Our Mondrian Art Project for Kids is perfect to teach art in the classroom. It's easy and free! Kids will love their Mondrian masterpiece & will proudly display their beautiful artwork on glass.
First Week Watercolor Portraits 7 comments Back to School, Bulletin Boards, Self Portraits, Tutorials Every year, my second graders paint a watercolor self-portrait. It is truly my most favorite first week activity of all time. After sharing this picture of this year's portraits on Facebook, a sweet reader asked if I had a blog post about them. Well, it dawned on me that while I have shared my annual self-portraits many times, I've never really shared them exclusively in a post. So, here goes! Every year, I have my students paint a self-portrait during the first week of school (an idea I learned while student teaching many moons ago). I hang these portraits in the room, for the entire year. They really brighten up our space and they are such a joy to look at (this is a picture of my students' portraits from last year). I am not an art teacher and I believe that kids should be encouraged to take risks, so when I task my students with painting their portraits, I pretty much let them "have at it." Don't worry, it isn't a total free for all. I do model the process and I also share examples from years past, like the ones shown below. I just make it very clear that I don't expect their paintings to look like an actual photograph. ;) I always begin by pointing out how much of their body/self they will be painting. I tell them to think about the pictures they see in their yearbooks and how those pictures only show people's heads and shoulders. I explain that they will include only their head and shoulders in their paintings. I then show them examples from previous years (sometimes students move and they get left behind, so I have a few on hand). Once the students understand what it is that they will be including in their portrait, I model the drawing process on the board. I discuss how large the head should be in relation to the paper and show them what this looks like. From there, I show them how I draw a neck and shoulders, hair, and facial features. I apologize that I don't have a photo of this, but essentially, I model and narrate the process, one step at a time. And, then...it's the students' turn. I give each student a piece of white card stock (8x10 inches) to work with. Card stock is brighter and thicker than construction paper, and it just seems to hold the paint better, in my opinion. Then, they start their drawing. Sometimes, I have them draw the outline of their pictures with a black crayon (see below). When I do this, there is NO pencil involved. This helps them to really slow down and visualize before they draw because they know that they can't erase. However, this year, I let them draw with pencil first and then they traced over their pencil lines with a Sharpie. Why did I do that? I have no idea, it was just what I decided to do when I was prepping the materials, but the end result was still fab! Once the students draw the outline of their portrait, they get to paint! Using watercolor is a tricky thing for many second graders. They have a hard time always gauging how much water to use, so a discussion about this (and a little modeling) ahead of time is a good idea. Tip: No matter how much explaining and modeling you do, you'll still have a student or two that uses too much water. Let them use a tissue to blot their paper if you notice this happening. I lay the portraits to dry on the floor, in an out of the way spot. They dry within minutes here in the desert. Once they are dry, I flatten them by stacking heavy teacher manuals on them overnight. I could iron them, but my iron and I do not get along. At all. The next morning, I hang them up and admire the sight before me...all year long. :) At the end of the year, it's always fun to repeat this process. You will be amazed at how much growth your students show. Here are a few examples from last year. Amazing, right? We always get lots of compliments on our portrait display, and the kids are always very proud of them. They love seeing if their parents can guess which one is theirs, and it's fun to see how many parents get it right! At the end of the school year, I send the portraits home as a keepsake. Many parents have commented how much they love them, and they are the perfect size for framing! First week self-portraits are a great way to encourage students to take risks, have fun, and learn to use materials. Beyond that, the students take great pride in their creations and enjoy them just as much as I do, and we have something truly magnificent (that they created!) to look at all year long. :) Share It:
The ultimate list of classroom management strategies, organized into verbal and non-verbal strategies, parent communication tips,rewards and prizes, games, brain breaks, and visual strategies.
Our Wrist Wraps will make acknowledging positive student behavior and achievement fun, engaging and easy-to-prep! We have carefully illustrated 10 gorgeous bands and provided them in color and blackline versions for you to simply print and cut. Wrap them around the wrists of your students and apply a piece of tape or dab of glue to secure. Included in this file so far are the following brag bands: Great work Well done I am wonderful I am a super star I am kind I am an awesome helper I worked hard today I do not give up I am amazing I did excellent work Little learners would love to color a blackline version using crayons or bright pencils before you wrap it on their wrist! In each of the 10 designs, we've provided 5 different color choices. Hop over to TpT to find this new printable in our collection!
