Back to School Tips for Art Teachers
Is anybody ever really ready for Back to School time? Each year as the fun and freedom of summer vacation winds down, I make a list of simple and manageable goals for the upcoming school year. Here’s eight back to school tips for art teachers that I use to get myself excited and prepare for […]
50 Free Short Art Activities
50 Free Short Art Activities I have compiled a list of 50 free short art activities. These are my favorite and most engaging activities I have used over the past 20 years when I just need a short and simple art activity. I use them for the beginning of the school year, the end of […]
How to Make Art Awards for Students
Here’s how to make art awards for students. I have found that giving awards to my art students is a great way to build relationships. I also create an awards slide presentation and make the awards inspired by real artists so that we can review their work during the ‘awards ceremony’. It started when I […]
The Beauty of Bell Work: How to Use Bell Work in Art Class
Bell ringer, bell work or do now are all essentially the same thing. Bell work is a short activity that students can complete independently and quietly after the bell rings. The main purpose is to get students on task and in the mindset for my class. Here’s how to use bell work in art class. […]
Simple Emergency Art Sub Plans
Making emergency art sub plans is never fun. But if you plan ahead, you can be prepared when the time comes. I have learned that simplicity is best. The tips below will help you create emergency sub plans for all your classes in very little time, with very little effort. Start your emergency art sub […]
How to Make Polymer Clay Dragon Eyes
For the past few years I have taught an oil pastel dragon eye lesson to my 6th grade students. My kiddos always love the lesson so much that this year, I decided to add a polymer clay dragon eyes lesson. I ordered the supplies from Amazon and created some dragon eyes of my own. I […]
How to Teach Grid Drawing Technique
Knowing how to teach grid drawing is important for the development of our young artists. It is an excellent way to teach proportion and scale. In my opinion it is one of the best ways to enlarge an image with accurate proportions. With that being said, it can be daunting and exhausting to teach for […]
How I Survive Clay Day: Tips on How to Teach Clay Art
How to teach clay is a common question I get. Clay day is often the one art day kids have waited for all year. Kids ask me all the time, when are we having clay day? With all that hype and excitement, you want to feel prepared and have the best lessons and experience for […]
7 Ways to Promote Creativity in Art Lessons
One of the best ways I engage all learners is by promoting creativity in my art lessons. I will use a recent lesson I created (Collaborative Giant Nutcrackers) as an example of how I encouraged creative problem solving in planning an art lesson. After reading this post you will have seven ways to incorporate creative […]
How to Motivate Art Students
When deciding what my first blog post should be about, the thing that jumped to mind first was the issue I deal with constantly. How to engage art students! I’ve boiled it down to my Top 5 Ways to Motivate Art Students. #1: Keep them busy! I like to keep my lessons short and sweet. […]