Clik here to view.
Alphabet Art Project for 1st Grade
This is a great project to try at the beginning of the year or as your students are reviewing the alphabet and beginning to learn to write words and phrases. I got this idea from the book Dynamic Art...
View ArticleClik here to view.
1st Grade Fabric and Felt Collages
I loved these zig zag dolls by Patricia Saunders that were published in School Arts magazine earlier this year. We have a large tub of fabric and felt scraps that I wanted to start using up. After...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Coffee Filter Snowflakes with 1st grade
The week before winter break, the first graders made colorful coffee filter snowflakes. 1. Color the coffee filters with washable markers. 2. Spray with a water bottle and watch the colors magically...
View ArticleClik here to view.
15 Favorite Posts from 2013
Another year is rapidly coming to a close, so I thought I would spend some time reviewing my favorite projects and blog posts from this year. Here are my favorite posts, in no particular order! 15....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Have You Ever Drawn Flowers with Watercolor Pencils?
The week after winter break was up in the air. Due to construction, we weren’t sure if we were going to be able to use our art room and we didn’t know if we would have easy access to supplies. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Map of My Heart: 1st Graders
The 1st graders made maps of their hearts! This is a charming project that gives you a window into the lives of your students. First, they drew a large heart and then inside the heart they included...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Printing with Cardboard: 1st Grade Printmaking Project
Are you looking for a fun and easy printmaking activity with your youngest students? This one is always a hit and allows the students to be creative and expressive. I saw the idea to print with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
All About Me Crayon
One of the first projects my first graders made were these “All About Me Crayons”. We started the day by reading the book The Day the Crayons Quit, which is super funny and adorable. Then, they...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day of the Dead | Symmetrical Paper Skulls | 1st Grade
October 31 to November 2 is the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. My first grade students learned about the celebration a bit in their Spanish class and then in art class, we read a story about the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Art with Words | 1st Grade
The 1st graders looked at the art of Stuart Davis and read some of the words, letters and numbers in his artwork. They analyzed his pictures and tried to figure out why he might have included text in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Easy No-Cook Salt Dough Recipe
My daughter had a make-your-own play doh night at her preschool (YMCA, which has been really great so far!) and I thought it would be a fun activity for my little students right before winter break....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Learning about Patterns, Shapes and Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse is one of my favorite artists. I love his bold colors and beautiful shapes. While teaching about patterns, painting, collage and shapes, I recently introduced his artwork to my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Monoprint Hearts on Gelli Plates with 1st Graders
Hello friends! Have you used Gelli Printing Plates before? I was introduced to this a couple of years ago because I received a couple samples to try out for my blog. They are a super fun way to do...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Beautiful Oops Painting Project
Did you Celebrate Oops!? My kindergarten and first graders started this open-ended project by reading the book Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. We were inspired by the page in the book that said,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Printing with Cardboard Strips: First Grade
My first graders created these unique and expressive pictures by stamping with pieces of cardboard. Here’s how you can print with cardboard. First, cut pieces of cardboard into strips small enough...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Making an Assemblage & Learning about Louise Nevelson
I have seen variations of this project many times but have never tried it with my students. I am pleased with how our assemblages turned out! This was a great opportunity to clean out the junk in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bird Pictures with First Graders & Studying Audubon
I am so proud of how well my first graders drew these beautiful birds and I’m excited to share them with you. We started by reading the beautiful book The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Painted Initials with First Grade
One of the best parts about lesson planning and blogging is the ability to get all sorts of new ideas quickly on the Internet. This was a fun lesson I saw first on The Busy Librarian. We read the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Piet Mondrian Artwork with Dab and Dot Markers
I had the opportunity to try out Dab and Dot Dauber Markers and write a blog post for their website DoodleHog. These are similar to other paint dotters, but one difference I noticed is that the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Spirals, Flowers and Patterns: Learning about Hundertwasser
“A good picture is when the picture is full of magic, when you can feel the happiness in it, when it makes you laugh or cry, or when it makes something happen. It should be like a flower or a tree. It...
View Article
