By Berlin on May 31, 2017 |
There is a huge effort to mainstream children with special needs but often teachers have no formal training in the special needs area. Debi London experienced this first hand as an art teacher and as a mother of a child with autism how important it is to be aware of the small things a teacher can do to create a warm, nurturing and inspiring environment for all children. This episode is for art teachers seeking inspiration and guidance from another art teacher who has walked the walk. Learn how Debi approaches her lessons, how she sets up her classroom to accommodate all learners and the resources that have made a difference to her. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: Helpful tips for helping you to create an art program that is accessible for all children Why it’s important to know the specific needs of all your children, including their likes and dislikes How a sensory center in the classroom can be used to benefit children with special needs How it’s ok to teach at different paces to accommodate specific learning speeds Why you need to be aware of and consider each child’s attention span How to juggle the needs of all students while maintaining positive reinforcement LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE IS SOME GUIDANCE FOR APPROACHING YOUR LESSONS: 1. Provide a Sensory Center- The student should have access to a sensory sand box (kinesthetic sand is a great option), Lego, blocks, larger paper for coloring or stamping, access to iPads with head phones (students can be noise sensitive). Rain sticks can be soothing. A few bean bags on floor, a small carpeted area and access to a few stuffed animals. Allow movement like: walking and stretching to meet needs. 2. Be understanding of some students because they are unable to fully focus because they: fidget, flap (stem). Allow them to have access to these things at the sensory center area as usage of items will help the flow of teaching art. 3. Soft classical music helps to create a calming environment. 4. Allow for breaks (sometimes a timer helps). 5. Get to know the students. Find out likes and dislikes to avoid a meltdown. 6. Pair students with friends or pair...
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By Patty on Jan 4, 2017 |
Are you looking to incorporate a few STEAM art activities into your curriculum this year? Ana Dziengle from Babble, Dabble Do is this week’s guest on the podcast. If you haven’t met Ana before, I know you’ll love her. She’s the type of girl you want as a friend. And since she is originally from Santa Barbara, I’m claiming her as mine! Ana shares her favorite STEAM projects that engage kids and encourages them to think for themselves. And isn’t that what we all want? This episode is perfect for anyone wants to explore a few STEAM projects with their kids. Things you will learn in this episode: How Ana visualized the lifestyle she wanted and was able to make the hard decision to get it How Ana incorporates art and science together The many different aspects of being creative Why being artistic doesn’t mean it has to be through a traditional medium How to entice children with a magical component of art What STEAM projects are and why they should be incorporated in projects Why it is important to choose projects based on the age group of your kids How to step back and let the child’s project unfold without inserting what outcome you think the project could and should have How to prepare your children to not negatively compare their work Why doing projects alongside the children creates a great dynamic Subscribe to Art Made Easy and receive new episodes directly on your phone via your podcast Ap. Note: If you have an iPhone, subscribe in iTunes. If you have an Android phone, subscribe in Stitcher. DOWNLOAD TWO STEAM BOOKLETS! Thanks Ana for providing two AMAZING activities…these are super cool, folks. To get yours, just click on the yellow box, add your name and email and the zip file containing the two PDF’s will be emailed to you. If you use safari on a MAC, the zip file won’t open. Try CHROME instead. SHOW NOTES: Ana’s book, Steam Kids Dyed Snow Flake Project from Babble Dabble Do 20 Science projects for Kids from Babble Dabble Do Don’t Move the Muffin Tins: A Hands-Off Guide to Art for the Young Child by Bev Bos...
