Art Lessons for Kids
Five years ago, when my children’s elementary school did not have an art program, I persuaded the Principal to allow me to work with the 6th grade students to create a permanent ceramic tile mural on the school’s exterior walls. I had been involved with creating ceramic murals at another school, so I knew the [...]
Working with clay is perhaps one of the most rewarding experiences of a child’s elementary art career. All that squeezing and shaping and then finally….a finished piece! Kids love them and parents treasure them. It’s a win-win situation. But sometimes, working with clay can be a daunting experience. Believe me, I’ve been there! Hopefully, I can [...]
Things had been going so well. Half the year over, successful lessons, sunny days and then…boom! Fifth grade clay day. Sound the drums! Fifth grade is a big grade level. Meaning I have two classes with about 30 kids each. Even the classroom seems crowded with my six tables occupying lumbering, growing bodies. But I’m [...]
Ceramic or clay projects are truly one of the most cherished of all creative keepsakes in elementary school. And for good reason. Those treasured plaques, handprints and pumpkins are simply adorable. And they’re fun to do. I’ve never had a child balk at the sight of clay. Instead, most children can’t wait to mold, sculpt [...]
I’ve always wanted to try these leaf bowls but was never really sure how to do them. Lori over at Fun Art for Kids provided the inspiration and the know-how. I ordered the Colorburst under-glaze as per her instructions, and I love the results. Definitely worth the bucks. You can find the Colorburst glaze here. Thanks Lori! [...]
I search for as many clay project ideas as I can. For some reason, I need the security of knowing that another art teacher has tried the lesson and was actually successful. This is one such lesson. Pulled from the pages of Arts and Activities magazine, Donia Lilly rom VSA Arts of Nevada in Washoe [...]
I’m always looking for simple ceramic lessons for my students. I vary the complexities of the lessons according to grade levels, starting with pinch pots in the lower grades and working up to mural projects in the upper grades. This cute little turtle has become a staple for in fourth grade. Sometimes I use a [...]
I usually do regular pinch pots with my first grade students, but this year I was inspired by all the little fish I’ve seen throughout art teacher blogs. These are our rendition! I use Laguna Clay, Laguna Underglaze and finish with Duncan Dipping Glaze. Instructions are simple….give each student a palm-sized ball of clay, form [...]
It’s done! Brandon School’s beautiful nautical-inspired mural is complete and not a moment too soon. Every year, the 6th grade class participates in a special art project creating a mural for the beautification of the school. This was our fourth mural and already the school’s interior court is looking quite grand! I plan to compose [...]
Third and Fourth Grade students in California study Missions. We are lucky to have the beautiful Santa Barbara Mission right in our city. Here is an easy project that I incorporated into my ceramics unit but you could easily do the same project with air dry clay and acrylic or even tempera paints. Start with [...]
I’ve seen pictures of these cute little wizards on many art sites, and in all cases; no instructions! They looked hard to me and I couldn’t quite see how I would get 25 fifth grade kids to hand build one in under an hour. But once I had the slab of clay in my hands, [...]
After countless hours (well, not exactly countless…about 2o!) the sixth grade mural at Brandon School is completed. With only the grouting left to go, I snapped a few pictures on the last day of school. Every year we create a new mural. Different themes and different styles and all beautiful. The Butterfly mural is our [...]
It’s finished! After 6 weeks of drawing, building and painting, the 6th grade mural at Brandon School is completed. It looks beautiful…colorful, vibrant, energetic…adjectives I would use to describe the students who made it. The process was easy, well, easy as far as making ceramic murals goes! Student were given background info on Keith Haring [...]
Once again, the 6th grade mural at Mountain View School is fantastic. This year, Mrs. Young and Ms. Scharfeld chose “Earth Science.” Then, the ceramic teacher, Ms. Valance and myself came up with a visual plan. We thought that creating an “organic” or non-linear mural would suit the theme. We spent an entire class period [...]
We’re in the layout phase of our ceramic mural at Mountain View School. The theme this year was earth Science and, at first, I was a little unsure. I mean, how creative can you get with science? Shame on me for being so close-minded! The students created sections entitled “Organization of the Environment”, “Rainforest”, “Oceans [...]
