San Diego Museum of Art
Tapa-Inspired Pattern Painting
Middle schoolers are encourage to try their hand at traditional Oceania tapa art by crafting their own cloth using brown paper bags. Included in the resource is background information about the cultures of Oceania and their art.
Earth Day Network
Conserving Water Through Art!
Having fresh, clean drinking water is a privilege many people take for granted. Help raise awareness about the scarcity of water and the importance of conservation by discussing different ways water is used in everyday life. Brainstorm...
Curated OER
Sand Crabs
Students identify shapes to create sand crabs, and make colored sand for texture.
Curated OER
Paint Like a Pollock
Jackson Pollock's art appeals to young children. It's whimsical, fun, and accessible to them. Here is an art instructional activity which invites young artists to paint like Jackson Pollock. After viewing many of his works, they spread a...
Curated OER
Middle-East Reflections
Practice symmetry and patterns with this Mid-Eastern art project. Your class will create beautiful, reflective mosaics that will brighten up the classroom! A list of necessary materials is included.
Curated OER
Blick Liquid Watercolor
Introduce this abstract art to your class; they must chose ordinary classroom objects and shapes to paint with watercolors. The overlapping effect will create a fun, abstract piece of art!
Dick Blick Art Materials
“Gawu” — African-influenced Tapestry
Here's a great way to combine environmental science with art. Kids use recycled materials to create their own Gawu, a tapestry made of discards. Although designed for special education classrooms, the activity is sure to engage all...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Peace Windows
Peace, love, tolerance, faith. Marc Chagall's Peace Window in the United Nations World Headquarters serves as a model for young artists as they create their own peace-themed transparent paintings. A great activity for both SPED and...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Egg-Stra Easy Watercolor “Crunch”
It doesn't have to be Easter to enjoy this egg-stra fun art project. Kids crunch egg shells, saturate them with color, and glue them to boxes or other objects to make egg-stra special gifts.
Curated OER
Adventures in Toyland
There are many ways to tell a story; Richard Patterson's three-dimensional painting If serves as the inspiration for some creative storytelling for elementary school writers. They watch a clip from Toy Story (you'll need to...
Curated OER
Book Illustrations and Their Illustrators as Artists-K-3
Help learners construct relationships between written narratives and book illustrations, and between the narratives in formal visual art and the subject of the visual art. Look at Caldecott winning books and focus on the pictures drawn....
Curated OER
It's a Wrap!
Students investigate symbols and colors on the Osage blanket. For this visual arts lesson, students examine a blanket from the Osage culture and identify symbols on the blanket. Students create a class blanket, including symbols which...
Curated OER
Let's Have a Parade
Students explore the art piece, "Death Cart." In this visual arts lesson, students discuss the artistic details of the art piece and design a cart for a classroom "parade." Students use cardboard boxes, glue, and markers to construct a...
Curated OER
Artist Mice Art Nice
Students help create "Art picture frames" that display their own artwork throughout the year in this exciting lesson for the pre-Kindergarten classroom. The "frames" are then decorated with small mouse cutouts and pictures of each student.
Curated OER
Spin Art
The best part about spin art is that is demonstrates the concept of centrifugal force. Explore the magical spin of gravity as you make colorful art. This lesson idea is short, very simple, and requires a spin art machine.
Curated OER
Looking At French Decorative Arts: A Tapestry Fit For A King
Learners create a tapestry based on the Chariot of Triumph tapestry. In this visual arts lesson, students examine images of the original tapestry, determine the meaning of symmetry, and discuss symbolism in this art form. They draw an...
Curated OER
I SPY Art from A to Z
Students explore the Alphabet and acquire basic English vocabulary through the exploration of art. They find the alphabet in a variety of visual art images the teacher provides for them. Students count, sort and categorize Alphabet...
Curated OER
Activity Plan 5-6: Art History 101
Learners learn to appreciate art. In this early childhood lesson plan, students read about different artists and imitate their style to develop creative thinking, and language and literacy skills.
Teaching Tolerance
Collage of Concerns
A picture can speak louder than words. An interesting lesson introduces the themes of social justice and diversity to young learners by having them create artwork. Scholars create collages from a variety of sources to showcase what...
National Gallery of Canada
My Treehouse
If you could build your own treehouse, what would it look like? Using a piece of contemporary art as inspiration, learners draw their own treehouses and add geometric and organic shapes. The lesson touches on Visual Thinking Strategies...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Natural Twig Journals
Connect science, art, and language arts with a nature-themed bookmaking project. Kids craft book covers, cut paper for pages, and learn how to bind their creations.
Hildegard Center for the Arts
Mardi Gras Masks
Laissez les bons temps rouler! Create your own festive Mardi Gras masks with a lesson that provides background information on the celebration and instructions about constructing the masks.
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....
Dick Blick Art Materials
Woodsies “Extraordinaire”
"This looks like an owl!" Kids get a chance to create all sorts of things by arranging various shapes, painting them, and gluing them together. A great way to encourage creativity and spontaneity.