We were on a special schedule to be able to view the eclipse on campus on 4.8.24. We were told to distribute the eclipse glasses and head out to our black top area for the viewing. I had about 35 minutes in art class before we could go on the journey. What did I do? I taught a quick lesson on Alma Thomas and her Eclipse painting. You see, I think this was a win - win situation.  Who is Alma Thomas?  Alma Thomas was an African American artist known for her abstract paintings. She was born on September 22, 1891, in Columbus, Georgia, (FUN FACT 1969 and 1965 wer ..read more

  Have you ever heard of Noemi Ibarz? Here is a little information about her. Noemi Ibarz is an artist from Spain who makes amazing paintings. She mixes colors and shapes to make pictures that look like dreams! Sometimes, she uses oils and other things to add texture to her art. Noemi's paintings make people think about who they are and what they feel. She is becoming really famous around the world because of her beautiful and creative artwork. She uses more than one medium on her paintings. Which brings me to this mixed media blog post. I signed up to rec ..read more

Kids are always down for an Ed Heck project!  These second graders did a great job on their versions of Ed Heck!  For lots of more posts on Ed Heck, Click HERE! How did this go down? I gave the kids a sheet with some of Heck's work. The kids looked at the sheet and began drawing and painting! L?Kie! ?1965   ..read more

In this lesson plan, we'll be exploring the ancient art of pottery by creating clay pinch pots. This hands-on activity not only allows students to engage with their creative instincts but also provides a window into historical and cultural practices. Through this lesson, students will develop their fine motor skills, learn about the properties of clay, and understand basic principles of form and structure. This lesson aligns with National Standards for Visual Arts Education. Sometimes in middle school, I get students that have never used clay before and other ..read more

  Here's a pretty easy project for middle school or maybe upper elementary! Directions: Kids make the letters of their name into objects. Have a L?K! ?1965 ..read more

  Put on your dancing shoes and let's get started! This lesson was so much fun to teach. Have you ever been to a disco party? One of the most iconic decorations you'll find at a disco is the dazzling disco ball. With its mirror-like surface reflecting light in every direction, it adds a touch of magic to the dance floor. Today, we're going to capture that magic on paper and create our very own disco ball masterpiece! To be honest, I love a good disco ball. I even put one in my daughters room as a baby. Not kidding! It is still there. I just created a canv ..read more

This project is a recycle project.  I had tons of paint left over from my morning classes, so I got the elementary kids to paint a background using the leftover paint.  Also, I had a stack of newspapers that had been sitting around for quite some time.  So, I decided to recycle!   If I had time, there is so much that I could recycle.  As most of you know, there is never enough time! How did it go down? Kids painted backgrounds. Kids cut chickens out of newspapers. Kids glued the chickens on the painted paper. Kids filled in the details of the chickens! L?K ..read more

Yo!  We made sculptures out of cardboard recently.  How did it go down? 1-I did a little prep work by cutting big pieces of cardboard with this cardboard cutter? Click HERE for Amazon link to cardboard cutter 2-The kids created a design or rough draft 3-The kids started designing and using scissors to cut the cardboard 4-They colored using oil pastels 5-They glued their creation onto a piece of chipboard that they had designed Chipboard looks like this: Click HERE for Chipboard link 6-Once they had all the pieces in place, they hot glued L?kie! ?1965 ..read more

How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace was a super cute book!  I would recommend reading this book to lower elementary students around St. Patrick's Day every year! How did this go down? First, I went to Canva and made a kid's bedroom. Click HERE for a Copy of the Kid's Bedroom with the Leprechaun I used the Read-Aloud below: After the video, we discussed ways to catch a leprechaun The kids drew in their ideas for how to catch a leprechaun on the sheet  Each kid came and told me about how they were planning on catching the leprechaun That's all, y'all! L?K ..read more

  I have found that guided drawing lessons are beneficial for middle school students for several reasons. Firstly, they provide a structured and supportive environment for students to explore their creativity and develop their artistic skills. I call these lessons: The one and done lesson. They are great to teach before a break. (Holidays, Spring Break, Exams, etc…) These lessons offer step-by-step instructions and demonstrations, helping students gain confidence in their drawing abilities and encouraging them to express themselves artistically. Additionally, guided d ..read more