By patty.palmer@deepspacesparkle.com on Sep 14, 2016 |
To start off Season Two of Art Made Easy, I’m answering a member’s question about Guided Drawings. Gloria asks: Sometimes when I am doing a directed drawing lesson, like the Matisse fish bowl, rabbits, pumpkins or really, whatever …. I’ll always get the question from my students Do I have to do it that way? or Can I just do anyway I want? And, frankly I’m torn. I don’t want to squash their creativity, but I do want them to stretch themselves and try something new. My teacher friend, who is an artist, says I shouldn’t even attempt to do directed drawings but rather bring in objects or photos of what is to be drawn and let the students come up with their own ideas of what that should look like on paper. Is there a balance to be had? And what would you say to those little guys who just want to do what they want and go their own route? Thanks Patty! Isn’t that a great question? In this episode of Art Made Easy, I’m going there…discussing the pros and cons of guided drawings and answering whether or not they can be beneficial to kids or whether they restrict creativity. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: – How all art philosophies are good, and there’s really no wrong way to teach art to kids – What exactly a guided drawing is and when is the best time to use one – What are the benefits of guided drawings, especially for younger children who tend draw on the small side – Why your objectives or goals must be determined when considering which methods to use in your classroom – How you sometimes will have to be the authority and not allow a child to draw something that doesn’t fit with your project or theme – What guidelines exist for implementing drawing into your art program – How everyone can draw (it’s really just a series of lines and shapes placed on the paper)! – Why using a variety of techniques to teach children how to draw will build their confidence LISTEN TO THE SHOW DOWNLOAD A PDF I created a simple guide that offers direction on what drawing...
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By patty.palmer@deepspacesparkle.com on Sep 4, 2016 |
Art teachers have the best job in the world. We inspire children to create art. We show them the tools that will help create their vision. We support their growth. Pretty incredible, don’t you think? So why is it that so many art teachers feel like the least important teacher at school? WE know what we do is important but sometimes, our job descriptions can be reduced to the class that does the fun stuff–which is true–but with 150 kids a day, the conversation changes a bit. That’s why I created The Members’ Club. The membership supports…new art teachers who are brand new to teaching art, the experienced teacher who wants to shake up her program and the classroom teacher who has a wee bit of art knowledge but knows if she doesn’t teach art, no one will. Imagine a website where you can access over 125 art lessons right now, PLUS more each month. Where you can connect with like-minded adults who are passionate about teaching art to kids. And you don’t have to be an art teacher. Maybe you’re a studio owner or in charge of Art Day with your church group. There are over 1000+ men and women to connect with. My personal favorite part of the membership is the fun I have creating the themed bundles. You may like the resources and the trainings (and I like those too!) but quite honestly, making up fun art bundles that are all standards based (Common Core, I Can, National Core Art Standards) is my FAVE. It’s my happy place and I want to share it with you. Enrollment is only open twice a year. And it’s happening right now. If you have a question for me, ask away. I’m more than happy to answer anything you’re wondering about. And if you want to read all the details on The Members’ Club and how it can help you, check it out right here. Plus if you join now, you receive The 2016 Art Curriculum Workbook + my special members only Art Sequencing Workbook. ENROLLMENT IS OPEN UNTIL THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER...
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By patty.palmer@deepspacesparkle.com on Aug 20, 2016 |
The funny thing about heading back to school is that we dread it until we can’t avoid it any longer. Then we step into our classroom, decorate our bulletin boards, organize our brand new supplies and we start to feel excited and dare I say–actually look forward to the first day of school. Right? To keep the magic going, the BEST thing you can do for a seamless transition is to make sure you have your art projects planned. Knowing what to teach on the first day and the second day and the seventh day can leave most teachers in a state of panic. The first few years of my teaching career always began with these questions: What lessons are best for Kinders? What supplies are best? What techniques should the kids do first? Is there a sequence of skills that should be followed? I spent A-LOT of time thinking about these things and built this blog around helping other teachers make sense of what to teach to kids in elementary school. Here are my best tips: DETERMINE WHAT SUPPLIES YOU HAVE & KNOW HOW THEY WORK BALANCE ART TECHNIQUES WITH A VARIETY OF SUBJECTS KNOW THE SKILL SET OF YOUR CHILDREN SOURCE PROJECTS WITH KID-APPEAL DO WHAT YOU CAN AND ALWAYS IMPROVE ELEMENTS OF ART CAN BE TAUGHT IN A VARIETY OF WAYS Let’s break each one down: 1. DETERMINE WHAT SUPPLIES YOU HAVE & KNOW HOW THEY WORK Most of us do not inherit a classroom full of fabulous art supplies and many of us have budgets the size of the coffee run for Starbucks. Don’t let this break your spirits. Supplies for art can be found anywhere. Will it take more work? Yes, but the students won’t know the difference. Ask parents to save cereal boxes: they make a great canvas for tempera paints and a great backing for paper collages. Use wrapping paper, newspaper and magazines for collages, use food coloring for liquid watercolor, etc. If you don’t have fancy watercolor paper, don’t worry. Watercolors still work on regular drawing paper but mixing won’t be as great. Markers, crayons and pastels look amazing on card stock. Figure out what you have and ROCK the lessons...
