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…
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.
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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…
Op Art — 3rd grade
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…
American Gothic Parody Art Project – Third Grade
This is a tried-and-true art teacher lesson plan. The students enjoyed learning the story behind Grant Wood’s American Gothic painting. We read an article about his famous painting. They also enjoyed seeing various parodies of this artwork. …
Paper Pulp Pictures Art Project for Kids
This lesson plan is an idea I tried at one of the National Art Education Conferences. This is such a fun project because it gives you the experience of paper pulp painting, but without the blenders or mess. …
Graphic Design Magazine Cover
I wanted to introduce graphic design to my 4th graders and I thought a magazine cover would be super fun. I was able to check out the mobile lab computers for one of my classes, but for the…
Dinosaur Silhouettes
This is one of my favorite lessons for kindergartners! First, we identify and classify the colors as warm or cool. Then, we choose all the warm colors we have (different shades of oranges, yellows, reds). Then the first…
Underwater Collage– 1st grade
The 1st graders looked at art that was about water and then created their own underwater collage using tissue paper, foil, cellophane and drawings of underwater creatures.
Architecture — 2nd grade
Frank Lloyd Wright: The 2nd graders discussed Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings. We analyzed how he integrated his buildings with the surrounding nature. The students worked collaboratively to build intricate buildings out of wooden blocks. Next, they represented these…
Memory Drawings
This unit focused on recalling a family memory and creating a picture about this story. We read about the artist Faith Ringgold and her story quilts.
Budgets for Art
I was reading the teacherartexchange listserve from the Getty museum, which is a very cool list serve, and I felt really sorry for one teacher who only has $100 for a budget that serves 350 students. She was…
Portrait Drawing Exercise from postcard images
Drawing Activity This drawing activity will help to sensitize you to the variety of drawing styles and qualities. First, fold your paper in half 3 times in order to make 8 rectangles. In each of the rectangles, you…
4th/5th Grade Secret Cities– Drawing in 3-d, shading
Secret Cities The 4/5s learned how to draw 3-d forms and include shading and shadows. They stacked these shapes to make a “secret city”. I got this idea from a book about drawing by Mark Kistler. This artist…