Art Lessons for Kids
Eric Carle is one of my favorite illustrators. Over the years, I have used many of his books as inspirations for art lessons. The next few blog posts will feature work I have done with various grade levels using my basic “Eric Carle” techniques. The instructions will be basic, all using a three class format, [...]
Who says giraffe’s can’t dance? According to my first grade students, they not only dance, but sway, gyrate and hip hop! Based on the book of the same name, the lesson was done in two 40 minute sessions. Supplies Giraffe White 12″ x 18″ paper Pencil/eraser Brown, orange, yellow and black broad tip markers [...]
Van Gogh’s famous Sunflower series is one of the most recognizable art subjects in a classroom. My students loved the flexibility of drawing sunflowers and enjoyed the opportunity to create many types of flowers. Using oil pastel to color is a mess-free choice, although not nearly as “fast” as paints. Drawing with Oil Pastels The [...]
A classic glue and chalk pastel lesson. Using a 12″ x 18″ sheet of white or black construction paper, instruct the kids (directed art) how to draw a cat. You can come up with your own version. I encourage the kids to follow the directions in this lessons as problems arise if the kids don’t [...]
Paper portraits are yet another fun and easy way to create portraits for your students. Although this project is simple and fun, there are certain steps the children must do along with the teacher in order for the project to be successful. This project usually takes two, 45-minute class periods, perhaps allowing some extra time [...]
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Need a beautiful, accessible project for first graders? This fall stencil project is perfect. Very little prep is needed…just a short jaunt outside to clip some leaves. Make sure the leaves are fresh, not the crispy dried ones that have already fallen. Pour white tempera paint into a paper plate or plastic palette, and add [...]
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After teaching art for four years, and being a creative person, I’m always trying to come up with some new twists on some perennial favorites. The first grade self portrait is one such project. I wanted the kids to not only focus on what they look like but to image themselves in the future. To answer [...]
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Forty little penguins, in various shades of black, yellow and sometimes blue, marched across the art studio this past month. With a wad of clay in their hands, first grade students received a paper printed with various sized circles indicating the size in which to roll out small balls that will eventually form into a penguin. [...]
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This lesson is a fun substitute to regular portraits. First, the kids looked at pictures of Picasso’s portraits (Portrait of Marie-Therese and Portrait of Dora Maar) and studied the shapes and patterns Picasso used. They loved Picasso’s way of drawing the facial features. Then, following a directed-line drawing the kids drew a head, neck, body and [...]
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The kids at Foothill School painted sailboats in art class this week. We talked a bit about the basic parts of a boat and worked hard to create a boom big enough to paint. The sails were the most fun to decorate. A few kids added skulls and cross bones…I mean, what pirate boat would [...]
Here is a great way to teach watercolor resist. It’s simple and involves a surprise at the end! On the white board, demonstrate how to draw a vase, a table line, then circles for the center of the flowers. Give them different options for drawing the petals. Then, ask the kids to chose a favorite color [...]
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