For our last project of the Art Room year, I was looking for a quick and easy project that could be completed in one 90-minute class, and which would touch on some of the techniques and skills we learned this past year. I opted for this cute, easy and pretty much fool-proof dandelion project. It incorporates pen and line techniques, illustration, and watercolor techniques.... all things my 6-7 year old age group covered this year. We began by looking at simple illustrations of dandelions. We noted their lines, the shape of their 'dandelion puff' (the white puffy stage of the dandelion, after it's seeded), and the shape and structure of the individual seedheads, which look like downey parachutes. We discussed how, when the wind blows, these seedheads blow off the puff and dance through the wind, disseminating the attached seed elsewhere. I demonstrated on the white board how we might illustrate seedheads. Students were given many options, from a double horseshoe shape, to a simple dotted shape. One student opted for little heart shapes. Drawing We began with watercolor paper, the borders of which I had pre-taped, and a pencil. I did a guided drawing demo on the board. Students had to draw three dandelions. For good composition, one should be larger than the others, and none overlapping, in the left half of their paper. We began with three simple circles, and added stems to these. We noted that dandelion stems are generally not super straight, but may have a slight curve to them. Then we sectioned our circles off into lines, the way you would cut a pizza or a pie. These initial lines are the outer seedheads. We then added extra shorter lines in between these longer lines, (slicing the pie even smaller) and made these shorter seedheads. Our goal was to draw full, fluffy dandelion puffs. Students each chose what kind of downey parachute shape they wanted at the end of their seedheadss. Most opted for a different shape for each of their three dandelions. Just like in our pen and line techniques classes earlier this year, students were encouraged to draw carefully, neatly connecting their line points, and thinking of symmetry and even spacing. Where puffs looked too 'naked' students were encouraged to add some extra seedheads for a fuller puff. Next, we drew a few detached seedheads dancing in the wind. These should be dancing towards the right side of our paper. For good composition, their placement should be varied with some upside-down, some sideways and one trailing off towards the top right corner. This carries our eyes all the way to the other end of the paper. We noted that the parachute shape on these should match the ones on our dandelion puffs.... since they originate from these puffs. My students got this concept without a problem! We traced all our lines with a fine permanent marker and erased our pencil lines. For that added illustration quality, we chose to write something whimsy at the bottom of our paper. Since these students are very young, and many are English as a second or third language learners, I wrote a few options on the board for them to copy, like 'Wish', 'Make a Wish', and 'Summer'. Rubber Cement Resist I opted to use rubber cement on our puffs to resist the paint. Rubber cement is a rather unfriendly glue which should not be breathed in. Because I did not want my young students working with this material I decided to apply it myself to their puffs. I worked at the wide open window sill and work briskly, applying the glue to each student's puffs as they brought their work to me after finishing with their pencil erasing. We then dried these with the blow dryer and moved on to our background. Watercolor Background We used a wet-on-wet watercolor technique for our background. We dropped dabs of 2-3 analogous colors on our wet background, moved the paint around a bit, but not overworking it. We applied salt and dabbed with a tissue for texture. There were then dried with the blow dryer. Lastly, we rubbed the rubber cement glue off of our dandelions using a rubber cement eraser. I recommend using an eraser specifically for removing rubber cement, as regular pencil erasers will likely simply glide over the glue, smearing and smudging what's nearby, without properly lifting the glue. The lifted glue revealed beautifully white dandelions beneath our watercolored backgrounds. Finally, we removed the taped borders for a crisp edge. Voila! A quick, fun and summery project incorporating pen and line, illustration and watercolor techniques. A great entry into summer! Students aged 6 and 7

This beautiful watercolor butterfly painting combines oil pastels and watercolors. Kids will learn easy watercolor techniques to create this wow-worthy art!

Kids will love using cotton balls to create this gorgeous cherry blossom painting! A wonderful spring art project for kids of all ages. Free printable branch template included.

We love flowers and look forward to the time we can plant annual flowers in the spring. Our love of flowers often shows up in our crafts like today's Paper Plate Flower Craft. We've also made

Blog about Easy and Fun Kid Art and Crafts Activities

This Picasso inspired art project is a wonderful introduction to Cubism for the kids. This is great for an individual or a collaborative project.

Make a 3D paper doodlebug with our printable template. This is a fun STEM craft for older kids, exploring patterns and symmetry in nature

Create colorful Andy Warhol-inspired flower pop art with the kids this Spring! A wonderful art study that captures the essence of Andy Warhol's pop art style in an easy, hands-on, and engaging way. Complete with printable flower templates to paint and decorate!

Ready for an outdoor spring activity? Kite crafts for kids are perfect. Have fun decorating and building your own special kite and run in the outdoors

Learn about molas from the Kuna people in Panama with this molas lesson with information, discussion questions, resources, and lesson ideas.

