Art Primary Classroom library

 Children's art library 

Using my Square 1 Art fundraiser money I just purchased a boat load of board books from Amazon. In my art room instead of allowing the kids to do "free draw" when they are finished with an art project they are to read a book about art from my art library. I used to be a kindergarten classroom teacher so I really encourage reading.  I teach only kindergarten and 1st grade so many of my books about art were over their heads. Board books are perfect for this level because there are few words and the pages are boards! This is perfect for the art room in case they get paint on them I can just wipe them clean! 

Here are photos of all my new board books.

I still included some of the books I had that were age appropriate such as "The Day the Crayons Quit"  and "Museum Shapes" to name just a few. I added colored dots with numbers on each book so the kiddos can keep them organized. 

1st grade snowflake banner

 1st Grade Snowflake Banner

I'm still teaching on a cart this year because of COVID! Here is a lesson I came up with that doesn't involve to much of a mess for the classrooms. 

I think all kids need to know how to make a snowflake, even though it is a little crafty. Our classroom teachers are so busy that they just don't have enough time. 

We practiced cutting on one first and then the kids got to work. We used colored copier paper cut into 4" x 4" squares. 

Students glued their snowflakes to a 6" x 18" black piece of construction paper. I punched holes at the top and they strung a piece of yarn through them and tied it in a knot (well those who could tie a knot!).  

                        I think they turned out great and now the kids can make snowflakes on their own! I think next time I teach this I will have them add glitter! 

  You can watch my demonstration video below.

Kindergarten Penguin art lesson

 Kindergarten Penguin art lesson 

Thanks to Cassie Stephens for this idea. Here is her original  post https://cassiestephens.blogspot.com/2019/01/in-art-room-penguins-with-first-grade.html

She actually did it for 1st graders. I changed it a bit to fit the needs of my kindergarteners. 

I did a step by step tutorial on how to draw the penguin with the class. I always have to stress to make their drawings big and to use the whole paper. We always practice drawing with our fingers first before we draw the actual subject. They actually did great on this.

Here is my demonstration video.

Students used the cool colors of paint sticks to make swirls all over their 12" x 18" drawing paper. I wanted them to use cool colors to make a wintery feeling. They turned out great! Thanks to Cassie Stephens for the idea! 

Foil Relief sculptures in 1st grade

 1st grade Foil Relief Sculptures

Part One demonstration video.

Part two demonstration video. 

For this project you need cardboard, peel and stick foam shapes, glue, pieces of yarn, foil and permanent markers. I purchased EcoSwift 5" x 7" corrugated cardboard filler inserts sheet pads 1/8" thick (200 a box) and 9" x 10 3/4" pop up foil sheets (box of 500) from Amazon. If you use washable markers they rub right off on the aluminum foil. 

On the first day students planned and assembled their sculptures. 

I had them put glue all over their shapes and on the cardboard before they put the foil on top. This would keep the foil from moving when they started to color it. Glue jars are the best for this level! Again, I got them on Amazon. They are actually called "Colorations Glue Jars". They come in sets of 12 for $30. They are worth it! Kiddos just brush the glue on instead of squirting it. I had them then flip their cardboard over so it is on top of the foil and then they just folded the edges around it. 

On the next day students used permanent markers and added color. 

I think they turned out great and the kids loved making them.  

Lions with Lines kindergarten art lesson

 Lions With Lines Kindergarten Art Lesson 

My demonstration video.

I came across this lesson from Pinterest. I changed it to fit the needs of my classroom. I was going to add the link to my post but it has been deleted. 

I always like to add an artist to a lesson I'm teaching my students. For this lesson I introduced the artist Henri Rousseau. I showed his jungle paintings and showed the edited version about his life from "Art with Mati and Dada Henri Roussea" on YouTube. Make sure you search for the edited version since the original shows the painting "The Dream" which has a nude. 

I provided 9" x 6" pieces of yellow paper and taught the kiddos how to draw a lion from the letter "U". Students colored the details, cut it out and glued it to the middle of a 12" x 18" piece of blue construction paper. This took one class period.

On the next art class students glued strips of warm colored patterned paper around the lions head and drew various lions in-between the paper. Fun and easy lesson! 

Great lesson to introduce various lines and the concept of warm and cool colors. 

1st grade paper gingerbread houses

 1st Grade Paper Gingerbread Houses

I am still on a cart this year because of COVID so I've been searching like crazy to come up with ideas for my students. I found this idea on the blog by Ayelet Keshet. You can find her post here:   http://ayeletkeshet.com/printable-gingerbread-house-template-to-color/

I actually changed it to be a blank template so the kiddos could create their own designs on the houses. I also wanted kids to have the option to create a plan house if they didn't' want to create a gingerbread house.  

                                                             My demonstration video. 

They absolutely loved this lesson. I showed them many examples of real gingerbread houses and then they got to work. They could use crayons or markers to create their houses. It was a little tricky for this age level in constructing the houses to be 3-D but the end result was worth it. Sorry I forgot to take more pictures! 

Kindergarten Sailboat art lesson

Kindergarten Sailboat art lesson 

I am having a hard time coming up with ideas to teach my kindergarteners this year. I'm on a cart because of COVID and the classrooms do not have sinks! I came across this idea from the blogger "Art is Basic". Click on the link to see the original post. https://www.artisbasic.com/2016/12/3-fun-easy-kindergarten-art-lessons.html. It is a little crafty but the kids can make it their own. 

                                                You can watch my demonstration video here: 

I always like to include art history in my lesson so I showed many paintings that had sailboats in them such as Winslow Homer's "Breezy Up" . 

Head on over to Art is Basic to get the template to copy on paper for your students. You can see from the photos of the children's art that they are all different. The kids really enjoyed making the sailboats. 

Kindergarten Starry Night snowman art lesson

 Kindergarten Starry Night Snowman Art Lesson 

                                                             My demonstration video. 

My kindergarteners really love Vincent Van Gogh. This is an easy art project that can be done in one class period (mine are 50 minutes). 

We critiqued  "Starry Night" and discussed all the swirly lines, stars, moon and wind. Students colored a snow ground at the bottom of their blue 12" x 9" construction paper, drew a snowman (without the arms) onto a 6" x 9" piece of white paper, cut it out and glued it on their snow covered ground. They then drew the arms on their snowmen.  The last step was to add the beautiful sky in the style of Van Gogh's "Starry Night".

Christmas/Winter trees in kindergarten

 Christmas/Winter trees in kindergarten 

Here is an easy lesson to teach kindergarteners how to use basic shapes to make a Fir tree (or Christmas tree). I provided 6" x 9" pieces of green paper and taught the students how to draw the tree. Students took a piece of 9" x 6" piece of white paper and cut a little bit off the paper (horizontal) so it looked more like a snow fallen day and glued it to a piece of 12" x 9" blue construction paper. They then cut their tree out and glued it to the middle of the snow. Students could then decorate their tree like it was in the forest or it was a Christmas tree.