Here's a clay lesson I recently created for my second graders! I created a video to share the process with them and thought I'd share it with you too. Here you go:
I did change things up from the video after working with the kids...we made the heart all in one sitting. That's right, 30 minutes! We hustled! Mostly because when I did try to have them wrap the clay coils up in a plate, they were dried and too brittle the next time. The key is that the clay needs to be super soft for the kids to work with. So passing that along to you!
This lesson could easily be done with both air dry and kiln fire clay. We used kiln fire. Once fired, I will dip all of the pieces in diluted India ink, covering the piece entirely. The ink dries quickly. Then I'll pass the piece back to my students and they will use craft store metallic acrylic paints to add the color. I added holes at the top so we could hang these. I may even have them add beads to the hanger.
And in case your clay dried out before you could use it last year, I created a video on how to reconstitute that old clay. I did this process with clay that was two years old! Not fun at all...but it can be done and it's good to know when you are in need. I hope it helps!
Well, this blog post has been a long time coming, as we've been working on this What a Wonderful World mural since the start of the school year! I'm excited to say that it's complete and it's up (when it wants to stay up, sigh). You can take a tour of the mural and learn all about who made what and what lessons were involved in this video right here!
We've done SO MANY school-wide collaboratives at my school. I absolutely love them. They are also my favorite way to start the school year. I'm working on creating another blog post of all our collaboratives compiled in one post...but until then, check out the video for details and THIS podcast episode on how you can use song as a collaborative inspiration!
This mural makes me so happy and I thought it was such an appropriate song for this school year. I've gotten so much of a wonderful response from the faculty and staff (and kids!) that I'm thrilled. I mean, doing a collab like this is so much work. Especially when it comes time to assemble and hang the beast!
And here's the video if you'd like to see us in action:
One of the many reasons I like to start my school year with a collaborative is because it means we are all pretty much working with the same art supplies. In this case, we were working with bingo daubers and tempera paint...a lot!
Some of the lessons were tired and true like the first grade flowers you see at the start of this blog post. Some were new like the funny face clouds by kindergarten!
Our next mural is going to be based on our school song! I'm so glad we have a school song, it's so sweet and our students love to sing it. I think it will be perfect and hope to create a permanent display.
I got many requests from teachers for future songs....but next time I think I'd like to go with a song that the kids really know and love.
Adding the component of also learning the song in sign language was very fun and a great way to connect with our deaf friends. We have fabulous ASL teachers in our school who helped us learn the song.
Of course learning a song in a different language would be amazing too! The kids loved creating these painted plates with greetings in different languages for the mural. This was an easy early finisher activity for my students as they worked thru their paintings.
I know I'm totally oversharing in this post but I just love this mural so much! Funny face raindrops by second grade.
And I got to put it all together. Lucky me! It's okay, I love it so much and can't wait to create another! You'll have to let me know if you tackle a project like this and how it goes.
I'm baaaaack! I took a small hiatus from my podcast back in March when I learned we were not returning to school. Suddenly my focus was on distance learning...and not much else! I had no intention of taking a break but, for me, it was necessary. However, I'm so thrilled to announce that I'm back with two episodes of Season 2! They're titled How to Prepare for the Unknown, Part 1 & 2...kinda appropriate, right? I do hope you enjoy. If you know other teachers who might, please feel free to pass this along. I would also love to read your comments so feel free to leave them wherever you listen to the podcast. Thanks, ya'll!
Hello, friends! I have created a lesson for my students and any kiddos who wish to create titled Behind My Mask! When my students return in the fall (and, yes, I said 'when' as I am very hopeful and optimistic), they will be asked to mask-up. We always seem to start out school year with a selfie so I was bummed when I thought of the idea of my students drawing themselves with their best facial feature hidden. And that's where the idea of this surprise drawing came from. Here's a video! Feel free to use and share (with credit given, please and thank you):
I simply used paper, permanent marker, coloring markers and crayons. If I happen to teach virtually this fall, this lesson could also be done by my students at home.
This video is a short and simple one...when teaching, I plan to share with my students a variety of self-portraits and talk a lot more about lettering, fonts, skin tones, craftsmanship, good character...the list goes on! As you can see, I'd have a hard time fitting it into a video short enough to capture their attention. So, if you use this video, feel free to add on whatever you wish to include!