A collection of beautiful spring-themed artworks made by elementary kids. My faves are the tulips and sun/moons. Drop by for inspiration.

This pointillism for kids art project is fun for all ages! Try q-tip painting to create colorful art inspired by the famous artist Georges Seurat. Kids will love creating their own masterpiece!

Make your very own Georgia O'Keeffe inspired Giant Poppy art project for kids using upcyced materials. This is an art lesson perfect for ages 3+.

These free spring preschool worksheets are perfect addition to your preschool spring theme! Number and letter recognition, shapes, fine motor skills & more!

A contemporary self portrait project for all ages inspired by the whimsical illustrations of Suzy Ultman.

Of all the art and science projects that I have done, lemon and watercolor science has been my #1 fave for YEARS! Let's get started.

Make beautiful bubble painting Hydrangea flowers! Fun DIY dish soap paint recipe. Great kids art activity & easy beginner watercolor ideas!

Easy, yet effective Claude Monet Water Lilies Art Project for Kids is painted with a spoon! adding fun and experimentation to kids exploring famous artists.

Fireflies are such fun bugs! I had never seen them until we moved to the East Coast and it really is magical to see them flying in the night sky. I bought some Glow in The Dark Paint and I've been wanting to try this for a Summer project. Here is what it looks like in the dark... I painted some of the dots and the bodies of the fireflies with glow in the dark paint. After you "charge" up the paint under a light it glows softly. You will need: Watercolor paint pencils Sharpies - black and silver Bamboo Skewers - (for the dots) White Acrylic paint Glow in the Dark Paint - I got mine at Target Start by drawing the jar with the fireflies in it. Pretty simple so any age can do it. I painted the lid first with some purple, red and blue watercolor paint mixed together. This is a great lesson for watercolor techniques. I surrounded each firefly with a circle of just water and then painted the jar blue around them. I added some black shading - especially under the lid, at the bottom and sides. Now let this dry a little so the blue won't totally bleed into the yellow. When the blue is just damp add a yellow wash over the fireflies and over the blue around them. I wanted the colors to bleed (wet into wet) together around the firefly to get the effect of the firefly being really bright and then fading outward. This photo also shows the sharpie on the head and body of the firefly after the yellow dries. Add some orange to the body of the firefly. I outlined the wings in metallic silver Sharpie and used a bamboo skewer dipped in paint to make the dots. The bigger dots are the fat end and the tiny ones are the pointy end. I did white paint and silver glitter paint first. Then I went over the white dots with the glow in the dark paint. The glow in the dark paint is pretty transparent so you need to do the white first. I also painted the bodies of the fireflies with glow paint. Do at least 2 coats, the more the better for the best glow. I think my students will enjoy looking at these before they go to sleep.

Inside you'll find an easy step-by-step how to draw a Chameleon tutorial video and Chameleon coloring page. Stop by, grab yours for free.

Use this collection of Andy Warhol teaching resources and complete Famous Artist Unit lesson plans for elementary art classes.

These Batik Art Projects for Kids will inspire you to learn more about the ancient Indonesian art form, while also creating your own custom art work!

Our tween / teen class created these amazing contour flowers using india ink and acrylic. We wanted students to practice working on a very large scale, to create a contour drawing using gestural line work and motion, and to explore how to build up a painting layer by layer. We set up a fresh […]

This butterfly craft is so fun and it's super easy to make! Kids of all ages will love watching the paper butterfly flap its wings just like a real butterfly. The mechanics of the moving wings also add a fun lesson in engineering, making it a great STEAM project. Butterfly Craft We used drinking straws to create the moving wings of our butterflies. It's SO COOL how the butterfly flaps its wings. It really looks like it's flying! This butterfly craft is the perfect activity to go along with a butterfly or insect lesson at school. It's also a great spring

Free Printable Butterfly Suncatcher

You'll find bees popping up in all sorts of my resources. They are just such spectacular and important little creatures! I strongly believe that every child should learn about pollination and understand how crucial bees are for our food supply and our planet's health. And since you're here, ready to dive into a bee art

Use the five senses in the spring time printable worksheet to encourage your child to explore the 5 senses by describing what they hear, see, touch, taste and smell during the spring time.

Art projects that are fun for kids and bring in big bucks for your school auction!

Develop artistic skills whilst teaching a little art history with this awesome Georgia O'Keeffe flower painting art for kids. The flower template is i

This watercolor poppy art is such a fun and easy art project for kids. Use easy watercolor techniques kids of all ages will love. A great Remembrance Day craft or fall flower art project.

Discover how to create stunning bubble art with your kids! Our step-by-step guide to bubble painting makes this fun and easy activity perfect for young artists. Learn the best tips, tricks, and

I LOVE these flowers!!! I also think this may be my new favorite art lesson to teach! 2nd Graders did such a fabulous job creating them– SO proud of their work!! Step-by-step directions with…