Beautiful Oops
If you haven’t seen Beautiful Oops yet, you must find a copy and look at it.. It’s my favorite book ever! The first graders looked at this book in class and then they were presented with a creative…
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...Beautiful Oops
Top Art Ed blogs
I’m a finalist for one of the top Art Education blogs on Jessica’s website. If you’ve enjoyed reading my blog, take a second and vote for me! Also, be sure to check out all of the other blogs,…
A free guided drawing book
Check out this really cool FREE downloadable guided drawing book from Fairy Dust Teaching. Click on over to her website to get the lovely book. I’m going to print this out and have it in my drawing book…
Free Workshop from Strathmore
This is a repost from my personal blog! I’ve been having lots of fun with Traci Bautista’s online workshop at Strathmore. Strathmore has a series of FREE online workshops with videos and pdfs. If you haven’t heard about…
Kindergarten Clay
The kindergartners made two clay projects before break. They made little pinch pots and pressed shells on the sides for texture. We glazed these with Stroke and Coat glaze. We also made these fun coiled hearts. 1. Demonstrate…
An Ancient Clay Trick
In my college clay class I learned this extremely valuable clay trick. One of my students called it an “ancient clay secret” so I like to call it that too. This technique may be one that is known…
Buildings in Perspective: 1st Grade
This was a project that my first graders started when I was absent from school. I printed off the handout from Art Projects for Kids and the children got their first introduction to perspective. Thanks for the great…
Keith Haring Inspired Figures– 4th grade
These are drawings by 4th/5th graders. Who was Keith Haring? What is gesture drawing? The 4/5s learned about the artwork of Keith Haring and practiced figural drawing. In pairs, the students posed for each other and practiced gesture…
NAEA Conference
So…. is anyone else going to the National Art Ed. Conference?? Registration is open now. If you haven’t ever been before, it is an AMAZING conference. All day fun.. your brain will be exploding with ideas and excitement.…
Clouds in Art
The fifth/sixth grade class painted watercolor clouds. I have blogged about this project before here.
Painted Korhogo Cloths– 3rd Grade
This project focused on how symbols and designs are used in African art. The students designed their own painted Korhogo cloth. They decorated the border with symbols and drew their main figure with Sharpie. Then, they added paint…
Year in Review
It’s been a great year at Art is Basic. We’ve made tons of colorful art and expanded our skills. My blog now has over 300 followers, which is super cool and way more than I ever thought would…
Miro Squiggle Drawings– 1st Grade
Juan Miro is one of my favorite artists. I used artwork by Miro to help the kids learn the difference between abstract and realistic art. The kids analyzed his artwork and we categorized prints. Then, they drew…