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By patty.palmer@deepspacesparkle.com on Jul 31, 2016 |
An entire week has gone by and the excitement & frenzy of hosting my second workshop has settled and been replaced with warm satisfaction. I love waiting for feelings to settled to determine what memory you associate with an event. When I think back to all the color, community and conversations, the feeling that sticks with me is contentment. I was overwhelmed with the support and gratitude the attendees of the workshop poured out to Laura, Cassie and I. If teaching art to kids isn’t the best job in the world, teaching adults how to teach art to kids is even better! And not that anyone needed help. There were AMAZING artists, teachers and community leaders in this group. Their love and focus of creating an environment for children to create art resonated the whole weekend. My helpers this year starts with my daughter, Elliott who rounded up her buddies, Cassie and Katelyn and my bestie, Isabelle (the amazing photographer) and her daughters, Camille and Audrey Ann. Caitlin, an amazing Spanish teacher here in Santa Barbara with an eye for art rounded out my team. A workshop or conference is made by those who attend. I’ve been to lots of workshops where you feel alone and aren’t sure what to do. This group of ladies joined together at their circle tables to create art, support each other and share supplies. Just like kids do at school. I always thought that the best part of teaching comes at the end of the class, when you ring the clean-up bell, but no one moves. The attendees were like most engaged kids during art class–they didn’t want to stop creating. They worked through lunch an some worked through dinner. Having Cassie Stephens and Laura Lohmann co-teach with me this year was the BEST. These gals have been my online friends for a while. We all love art and we tend to think the same when it comes to teaching art to kids. We all believe in making our art rooms a happy place, filled with color and creativity. This really came through in Cassie’s weaving projects and Laura’s colorful marigolds and clay still-life project. I get asked pretty much everyday, what art supplies I used in my...
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By patty.palmer@deepspacesparkle.com on Jun 8, 2016 |
New Year’s Resolutions aren’t just for January! As the school year draws to a close, now is the perfect time to reflect on your year, celebrate your achievements, review what you want to improve on and get clear on how you want the 2016-17 year to look and feel. Reflecting upon your successes, failures (yes, we all had them) and bright spots in your year may feel unnecessary but I PROMISE YOU, it’s the BEST thing you can do for yourself. Creating a positive space for self-reflection in your life is the fastest way to become happier and more content. This episode is for everyone who wants to improve their teaching experience by reflecting on what went well and what didn’t and by doing so will create a clear action plan on how to make your next school year your best one yet. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: – What process I used as an art teacher and how I reviewed my year – How important it is to know why you teach art and what brings you joy – How art found me (and not the other way around) – Why you need to discover what’s standing in your way if you didn’t achieve your goal(s) – Why it’s important to celebrate your successes! – Why helping others is the best way to get something that you want – What pushed me through the days where I really didn’t want to go in to the school – Why working too quickly might not be the best way to engage a child – How the Year End Review Workbook will help showcase where the holes are in your art program – How your surroundings will affect your creativity as an art teacher – How making your cleanup strategy more fun and systematic will help you in the following year – Why experimenting with new things is needed to continually get better LISTEN TO THE SHOW Do you want to make 2016-17 your BEST school year ever? Believe it or not, this is the time to make it happen. Download the workbook, find a quiet place to sit for a couple of hours and start reflecting on your amazing year....
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By patty.palmer@deepspacesparkle.com on Jun 1, 2016 |
I’m excited for you to meet art teacher and anointed Pinterest Art Queen, Donna Staten. Donna is an art teacher from Austin, Texas who is known for her HUGE following on Pinterest. And because of her Pinterest efforts, Donna has been invited to be a part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Teacher Advisory Council. Pretty impressive, right? This episode is perfect for anyone who wants to learn how Donna grew her Pinterest following to over 100K followers. (Hint: it takes some time! ) She also outlines her top ten best practices for growing a following and ways that Pinterest can be used in the art room. IN THIS SHOW YOU’LL LEARN: – How Donna discovered Pinterest and why the platform initially appealed to her – Who she builds her Pinterest boards for and if a blog is really necessary – How Donna organizes her boards and what she would do different if she was only using Pinterest for herself – What are “Secret Boards” and how they can be used in the classroom – What three major upgrades did Pinterest make to help art teachers – Donna’s 10 basic tips for teachers using Pinterest – What you shouldn’t pin on your boards and her advice regarding privacy and professionalism – Proper Pinterest etiquette – How much time it takes Donna to “pin” (she has over 120,000 of them to date)! – How various opportunities have come Donna’s way all because of her activity on Pinterest LISTEN TO THE SHOW: Donna’s Top Ten Pinterest Tips: 1. Keep each board specific 2. Always preview images and videos 3. Don’t pin anything that is not kid-friendly 4. Be careful about joining group boards-you have no control over the content 5. Don’t pin anything that has questionable copyright issues 6. Give credit when possible and try to link from the original source 7. Use secret boards to hide content from your students as they are likely to find your boards on Pinterest 8. Keep comment professional. Just commenting “cute” clutters up the boards 9. Don’t just rein. Try to pin your own content. 10. Follow Pinterest Etiquette and report spammers SHOW NOTES: Donna’s Pinterest Page Donna’s LinkedIn Donna’s Twitter Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Consortium for School Networking...
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