Sometimes short activity outlines are enough to give you a great idea. Young writers draw any object inside an image of a jar, that doesn't belong in a jar. They can draw a tree, truck, or dinosaur. Tip: Have kids write a short story...

Kids explore how they can go with the flow and be flexible when they encounter "happy accidents." They use ink and watercolor to create flowing and unplanned art pieces. 

Greeting cards can be cute or pretty, and they end up in the trash. Turn your old greeting cards into a functional box. Learners fold, cut, and tape old cards to create small boxes that are perfect for holding paperclips, erasers, or...

Every class has a puzzle or two with missing pieces, don't trash them, use them for art. Great for framing a picture or self-portrait, this frame idea really comes together. Learners use old puzzle pieces to decorate a picture frame....

Create a village and learn about recycling at the same time! A materials list is included, as well as instructions for what you need to do to create a recycled carton village with your kids. Two great book links are included.

This is a very simple idea, learners make note cards or stationery out of their recycled art work. Note: I have done a version of this, where I've had my special needs learners paint on card stock or watercolor paper. I then cut each...

In need of a quick way to get rid of extra art tape? This simple idea describes how learners can use it to create mini amusement parks. They'll form the tape into roller coasters, cars, and people with a little imagination and creative...

Learners create wonderfully animate animal masks out of balloons. They use the papier-mache technique to create three dimensional animal masks taking care to consider color, shape, texture, and the animals' features. 

Why not get creative and use paper clay to create colorful fish sculptures? All the steps needed to complete this activity are included. Your class will sculpt beautiful fish while exploring color, shape, and creative thinking. Use these...

A person can see a lot of different things when he looks at the amorphous clouds. The same is true when you let your watercolor paints do as they please. Little artists create haphazard art with watercolors, then use ink or marker to...

Kids create a free-form art piece using paper, water-based paints, markers, and imagination. They allow the paints to randomly bleed, mix, and move on the paper, then they look for forms in the organic images. They black-line the shapes...

Let nature inspire your budding artists. They paint seascapes on actual seashells. First, they observe the seaside, then they paint what they see (image or in person) on the inside of a white shell. 

Students engage in a lesson that investigates the hydrological cycle. They create bracelets with different colored beads that represent parts of the cycle. Students can follow the cycle in the order of the beads. The lesson includes...

Art is a great way to convey or express an idea. Learners choose an idiom, draw it, and use transfer paper to create photograms. They discuss how why they chose the phrase they did, and how they expressed that idea through their...

Learners engage in a lesson that is concerned with the concept of creating a hand puppet centered around the theme of sports. The lesson includes the steps needed to create the puppets and then students could discuss their favorite sports.

Students observe living animals and the movements they make. They exaggerate the positions taken by animals in their daily activities. Students sculpt a paper mache animal in an interesting position. They are asked if they ever notice...

In this holiday instruction worksheet, young scholars follow directions to make a toilet paper tube Advent wreath. They cover toilet paper tubes with construction paper and decorate it with greenery.

Foreign language learners decipher the meanings of classified ads in the target language. They investigate a large collage created by the teacher of foreign language advertisements and discuss the content with classmates.  Then...

The lesson plan would make a stimulating introduction to a space unit. It is highly imaginative and suggests that the teacher darken the room to set the mood and dress as an astronaut. Teams are asked to help solve an imaginary problem...

Upper graders explore equality by writing an essay. They read the story Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco, and discuss the meaning of the story and its relevance to Civil War events. Learners investigate the five writing process steps and...

Take a trip to the Golden State with this informative ESL presentation about California. Slides detail the state bird, state flower, and state tree with pictures and explanations. Some of the information is dated, such as Arnold...

After looking at some examples of Aztec art and design, learners create some of their own. They use the images in the slideshow as inspiration for the geometric patterns and textures they'll use in their art. 

First introduce your art class to the master, Paul Gauguin, then to the concept of complimentary colors. This slideshow provides a bit of background on the famous artist then walks kids through a step-by-step process intended as a study...

After interviewing an immigrant about their voyage to the United States and first impressions of the country, young learners create a fictional series of journal entries and design an iMovie depicting their interviewee's story.