a tribe which used talking sticks. She thought the students…
A World of Artist Journal Pages Review
I am excited to share with you the book A World of Artist Journal Pages. It just arrived in the mail yesterday and it is thick.. just full of inspiring art pages. And I am super excited because…
Making an Assemblage & Learning about Louise Nevelson
I have seen variations of this project many times but have never tried it with my students. I am pleased with how our assemblages turned out! This was a great opportunity to clean out the junk in…
Paper Masks and Paper Sculpture Techniques
These lovely paper masks were made by my second graders. The students learned different paper manipulation techniques including controlled tearing, punching paper with Fiskars squeeze punchers, cutting with paper edgers , crimping paper with a paper crimper, making…
Printing with Cardboard Strips: First Grade
My first graders created these unique and expressive pictures by stamping with pieces of cardboard. Here’s how you can print with cardboard. First, cut pieces of cardboard into strips small enough for young kids to easily hold. Pour…
Easy Dot Pictures
I was out for a couple days with a sub earlier this year (around Valentine’s Day) and I found this easy dot picture idea. Since it was around Valentine’s Day, I left in my plans that kids could…
Tissue Paper Bowls – Paper Mache
I’m excited that I am now part of the Elmer’s Crafty Blogger Crew! I have long been a fan of Elmer’s products and already frequently use their glue sticks, glue bottles and paper mache paste. I decided since…