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By Patty on Dec 24, 2016 |
Happy New Year to you all! My favorite part of the entire year is the sweet spot between Christmas and New Year. It’s my time to reflect and plan. I LOVE planning and although my great intentions don’t always pan out, they serve as a guide for me to follow. I created this Art Calendar years ago because I needed a quick glance at the special events, artist’s birthdays and special projects that I wanted to consider when creating my art curriculum. I had a lot of flexibility in the type of lessons I taught but keeping in sync with the school calendar was important. THE 2017 ART CALENDAR INCLUDES: US and Canadian Holidays Artist Birthdays Lesson Suggestions (with links to free posts) Art Project Idea Page Monthly Project Idea Chart HOW TO USE THE CALENDAR When I was teaching, I liked to photocopy the art calendar onto card stock and place in my Planner Binder. Every month, I would look forward to the next month to see what celebrations or artist birthdays I could incorporate. I didn’t try to celebrate every artist’s birthday or even do an art project for every celebration, but the calendar allowed me to see if it was possible. Because I worked in rotations, not every class or grade level would have the opportunity to celebrate special holidays. So if my second and third graders created holiday projects in December but my Fourth and Fifth graders weren’t scheduled until January, I made sure to plan Valentine’s Day projects for them. This was just a peculiarity of my schedule but the calendar really helped me see what was coming. WOULD YOU LIKE A COPY? Click the image below to access your FREE 2017 Art Calendar. I really hope that it is useful to you. If it is, I’d love to hear how you are using the calendar. You can share your photo’s in the Deep Space Sparkle Facebook Page. Join HERE. Enjoy your calendar and have an awesome + bright 2017!...
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By Patty on Nov 30, 2016 |
Are you looking for ways to spruce up your art program? Move beyond traditional lesson plans with artist trading cards, a flipped classroom and QR codes. Nic Hahn, author of the popular blog, Mini Matisse, shares how she transitioned to a choice-based art room, how she uses videos to flip her classroom plus she shares the art projects that have been the most successful with her students. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: How working with different age groups gives you added perspective as a blogger How Artist Trading Cards help the learning process for students How her focus on Careers in Art has exposed the children to all sorts of possibilities Why reflection in the art room is needed, and how Nic ties pop culture into the curriculum Why she uses QR codes in her classroom How questions she receives online leads the direction of her blog How presenting the masters of art to her classes allowed Nic to grow as an artist herself Subscribe to Art Made Easy and receive new episodes directly on your phone via your podcast App. Note: If you have an iPhone, subscribe in iTunes. If you have an Android phone, subscribe in Stitcher. SHOW NOTES: Yuko Larson and Nic Hahn’s Trading Cards Bit-O-Bios Art Biography QR Codes Lesson Download Careers in Art Sample Lesson Download Careers in Art See Saw...
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By Patty on Nov 2, 2016 |
Developing art lessons can be overwhelming to create with a busy schedule. Sure you can use the same art lessons every year but every now and again, you’ll want (or be required) to create lessons for a very specific topic or subject. Over the years, I created a criteria for assessing whether or not a lesson will work in my art program. I call it my SPARKLE method for lesson development. These 7 key steps will help you create art projects that are unique to you, your art program and that your students will love. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: Why it’s important to flex your creative muscles and see what you can create on your own How I get ideas for my new projects, both around the house and while travelling Why illustrations have to be understandable for children in order to convert successfully into an art lesson What to do if you have a set curriculum to follow The secret to know if a project will work for students Why you don’t need to apologize for your weaknesses – play up your strengths! How it’s important to try out a new lesson yourself before introducing it to your class Why if you’re introducing an art concept in a school environment, there has to be a reason for it How telling a story or interesting fact about an artist will engage children and make the lesson memorable When you’re doing research you can use sensory details to explain or elaborate on an artist’s technique How YouTube videos can easily be used to teach kids about artists that you’re not overly familiar with When designing a lesson around a master, make sure the person has a broad appeal for the age group you’re teaching to How using lingo, or vocabulary, in your art room is a great way to make sure your lesson planning is on track The mindset shift I had to make when it came to using 3-D forms Subscribe to Art Made Easy and receive new episodes directly on your phone via your podcast Ap. Note: If you have an iPhone, subscribe in iTunes. If you have an Android phone, subscribe in Stitcher. SHOW NOTES: Eric Carle Lois Ehlert...
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By Patty 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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