Creature Painting

The opening of J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit provides a model of how to use rich details to create a setting. After reading the description of Bilbo Baggins’ abode, young writers create their own magical home for a fantasy creature. The...

"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.

You have to collect lots of materials (boxes, bags, toilet paper rolls, etc.) for this activity to work successfully. After modeling how to create an imaginary creature out of the collection of recycled materials, let your class search...

I love big mural projects. They bring a sense of ownership to the classroom, look great for parents, and can be a great way to complete a unit. Here are the steps and suggestions needed to create an ocean mural for your class. Learners...

Students, after researching the survival skills of carnivorous animals with large teeth, build a realistic model of a carnivorous creature. They compare and contrast how their carnivorous creatures grow, survive, move and behave to those...

Here is a great way to incorporate art into your next unit on prehistoric people. The class makes stones out of ceramic clay and then creates paintings like those found in the Lascaux Caves in France. A video link, full day-by-day...

Learners view the painting Yellow Rain Jacket and discuss. In this animal parts lesson, students visualize the missing parts of a horse to explore how different creatures have different parts.  Learners make predictions about what the...

Students explore lodge construction as a representation of culture. In this cultural diversity and Native American history lesson, students listen to a narrative explaining the origin of Native American painted lodges. Students design...

Students brainstorm what a fish looks like determining the parts from schema and research. They create a unique and interesting 3-d sculpture of fish or underwater creature mostly from recycled materials, then examine the aesthetics of...

Learners study the use of texture, and rhythm as a principle of design when showing movement in a painting.