A read-aloud book such as Our Class is a family is an amazing way to build a positive, safe, and supportive community in your classroom!
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
Everybody can have an attractive classroom, even if it has no windows, even if you’re not a decorator, and even if admin assigned you the ugliest room on the hall!
These engaging strategies to incorporate movement in the classroom are perfect for the fidgety students & kinesthetic learners in your class!
Welcome to the How-To Guide for First Year Art Teachers where I give you my 10 Steps for Success! Congratulations! You got your own classroom. OH MY GOSH, you have your own classroom. Your mind and stomach start racing, both with extreme excitement and panic because now, it all just got real. You will have a lot of students, a lot of planning, and a lot of classroom to keep organized. Figuring out where to even start is a huge stress and will require a tea (or a beer) and a nap (probably some Netflix too).
1 million years ago (ok, actually 14) when I walked into my first art room there was absolutely nothing in it. Other than tables and chairs, there were no supplies, no white board, no decor. Nada. I had taken a job at a brand new beautiful school which certainly had it’s perks (clean, brand new, not having to inherit a
Fun Art Lessons for the First Day of School. 12 ideas to choose from to make students first art lesson fun and memorable.
Geometric Art
Tips for Classroom management! Behavior is the most important aspect of a strong classroom. Learn how to get control of your new class- even the tough ones!
Who wants to spend Summer vacation in a hot, sweaty classroom? If you'd like to reclaim your personal time, check out these 10 THINGS TO PREP FOR SUMMER BREAK. These art room systems will become a yearly routine to help you leave on the last day on time and prepped for the Back to School.
Give all their hard work the attention it deserves!
Check out these 12 amazing life changing classroom art hacks, and you will be excited to do art in your classroom again!
Got a talkative class? Check out these 5 ways to quiet the chatter!
Looking for some fun new ways to explore art with kids? Kids of all ages (from preschoolers upwards) will really enjoy this Andy Warhol art for kids. It's such a fun way to explore colours and various art mediums. The best part - this Andy Warhol for kids is SUPER easy to do. Follow the step-by-step directions below to get started with this fun pop art for kids project!
Great ideas for welcoming kids to your classroom.
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
How to create an end-of-day routine that leaves your room spotless, every time!
Teach children art history through a variety of fun art projects and lessons. We love using artists as inspiration for our own creations.
A simple way to teach your students classroom procedures and expectations at the beginning of the school year
These Henri Rousseau Art Projects for Kids help us learn more about the artist's work, his love for jungles and lessons from his life - about never giving up!
This post is about The Very Hungry Caterpillar activities and free printables list. These activities are fun, hands-on and simple!
Just a simple sort I made to reinforce respectful actions/gestures. This can easily be added to your Citizenship unit, or beginning of the year activities to set a tone of spreading kindness in the classroom. I have listed 12 scenarios/behaviors, and students must decide is the actions "respectful" or "disrespectful", by gluing the sentence under the correct header. Hope you like and find this resource useful! Be sure to follow me: IG (Beached Bum Teacher) TikTok (Beached Bum Teacher)
This last week we began our geography unit in second grade. We began by learning the mapping essential vocabulary of map, globe, key, scale, grid, birds eye view. We practiced making our own maps and creating symbols for our map keys. The students love making their own maps of our neighborhood where the school is...
Name posters are an easy art project for the first day of school and also double as classroom decor!
The first two weeks in a special ed classroom are more than academics. Ideas on what to teach, what to practice, and what you should be doing.
Students learn how to practice drawing quick rectangular shapes and paint warm and cool colors into those shapes using Paul Klee art inspiration and
11 free, printable Dot Sticker Art Activities for Kids. Kids place dot stickers on pictures according to a key to make awesome dot art.
Worksheets for 1st grade math, first grade math worksheets for free for the basic math topics taught in grade 1.
If you work with children, I can promise you that you will come across at least one student that has these difficult behaviors. Not only are they really stressful for the teacher but they impact the student’s life in many ways. Behaviors like disrespect and defiance can make classroom's chaotic.
The Picasso for kids printable resources that I have created are a fun and educational way for children to learn […]
Learn how to create simple models and maps with early years students with this free geography printable!
Classroom management strategies for middle school are not the same as elementary strategies. Learn how to manage a middle school classroom.
Challenge your young learners to use these colorful cups, tubes, and balls to build their creations on the light table. It's art; it's engineering; it's fun!
