My Fave Clay Lessons of All Times (with Video!)

Hey, artsy friends! I'm comin' at you in the midst of clay week(s) at my school...which has me thinkin' all things clay. I've shared MANY clay projects on this blog (most with how-to video) and I thought I'd compile them here today. Feel free to use them in your art teacherin' world...just be sure and credit the original source and don't sell my content on TPT (yes, that's happening. I hate a disclaimer but here we are). Anyway, follow the links to the original blog posts for lesson details, videos and more!

Before we get to the lessons tho, I thought I'd share my two videos all about clay. 

And this one is all about glaze. I hope that they help!

Wait, WHAT?! YOU DON'T HAVE A KILN?

Well, no problem! I wrote a whole book filled with 52 clay projects for the kiln-less...although many of the projects in this book could also be done with kiln fire clay. Get you a copy here! 

Now, on with the lessons!

1. Cats and Dogs Sculptures! One thing my kids always love to create are animals. I usually do a theme for my art shows and on this particular year, we were raising funds for the local no-kill animal shelter. We created these cute pets. Complete instructions right here. 

2. Party Pandas! One year, our theme for our art show was Asia and my fourth graders created these little pandas with big personality. I love these sunbathing pandas! More details here. 

3. Clay Chameleons! If you are looking for a project that all kids will love and be successful with, check out this one! Our theme was Pet Shop and my third graders rocked this. Try glazing these with the glaze that has specks of glass in it for some real oohs and ahhs! Lesson video here.

4. First Grade Fish! How cute are these? I'm thinking of bringing this lesson back this year to go along with our pirate theme. You can check out the complete lesson with video here!

5. Spring Flowers! If you are looking for a spring themed project, have I got one for you. My kids loved this lesson but REALLY enjoyed making the little insects and butterflies on their flowers the most. I love when the kids tell a story with their clay. Lesson here. 

6. Painted Elephants Inspired by India! In keeping with our Asian theme a couple years ago, we created these PRECIOUS painted elephants. My fourth graders got so creative with this lesson that just seeing these melts my heart! All the details here.

 7. Bobble Head Pets! Did I mention that we like to sculpt animals? Cuz we like to sculpt animals. Complete details on these bobble head pets and video right here. 

8. Exotic Birds! Remember how I said the elephants were my favorite? Well, these guys place a close second. They did require some assembly for me and my parent volunteers but we didn't mind because LOOK HOW FUN! Lesson and video here.

 9. Texture Turtles by Kindergarten! That's right, kindergarten! We LOVE this lesson as it involves stepping on our clay and leaving behind our cool shoe tread texture. Lesson and video here. 

10. Kindergarten Butterflies! When doing clay with kindergarten, I always have them work with a lot of texture...texture and clay are a match made in heaven! Also, note how we "glazed" these...there are so many alternatives to glazing. So if you can't use glaze, check out how these were finished off! 

11. First Grade Fish! Yes, more fish! These were also painted in same manner as the butterflies. Colored with oil pastel and dip-dyed into black ink. If you've not tried this technique, you really outta! 

12. Gnome Homes! Did I mention that I like to use texture with clay? Cuz I like to use texture with clay! These gnome homes are always a hit with my students AND when I host craft nights for friends! Details here. 

13. Chinese Dragons! Remember that Asian theme I mentioned? Well, this was the third grader's contribution to that. They loved making these dragons. Super fun and simple lesson here!

14. Initials Plaques! This is one of those projects that I often return to because it is always a hit with the kids. This is also a great lesson if you are short on time and clay. Details can be found here. 

15. Pinch Pot Friends! All our kiddos need to know how to make a pinch pot...so much can be created from this simple vessel. Like these sweet pinch pot friends. Check out the blog post for details. 

16. Texture Tacos! Y'all, this is a lesson I did with my kindergarten and they ROCKED IT! Not to mention, they had a blast. All the details along with a video can be found here. 

17. Kindergarten Birds! That's right, kindergarten! We loved creating these and each one was as wild and wacky as the next. All the details here!

18. Pinch Post Pets! First grade made these cuties one year and I cannot get over them. Look at that attention to glazing detail! Lesson here. 

