National Gallery of Canada
Transformation
Create colorful cool or warm butterflies with simple materials. Class members draw their designs, spray the marker to diffuse the colors, and attach pipe cleaners to form the shape of a butterfly with antennae. Individuals must be able...
National Gallery of Canada
Surprising Sun Prints
Here comes the sun! Composition, shapes, and the properties of light are the focus of this bright lesson. Class members examine art and then create sun prints using photosensitive paper and various objects of different shapes and sizes....
Scholastic
Make Hooting Owls with Your Class!
Kids create their own hooting owls using the template provided and art supplies. Pair the activity with the book, 10 Hooting Owls as suggested here, or on its own as part of a unit on owls or nocturnal animals.
Happy Housewife
Homemade Christmas Gifts
Running low on money? Out of ideas for gifts? Feeling crafty? Whatever the reason may be, homemade gifts are perfect for the creative person or the person trying to save a dollar here and there. Packed with hands-on crafts for kids, the...
Can Teach
Pass the Melody
Get a jam session started in your elementary music class! Learners engage in melody transitions by singing a familiar song and passing on the tune to the next person.
National Portrait Gallery (UK)
Explore Elizabeth I
Keen observation skills are an essential trait for good artists. Discuss the elements of a portrait with your class using terminology such as, full-face, profile, quarter-length, full-length. After that, they can use the included...
National Center for Families Learning
The Summer Fun Summer Learning Dance Unit
Summer slide. Alas, not a term synonymous with a type of sliding board, summer slide refers to the fact that learning slips during summer break, especially in the areas of spelling and math facts. Enrich summer break with a...
Curated OER
Lovely Ladybugs
Make cute ladybugs with egg cartons and pipe cleaners! After you read some facts about ladybugs, use different materials to make some ladybugs for your classroom.
Education.com
Memory Match Game
Find the matching color in a memory game. Cut out the cards with color words, turn them upside down, and try to remember which two cards match.
Tangle Crafts
Bookmark Weaving Loom
Combine class members' love of crafts and reading with one innovative lesson. Scholars create a one-of-a-kind woven bookmark using cardstock paper, yarn, and a needle.
Curated OER
Ice Cream Color Matching Game
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Kids can practice color matching and fine motor skills as they cut out scoops to put on cones and bars to place over popsicle sticks. Glue the first to pages to the inside of a file...
Curated OER
Paper Spider
Young artists don't have to wait for Halloween to craft eensy-weensy spiders. A one-page template includes directions and a pattern for the spider's body and legs. These little arachnids, hanging from the ceiling or the wall...
Fireflies Mudpies
Valentine's Day Activity Pack
Complete your Valentine's Day class party with a fun activity pack. The four-page packet includes a word search, a roll-and-cover game, tic-tac-toe, and a matching card game.
Dick Blick Art Materials
Deconstructed Books
Scissors, glue, and an old book. Punches, crimpers, and rulers. Kids gather their tools and get set to create relief sculptures by deconstructing books.
Curated OER
Art Careers
Students explore art careers. In this career education instructional activity, students explore three different learning stations which simulate several art careers. Students construct a career book after this activity.
Curated OER
Parts of Art
Young scholars define and use new vocabulary associated with the elements of art. As a class, they brainstorm different ways in which we communicate with one another. In groups, they view different pieces of art from the Native American...
Curated OER
Beyond the AB Pattern in Dance
Students demonstrate various patterns using dance. In this expressive arts lesson, students are led in a warm-up to demonstrate the AAB pattern, which includes spinning and jumping. Students are broken up into groups and perform several...
San Francisco Symphony
Beethoven's Sixth Symphony and the Expression of Feeling through the Arts
Here is an activity used originally to finish off a unit on country life and nature. It requires learners to have a basic understanding of harvest, rural life, and autumn. They'll use what they know to construct dance movements showing...
Curated OER
Numbers In Art
Help develop an awareness of the natural and manufactured environment and relate the subject matter to young learners' lives. The interpretation of the meaning of art is reinforced and its application to self and other audiences is...
Curated OER
Visual Messages: Creating a Photomontage
Students create a photomontage. For this lesson on photography as a means of conveying emotion, students use images gathered from the Internet to create a photomontage comparing how water is used in Africa and the U.S.
Curated OER
Sculpture: Exploring Pop Art: Creating
Learners work in teams to create collaborative sculptures of food. They are required to create the food, dishes, and utensils needed to display their work. Note: This is a team building and design exercise.
Curated OER
Learning Refrain and Verse
Instruct your young musicians on the terms verse and refrain. They listen to two songs, and point out the verse and refrain as they occur. Students then play drums when they hear the verse and the refrain. Note: Song lyrics, sheet music,...
Curated OER
Let's Have an Art Show! Let's Create an Art Gallery!
Learners plan an art show. They do everything from creating the invitations, to selecting the pieces of art, to deciding how they will be displayed. This is a rather ambitious project for 1st graders to take on, so a lot of parental...
Curated OER
Tissue Paper Puzzle Art
Get creative and use a tissue paper collage to make wonderful window hangings for the classroom. You'll find the materials list, objectives, and instructions needed to complete this fun activity. This project encourages eye-hand...