Line Paintings
What are different types of lines? What is the proper way to use paints?The kids in kindergarten learned about various types of lines. We tried to think of all the possible types of lines that we could imagine–…
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...Line Paintings
Farmer’s Market Collage
This is a collage made up of photos, paint, painted papers and doodles. I made this a few weeks ago.
Texture Teddy Bears
To complement the teddy bear theme in their classroom, the kindergartners drew a teddy bear in art class with crayons. We used texture plates to create texture rubbings on the fur. On the inside of the teddy bear’s…
Graphic Design for 5/6s
How is design used in daily life? What do graphic designers create? How can we investigate a variety of symbols and fonts? How can we use appropriate symbols, colors and fonts to represent ourselves visually? Using letters and…
Contour Line Shells
The second graders learned about contour line drawing and observed the qualities of seashells (to complement their studies of shorelines in Science). We also looked at the scientific illustrations of shells by this artist:
Fabric Quilts
Primary Quilt Squares Why do people make quilts? How can a quilt tell the history of a family? Can a quilt be art? What is a pattern? The Primaries discussed these questions and viewed pictures of quilts. In…
Pop Art Portraits
These lovely Pop Art portraits were created by our 2nd graders this week. We read a book about Andy Warhol and watched a video about Pop Art. We looked at and discussed Andy’s use of bright colors, repetition…
Mondrian Collage Art Project for Kids – Primary Colors
We did this project last week to introduce the primary colors-red, blue and yellow to the kindergartners. We looked at the artwork of Piet Mondrian and discussed his use of color– primary colors + neutral black and…
Water bottle Flowers
At the very end of last year, my third grade students cut apart plastic water bottles to make these flowers. I started them off by cutting the bottom of the bottle off, then they continued with scissors. You…