19. Coffee and Donuts! Okay, so this blog post actually DOES NOT have each project in detail because at the time it was written, I was working on my clay book! So the projects you see here can be found in my book. 

20. Fabulous Frogs! And, last but not least, these here fabulous frogs. This was also apart of our spring theme...and I just love the personalities of each. All the details here. 

I cannot wait to share with you what my kids are creating for our pirate themed art show...but if you want to stay in the know, you should totally follow me here! 

Read more »

Art Teacherin' 101: My Favorite Watercolor Paints!

 One question I get A LOT is about supplies...what supplies are the best to order? It's scary, putting in a supply order! We have such little money we don't want to waste it! You can check out some posts about my favorite art supplies to order here. In this video, I'll even walk you thru some of my favorite things for my art room. These posts are a couple years older and definitely need an update but many of my fave things remain the same. Especially my fave watercolor paints. 

 Only with quality watercolor paints will you get beautiful paintings! That and teaching kids HOW to use watercolor paints correctly. If you lurk this blog, you'll find plenty of posts of me teaching my students how to use their paint the right way to create amazing masterpieces. THIS LESSON (arrow pointing up) will be posted here super soon!

So...instead of typing it all out, I thought I'd create a video to share my favorite paints with you, all available in your favorite art supply catalog. This is NOT a sponsored post...so you know I'm speakin' the truth!

I'm so thankful for companies that continue to make quality art supplies for kids. Our young artists deserve the best!

Here's me explaining how to paint to my small friends. 

What are your fave watercolor paints?

Read more »

In the Art Room: Top 14 Favorite Valentine's Day Lessons

Well, hello lovies! In this blog post, I thought I'd share with you 14 of my very favorite Valentine's Day inspired lessons...perfect for these chilly and cold months. Let's let warm fuzzies abound in the art room! 

To find the lessons, just follow the link. Many of them have a video to share with your kids. Also...several of them are sub plan videos! Perfect if you have to take a day. I know I could use one. 

First up are these sweet Jim Dine-inspired heart sculptures created by my second graders. We used Celluclay and aluminum foil to make these beauties and the kids loved making them. 

Next up are these amazing LOVE prints created by my first graders. We chatted about Robert Indiana before diving into these. We had a whole lotta printmaking fun with this one. 

Last year, I did this lesson with my second graders. They were able to choose their own "kind" four letter word (we had: nice, kind, love, glow, hope, good, etc.) and used strips of paper to create the letters. Those turned out so fun. 

First grade artists created these huge Romero Britto-inspired hearts last year with bleeding tissue paper and paint sticks. We made these on huge 18" square sheets of paper. 

Speaking of first grade, here's a peak at what mine are working on right now...weaving! Heart weavings that we'll put together to create a faux quilt. This is one of my favorite lessons but mostly because I do love to teach weaving. 

Chris Uphues is one of my very favorite contemporary artists to share with my kids because 1. he's the nicest and 2. his artwork speaks to them. It's so happy! My students adored this lesson a couple years ago! 

If you need a quick one-day lesson that will introduce your kids to a new artist, you might want to try this one on for size. It's inspired by J. Goldcrown and all you need is black paper and chalk for amazing results. 

One year, we were inspired by Peter Anton's fake food sculptures to make some box of chocolates of our own. Third grade thought this was the coolest project ever. 

If you are like me, you do long art lessons...and then need a shorter one to pick up momentum again. I think my students might be the same way. This lesson is a quicker with beautiful results. Here's what we did with the paper after we cut the hearts how: filled them with a video of tissue paper!

And here's what we did with the hearts we cut out. So cute, right? 

This lesson is similar to the first I shared except that there are wings added with plaster. I'm thinking of doing this lesson with my third graders super soon...just need to work out the specifics...but I'm sure they will love it. Video details and more here. 

Need a sub plan? I did this Romero Britto inspired collaborative with my kids when I was out on jury duty. Lesson and video right here. 

Need something big and happy to spread the love? My kids EACH contributed to the Our School has Heart mural. Visit this post to see what each different grade level created for this mural from embroidery to painting to sculpture and needle felting! 

My fourth graders tackled this lesson a couple years ago right after they finished the following sculpture lesson...

Boy did we have a ball with this lesson! A super fun sculpture project for the kiddos. 

