• Subscribe to Blog via Email

    Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 4,526 other subscribers

Paul Klee Castle Collage

By | | , , , , , , ,
5 Comments

Paul Klee was an important painter in the history of modern art.  I have always been drawn to his colorful, abstract pictures.  Children can relate to the simple geometric shapes and bold colors.  His art has been related to Expressionism, Cubism and Surrealism. Swiss artist Paul Klee painted the Castle and Sun with simplified shapes, but viewers can easily see the way the shapes form a castle or city-like scene.  For this lesson, we are going to paint colorful swatches … Read more… →

Artist Trading Card Swap Received

By | | ,
Leave a comment

We have received our artist trading cards from Mini Matisse‘s MEGA HUGE ATC SWAP! My students were very excited to receive their cards.  I divided the cards up into bags for each class and then the kids randomly chose numbers to pick their order.  Then, they were able to come up to the front and make their selection.  They were very pleased to find out where the card came from!  Here are the cards that were mailed to us from … Read more… →

Flower Paintings by First Grade: Learn about Van Gogh and Hundertwasser

By | | , , ,
3 Comments

I’m proud of this lesson and how colorful and unique each of these pictures turned out!  I like to introduce a bit of art history to the younger kids, but I didn’t want the kids to copy a famous painting. Artistic Behaviors: Artists develop their own style. Artists create art that honors someone or something. Skills & Concepts: Discuss the differences and similarities between two artworks of a similar theme. Develop hand/eye coordination through painting and collage. Learn various techniques … Read more… →

Sand Painting with Kids

By | | , ,
1 Comment

If you are looking for something to add a new dimension to regular painting, sand painting just might be the ticket!  The tactile experience is something exciting for children. I recently taught a unit on painting with sand to my third and fourth grade class.  You may remember my “how-to” blog post about this technique.  If you are wondering how we did our sand paintings, check out that post for all the details.  For a more advanced technique using adhesive … Read more… →

Pick and Draw Game

By | | , , ,
Leave a comment

Hello friends, I hope you’ve had a good holiday break so far and a happy new year.  You may have noticed one of my affiliate links on the side of my blog, which is Pick and Draw.  I only tell you about things I have used and trust myself.  I wrote about these cards a few years ago and I decided that since it’s been a few years, there are probably new teachers out there who haven’t heard of these … Read more… →

Mixed Media Snowmen Art Project for Kids (1st Grade)

By | | , , , , ,
Leave a comment

Are you looking for a fun new way to make snowmen with your kids?  I got the idea to use makeup remover pads  from Happy Hooligans. I did this project with 1st graders. Start by mixing shades of blue paint with white and other cool colors.  Explain to kids that when you mix white with a color, it makes a lighter tint of that color.  Paint a background for your snowmen.  Let it dry. Next, set out makeup remover pads, … Read more… →

Spirals, Flowers and Patterns: Learning about Hundertwasser

By | | , , , , ,
1 Comment

“A good picture is when the picture is full of magic, when you can feel the happiness in it, when it makes you laugh or cry, or when it makes something happen. It should be like a flower or a tree. It should be like Nature. It should be that we miss it when it isn’t there.” Hundertwasser Friedensreich Hundertwasser believed that nature and beauty was the key to happiness. He was born Fritz Stowasser but created his “artist name” … Read more… →