Deep Space Sparkle Art Lessons for Kids
I love these first grade self portraits. They embodied everything kids art should be…colorful, whimsical and adorable. I used plain white construction/drawing paper and good old oil pastels. Trick is not to give the kids a pencil. Instead, we started with a black oil pastel and ended with a black oil pastel. I think this is [...]
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Penguins are a popular request in first and second grade. Students study Antarctica and are quite familiar with penguins and their habitat. How to draw a penguin… I begin the lesson by showing the kids how to draw a penguin. I place many pictures of penguins on the white board so the children can add [...]
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This lesson is part math, part magic and all art! Students fold a piece of paper in half, draw on one side and press to create a symmetrical butterfly. If you have time, it’s wonderful to cut out the butterfly and add glue lines along parts of the butterfly and then sprinkle with glitter. I [...]
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Over at Capturing Joy, my writing and lifestyle blog, I posted some photographs on my scrapbook journal. Hop on over and take a peek! Visit Deep Space Sparkle on Facebook. It’s just a baby yet, but I hope to create an opportunity to share links, photos and art lesson tips with my fellow art teachers. [...]
This is super fun art lesson and is sure to ignite the imaginations of the little ones. I have done this lesson with my first grade students in two 40-minute sessions. In order to complete in within this time frame, be sure to allow enough time to organize your supplies. Supplies Per student: One 12″ [...]
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This is one of my most favorite art lessons. Not only is it colorful, expressive and fun to make, but it teaches a variety of art skills: combining colors, composition, human form and the importance of working neatly. Inspired by the paintings by Henri Matisse, this has been a perennial favorite with my fifth and [...]
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Inspired by Valentine’s Day , I pulled out my file on Jim Dine and created this multi-step collage project for my second graders. I used a station-method of attack with this lesson. I set up a different art lesson/technique at each table: oil pastel resist with watercolor, metallic paint, sparkles and glitter, and tissue paper collage. [...]
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Here is a great twist on the Paper Self-Portraits I do with my third graders (full instructions here). Instead of using realistic colors, I encourage the kids to mix it up. It’s hard for some kids to choose a pink or green for a face color but once they get going, there is no stopping the [...]
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It’s hard to resist adding snowmen into any art curriculum. They’re easy to draw and oh, so cute. I did this lesson with my first graders but it would also be a perfect lesson for second or third. The whole point of this lesson is to have the children think about what a snowman would look like [...]
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This lesson has been quite rewarding for my fourth grade classes. Looking at a pictures of detailed castles with bricks, battlements, turrets and doors can be overwhelming, especially if you are expected to draw one. I found the perfect solution. Borrowing a tip from my How To Draw a Barn lesson, I cut small rectangular shapes [...]
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Here is another great lesson for kindergartners to practice cutting and pasting skills. The project looks super dynamic displayed next to one another on a wall or bulletin board. Supplies Needed: Scissors & glue stick per student Construction paper in various colors cut into rectangles 1 12″ x 18″ black paper per student white tempera [...]
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Looking for an easy drawing and painting lesson with a high success rate? Try this one. Even in California, most kids equate January with cold weather. I talk about how snowflakes flutter down from the sky and land in the folds of trees, forming clumps of snow. In first grade, we stick to the lovely [...]
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I found this lesson over at Art Project for Kids. It’s a fantastic lesson; easy, quick and beautiful. I chose to do this with my 6th grade students but it would be equally successful with as young as fourth grade. Check out the link above for full directions. For more portrait lesson ideas, check out [...]
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I’ve received so many amazing emails lately. There is just nothing better than a big thank you for all the work that goes into blogging. When I started this blog a couple of years ago, there were so few of us. Maybe two or three people with art blogs. Now, there hundreds! Yay, for us! [...]
Inspired by a recent comment from Sarah S, I thought I’d address a few concerns that some teachers face when teaching art to their students. Sarah commented that when she painted with her students, the projects never really seemed to “turn out”. I know exactly what she means. Perusing art pages and seeing countless beautiful [...]
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