This lesson I created a little while back for my kindergarten and first graders. We loved the printed hearts and the fun guided drawing animals. Video lessons for each critter. 

Looking for a fun way to introduce your kids to four contemporary artists who use hearts in their work? This video lesson just might be for you!

Oh! And if you are looking for something to do with your faculty and staff to bring the love, you might want to check out these our Clay Hearts with Wings...a huge hit with my coworkers. Video too!

Okay, y'all...that was WAY more than 14 projects so have fun! 

Read more »

In the Art Room: Jen Aranyi Inspired Landscapes

Working on a fun new landscape lesson with my third grade kiddos that I'm so excited about, I just had to share...even if we have not finished them yet! We are learning about the artist Jen Aranyi who I discovered on Instagram and I LOVE. Turns out, so do my students! They are so excited about this project. 

We are working on cardboard pizza rounds that I have purchased from Amazon, Gordon Food Services and any restaurant supply place. I usually get a box of 100 for $20. They come in a couple different sizes and I let my kids decide if they wanted a large 14" circle or a smaller 10" one. 

Unlike the video, I actually had my kiddos use a pencil and THIS DRAWING SHEET first. Having this sheet really helped serve as a reminder for my kids after I'd gone thru the landscape directions. They drew in pencil first and then traced with Sharpie. Next week, we'll start the watercolor skies!

Here's the video I created just for you and my kids! Feel free to use in your art teacherin' world. Be sure to take Jen and I on IG when you do this lesson with you students. We would love to see!

Thank you to Jen Aranyi for her sweet words and support about this project. Her work is simply wonderful. Be sure and check her out!

Read more »

What the Art Teacher Wore #209

Hey, Pencil Dress! You can find out all the details of this dress, including where I scored the fab fabric right here. 

HOW DID IT HAPPEN THAT IT IS NOVEMBER ALREADY?! Like, who allowed that to happen? Who gave this year permission to fly by at the speed of light leaving me behind on all things! Y'all I know I say this all the time but MY HEAD IS JUST BARELY ABOVE WATER...maybe it's because...well, I'm in the midst of finishing my SECOND BOOK! 

Sweater from Urban Outfitters, skirt by me, details here! 

That's right! This one is the same format as my Clay Lab book but it will be all fibers. Coming up with over 50 fibers projects for kids has been a feat. Y'all know that I love to teach fibers and have been doing sewing, weaving, felting and more with my kids forever...but coming up with even more projects has basically fried my brain. It was a small brain to start with. And now it's basically burnt to a crisp. 

And I feel bad because I know I've missed out on sharing so much here, on this blog. This is such a fun place for me to share lessons, what I'm wearing and what I'm creating...but I've had to give up some of that to push on with the book. I know I'll be happy in the end (like, when I'm DONE!) but right now, it kinda bums me out that this space has been neglected. I'm sorry! More videos and posts to come. By the way, these Loud Mouths were created by my KINDERGARTENERS and you can find the video lesson here. 

Found this old photo of me back in '81, totally rockin' the teacher bun! AND kinda lookin' like a hostess from Shoney's. 

I've also been busy hitting fall state conferences! Last month I went to Florida's conference where I was one of the keynote speakers and presenters...y'all. It was such a blast! Florida knows how to conference! I'm excited to be heading to Connecticut this weekend to speak and present there too! 

I've also been getting ready for our Artome Art Show! I'm doing a new lesson with my fourth graders this year and I'm so excited about the results. I will DEF be sharing this lesson with you as it was one that the kids and I really enjoyed. 

Crayon sweater needle felted by me, details here!

Also...it seems that I don't often share that I have a podcast so I'm just gonna throw this out there as a reminder! A new podcast airs each Thursday and I'd love it if you gave it a listen. Also, if you have any suggestions for podcast topics, I'm always open. Feel free to drop me a line in the comments.  

After saying all that...I guess I can see why I feel like my head is just above water! In other news, check out these cute suns that my kindergarten created...it inspired one of my fourth graders to stitch up this sun pillow during her recess/stitching time. Isn't it the cutest?

The suns were created for these cuties. I'll be sure to share this kindergarten lesson with you soon!

I hope y'all have a wonderful upcoming week! Check out my pencil dress here! 

Read more »