Art Projects for Kids + Tips for the Teacher!

Art Projects for Kids + Tips for the Teacher!

Elementary Art Projects & Creative Lessons for Kids

Welcome to Art is Basic, a blog full of elementary art lessons, easy art projects, and teaching ideas for K-5 classrooms. Browse hundreds of engaging activities designed to inspire young artists.

A child using watercolor paints on paper, creating abstract patterns with orange, pink, and purple colors by incorporating ink blowing techniques.

Ink Blowing with Straws

Another fun activity we did at art summer camp was blowing ink with straws. First, squirt out a bit of liquid watercolor (we did not dilute it at all). Then, take a straw and hold it right above…

July 11, 2011

Banner with colorful artwork and text: "Dabblings… Art by Marcia Beckett. Painting, Collage, Crafts, Personal Artwork.

Personal Artwork

I’ve been busy making lots of personal artwork… Here are some journal pages and greeting cards:

July 7, 2011

Colorful geometric drawing of a cat sitting with a serious expression against an abstract background.

Old School Lesson Plans

During the summer, I’m going to dig back to some of my old lesson plans that I had posted on artsonia.com to show to you. Maybe I will revisit these again during the upcoming school year. This was…

July 6, 2011
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Colorful abstract painting with hearts, spirals, a yellow rectangle, and pink, green, and white swirls and shapes showcased beautifully.

Art Teacher SHOWCASE!! Installment 3

“Summer months are slow in blogland for teachers. Most art teachers are taking a break from teaching all day. Some are doing art camps or personal travels, but I know that in the summer months, not as many…

July 4, 2011
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Open sketchbook with colorful, abstract drawings of whimsical creatures and patterns, held by a hand at the bottom—a visual delight.

Book Review 2

Linda Barry combines funny comics, drawings, and text in a book for adults about how to get your drawing juices flowing. There’s how tos are more for an adult who just wants to get started drawing. Her own…

July 3, 2011

Abstract black geometric characters on a narrow, rectangular canvas are showcased with a signature at the bottom.

Art Teacher SHOWCASE!!

For the next installment of Art Teacher Showcase, I am highlighting Ilse Verhoeven. I have been reading her blog for about a year now. What is your blog? 1) Tell us about yourself and your teaching.2) I’m…

June 27, 2011

A hand holds a book open to a factory scene with workers and conveyor belts sketched in blue.

Book Review 1

I love using children’s books in my lessons about art. Even the older kids like being read to. It’s a way to spark their interest in art, encourage a love of reading and make their learning connections much…

June 23, 2011
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Yellow cat puppet with button eyes, black felt whiskers and nose, and red felt ears. This puppet is made from soft fabric.

Puppets!

Puppets were made during my summer art class! For this project, I drew a puppet template, which the kids traced and cut out from felt. They cut out 2 pieces, a front and back. Then, I hot glued…

June 22, 2011
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A book page features an intricate drawing with hairlike lines extending across the face, making it an eye-catching addition to any Art Teacher Showcase.

Art Teacher Showcase Installment #1– Stephanie Clegg

This is my first installment of Art Teacher Showcase, where art teachers across the world will be sharing with you their favorite lesson and invite you to visit their blog. If you would like to participate, see the…

June 16, 2011

Canvas painting of a child's drawing of a person in bright colors, set against a red background with scattered dark spots.

Superheroes on Canvas

In my summer art class, we painted superhero canvases. The kids decided what superhero they would like to be and drew these on dry wax paper with markers and colored pencils. Then I used gel medium (on the…

June 15, 2011

Close-up of a metal latch attached to a white, grid-patterned surface with red scribbles on the left side.

Art Camp 1st Day

I am teaching 2 days of art camp in the afternoons this week. On Monday, one of the projects we made were sun tiles. I picked up some glossy ceramic tiles from the hardware store. They looked at…

June 7, 2011
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Hand-drawn magazine cover titled "Amazing Apps and Music" with sections on apps and music, featuring Apple, Music, and Doodle Jump icons.

Magazine Covers

You may remember my last post about the magazine covers. Here are some that the students created. This was an end-of-the-year project and we didn’t have as much time to devote to the project as I would have…

June 7, 2011

Silhouette of a rabbit against a white background with black shapes at the top and bottom edges, ideal for third grade art projects.

Third Grade Silhouettes

We looked at the silhouette portraits of the early Americans as well as the paper cuttings of Hans Christian Anderson. The students drew with white colored pencil on their black paper, and then cut out their designs. Then,…

June 2, 2011

Colorful felt fabric collage depicting various animals like rabbits, cats, and birds on a green and tan background with a blue stream.

Kindergarten Felt Collage

This was a 2 day project. We decided as a class what our theme would be for the banner. We chose the jungle. Next, we brainstormed types of animals in the jungle. Each kid signed up for one…

May 31, 2011
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Three colorful mosaic pieces depicting flowers with faux stained glass effects are displayed on a white background.

Faux Stained Glass

The 5th/6th graders have been studying Medieval art and we viewed a powerpoint about stained glass windows in cathedrals. The students use glass stain on pieces of plexiglass to make their own picture. We first drew the lines…

May 26, 2011
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