Charming Hand Tiles– Kindergarten Mother’s Day Gift
We made tiles for Mother’s Day with the Kindergartners… I know it’s early, and it’s a bit crafty, but it is something the parents love to get! Here is what we did: 1. I purchased a bunch of…
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...Charming Hand Tiles– Kindergarten Mother’s Day Gift
Cross Hatched Animals– Third/Fourth Grade
Cross-hatching is fun, but a difficult art technique (at least in my opinion). The third/fourth grade class picked out some animals from Zoobooks magazines and drew them in pencil. Then, we looked at Brian Selznick’s books for inspiration.…
First Grade Bird Paintings– Audubon
These beautiful bird paintings were drawn and painted by first graders. The students learned about the artist John James Audubon and we read a book about his life. I love this book about Audubon, because it has beautiful…
Positive/Negative Space Stencils– First Grade
Here are some fun pictures we made by creating our own stencils. First, the kids looked at little animal figurines for ideas. I did not limit them to drawing just the animals, so some chose to turn their…
Kindergarten Rainbow Fish Sculptures – From Plastic Bottles
Rainbow Fish is an awesome kids book to go with fish art projects. The kindergartners made rainbow fish sculptures from water bottles. I learned about this idea at the NAEA conference. The lady who presented it did it…
Contour Line Drawings of Shoes
Contour Drawings The students observed the details and lines on their shoes. They completed a contour line study of their footwear. Next, they turned these drawings into “miniature playgrounds” for stick people. Contour drawing helps define and explore…
Paper Weavings– Kindergarten
The kindergartners made these lively paper weavings with colored paper strips and paper strips cut from scrapbook and wrapping paper. Then, I stapled them to a white piece of paper and the students stamped a border with gadgets,…
Mazes
When I was gone on my trip to New York for the conference, one of the sub plans I left was to draw a maze. The instructions were to draw a maze lightly with pencil, then color it…
A Visit to EPIC– Part 2
Earlier this week, I toured a medical software company with some 7th graders at our school. The hallways are decorated very artistically and contain many works of sculpture and paintings. For part one of my visit to…
A visit to EPIC– Part One
This week, I went on a field trip with some 7th graders at our school. We toured a company that makes medical software for hospitals and clinics. The company has three different locations in our area. The campus…
Greek Vase Chalk Drawings– 4th/5th Grade
The fourth/fifth graders have been working on some lovely Greek vase chalk drawings. We learned about overlap, proportion and shadows, as well as how to use and blend chalk pastels. This class studies Greek history in their social…