Duplication Exercise
Train your students to notice details and “see like artists” with this fun activity! In her classic drawing books, Drawing with Children and Drawing for Older Children and Teens, art teacher and author...
View ArticleRorschach Creatures
This is a favorite lesson I do with Kindergarten every fall. They love the surprise of opening their papers to reveal colorful designs and the fun of using their imaginations to “discover” unique...
View ArticleK Portfolios – a Purple Crayon Adventure!
I’ve always loved books, so I love to start the school year off by reading an art-related story to each of my classes. My favorite “art story” for Kindergarten is Harold and the Purple Crayon by...
View ArticleGrade 1 Portfolios – Design a Dot!
Every year, I start each of my Art classes by going over my “Art Rules”. While this is review for most of my students, it never hurts to hear it again! And reading this book provides a great on-ramp to...
View ArticleGrade 2 Portfolios –"My Many Colored Days"
This project is a great way to use last year’s broken crayons! You can even assign students the job of peeling paper off the broken crayons just for this purpose…. some kids LOVE to do this!! “My Many...
View ArticleGrade 3 Portfolios – The Shapes and Colors of Joy
“Matthew’s Dream”, by Leo Lionni, is my inspiration for our third grade portfolio project. In this charming fable, a boy named Matthew visits the museum with his classmates and is entranced by the...
View ArticleGrade 4 Portfolios –"Ish" Drawings
There are lots of wonderful children’s books available today, but “Ish” by Peter Reynolds stands out as one of my all-time favorites. This is a story that everyone (kids and adults!) can relate to…. in...
View ArticleGrade 5 Portfolios – Collecting Words
Oh my gosh, I LOVE kids’ books!!! I just discovered a great new book, titled “Max’s Words” by Kate Banks. While this book doesn’t have a specific art theme, it inspired me to create a portfolio project...
View Article6th Grade Portfolio Project – Follow Your Star!
I’m especially excited about my 6th grade portfolio project! This project is inspired by an amazing book by author/illustrator Peter Reynolds, who created the classic children’s books “The Dot” and...
View ArticleHappy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
Yesterday (March 2nd) we celebrated a very special birthday in our Kindergarten classes…. that of beloved children’s author/illustrator, Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka “Dr. Seuss”. In his lifetime, Dr....
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