No one is excited about wearing a mask but...it's for our safety. And the best thing we can do for our kiddos is to put a positive spin on it, right? I hope to do that with this lesson. Enjoy!
It's time to celebrate dad! All dads: step-dad, grand-dad, uncle who is like a dad...really any dude who makes your life better. It's time to let 'em know how awesome they are! All you'll need is paper, scissors, glue, crayons and markers. Here we go:
I've been thinking of new art lessons to bring into my art room this coming school year. I always want my lessons to have a focus on kindness, acceptance, empathy and love because, to me, that's what art is all about. I have put together a list of my favorite books to use when teaching and I thought I'd share it with you.
As for the weaving project, you'll need a piece of white and black paper; yellow, red, white and black paint; a paintbrush and a cup of water; scissors and glue. Here we go:
I've been getting a lot of questions lately on how I plan to approach these types of lessons in my art room. Honestly, I'm going to be spending my summer reading, listening and learning. I don't know the answer to that question...yet. But I am open to learning. For now, this is my starting point and I thought I would share.
Yesterday, as apart of our Under the Sea Week, we created Coral Reef Relief Collages! If you want to create your own, grab the following supplies:
And now, let's create:
This one is so much fun and the possibilities are endless. If you want to join LIVE art class today, here's what you'll need! You can find me LIVE on my Facebook page, my Instagram or join the fun later by tuning in to my YouTube channel. Be sure and subscribe, new videos are added all the time!
Hello, friends! Who's ready for Under the Sea Week? I'm so excited to kick things off with a selfie that we'll be bubble printing on! In case you don't know...you can join me for live art class on my Instagram page or my Facebook page. If you miss a class, no worries, I always post the lesson the following day to my YouTube channel. Here's what's in store this week:
Last week we explored a bunch of collage techniques for our hamburger. I thought we'd continue that by creating a Coral Reef Relief Sculpture!
Y'all know it wouldn't be a week of Art Class with Cassie without some salt dough clay, right? If you are low on supplies, any clay would work from Model Magic to Play-Doh.
What do sharks snack on? Let's draw what we think they might enjoy with this fun pop-out!
The kids have been BEGGING for a mermaid project so here we go! We'll do a fun printing technique for the background to create a tie-dye effect.
And here's the line-up! If you know some kiddos who would enjoy, please feel free to share. Also, big thanks to our sponsors, Art to Remember and Ticonderoga!
This week, on my YouTube channel, I've been sharing a new Mother's Day project each day! I thought I'd put them all together here in case you need something for dear ole mom (or you know some kiddos who need to get to creatin'). You'll only need paper, glue, glue stick or tape, scissors and something to draw and color with. Here we go:
Why not brighten mom's day with a pop-up rainbow?
Or spend some time writing about what a star she is in your life with this project:
This MOM/WOW project was a huge hit this week!
And, lastly, try this origami house that you can draw your family inside:
And this optical illusion heart is just so fun and easy to make with amazing results!
Need a fun project for Mother's Day or any day? For this Glow Gallery star project, I'm using supplies by Pacon. You can shop their entire glow store here for all of your glow art show needs! I am using their Pacon paper and their Creativity Street Tempera Sticks. You can check out the video here:
I did this project years ago as a sub plan, if you can believe that! Here is what we created then and the supplies we used:
You can see more about this project in this blog post. Also, here is the video for this lesson:
Let's create an abstract word-painting! This one is fun and easy. All you'll need is a piece of paper, a permanent marker, water-based markers, a cup of water and a paintbrush. When you are finished with this painting, try painting your name as the words or someone else's name, like mom or dad! Let's get started:
Did we have fun making Wizard Selfies yesterday! It was such a blast and the Art Class with Cassie kids did an INCREDIBLE job! In case you missed it, here are the supplies we used:
And here's the video so you can create!
You won't want to miss today! We are making Baby Dragon Puppets! Grab your supplies and I'll see you on my Instagram or my Facebook LIVE at 11am CT. Or check the afterparty on my YouTube channel. New videos added daily so be sure to subscribe!
