Robots and Chicks
I just wanted to show you one more very cool picture.. it was another parody of American Gothic. This student was absent and had to catch up on this project. Here are the baby chicks our school hatched,…
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...Robots and Chicks
Yearbooks!
front cover back cover (everything is actually straight on the cover, it’s just the angle I took the picture at) One of my jobs at school is the yearbook adviser. This is a huge job and takes up…
Clay Flowers in Pots- 2nd Grade
This is a picture-heavy post!! The 2nd graders reminded me that we had not done any clay this year yet! How could that be? So I decided to try this project that I come up with based on…
Stuffed Animals– 1st Grade
What is better than drawing? Bringing in your favorite stuffed animals from home to draw, of course! Allowing students to choose their subject matter from things that are important to them will spark interest and excitement. Allowing students…
Secret Cities– 4th/5th grade
The 4/5s learned how to draw 3-d forms and include shading and shadows. They stacked these shapes to make a “secret city”. This lesson is based on Mark Kistler’s drawing books. This artist had a series of television…
Treasure Boxes– After School Art Class
We made Treasure Boxes at an after school art class that I taught this month. The students were in grades K-6 (about 12 kids). I picked up cigar boxes from a local shop and the kids…
Memory Quilts
These were some fun paper Memory Quilts that the kindergartners made! Aren’t they cute? We read Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold and talked about her story quilts. The children received a square piece of white paper, which had…
Collages– first grade
Sometimes I like to let the kids loose with a box of supplies and minimal instruction. I photocopied some pages from Lynda Barry’s book and showed them to the first graders. In the box were paper scraps, magazines,…
Op Art
First, we looked at the art of Bridget Riley and the Op art movement. We read a Scholastic Art issue which features this style of art. If you don’t get these magazines, they are a great investment. Each…
Elmer the Elephant
These pictures are based on the book Elmer! I love this book and the colorful elephants. The kids drew their own elephants and colored them with fun patterns. The borders were made by cutting up and gluing strips…
Mosaics– 4th/5th grade
The 4th/5th grade classes learned all about Greek and Roman mosaics, to complement their studies of Greek/Roman history. In Art class, we made mosaics from ceramic tiles. The tiles were glued on to masonite board using wood glue…
Assemblages
This is a playground! Do you see the mini-Coke cans for sale? Here are some of our finished assemblages. These were made by 4th and 5th graders. This is a town square, with a fountain, pool and snack…
Underwater Scene– 1st Grade
The first graders learned about artists that make art about underwater life. Then, they used markers and water to create a watercolor effect. They drew the fish with water soluble markers and then used a paintbrush and water…