How to Run Your First Day of Art Class!

Hi, friends!

Before we dive in, I just wanna say that what you're about to see here is how I run my first 30 minute art class with my first though fourth grade students. I have shared a lot of videos in the past about my first day of art...and really, this one is no different. EXCEPT...I'm going to walk you thru the method behind my madness so you can understand not only HOW I'm doing something but what and why. I'm also sharing my FREE downloads with ya as well as links to the items I share. But before we dive in...

If you just want a whole dang book to have and to hold with all of the info I'm about to share (and so much more), you can pick up a copy of my book Art Teacherin' 101 right here. 

Okay, without further ado, here's the video!

Now, I share several items in this video from my classroom. If you'd like to take a closer look at those things like my Open/Closed sign, my dry erase board and more then you can find links to all of them right here. 

Something I forgot to mention in the video is that I share THIS video at the start of that very first class! I can't believe I forgot to include that. But here it is! And you can find a blog post with more details on this here. 

My dry-erase board is handy because it's small and takes up just a little space on my desk. 

These signs can also be found at the Dollar Tree! OR...I do have an Open and Closed sign as a free download for you so just scroll down.

For my palette behavior system, I created the palettes using plastic palettes! You can find them here. 

Want to hear more about my palette system? I made a blog post and a video all about it! You can find the details here. 

In my book, Art Teacherin' 101, I talk about this "cheat sheet" and how it helps me remember all that I want to cover on that first day. For this free download, just click here!

For the free download of my Open sign, tap here. 

For my Closed sign, tap here. 

If you'd like a copy of my Getting to Know You questions, just click here!

Just a reminder: I'm sharing these with y'all so that you have a great start to your school year. Please do not sell these on TPT...I hate that I have to say that but it happens to me and other educators...a lot. It's stealing. So please don't.

For more info on how I run my very first day of art, please check out this blog post! Here I provide the videos I have created to share with my students. 

You can also find more info on my methods here. 

And you can find more here!

And stay tuned! I have much more on the first days coming your way. BUT...I also have loads of videos already on my YouTube channel you may enjoy.

Have a great week, friends!

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Let's Celebrate Vincent van Gogh: My Fave Van Gogh Art Lessons!

Hello, friends! 

Sunday, March 30th was Vincent van Gogh's birthday! I love Vincent and the story of his life. He was one of my favorite artists to share in the art room. When I was writing my book Find Your Way, a decide-your-direction art adventure, I knew I wanted to include van Gogh. I wrote Find Your Way to read to my students while they worked...and they were always fascinated with his artwork and his life. 

In case you are not familiar with my book, YOU are the main character in the book as the events unfold in real time. It all begins, as most adventures do, in the art room. The reader decides which art adventure to take. When I read this book to my students, we voted on which adventures to go on...and they loved it! I share much more about reading this book to my students here. 

In honor of this amazing artist, I thought I'd put together some of my favorite Vincent-inspired art lessons. I also created two FREE downloads just for you and your students to go with their very favorite van Gogh lesson...a James Rizzi and van Gogh mashup!

The complete lesson with instructional video can be found here. As for the free downloads, just tap the links below the illustrations!

Find the front of the drawing sheet here.

And the back of the sheet here! 

I always keep sheets like these in sheet protectors because...these kids are messy! You can find the sheet with the silly faces and more details on the lesson here. 

Since spring is here, doing a Vincent van Gogh inspired cherry blossom painting might be fun too! I have that lesson available here. 

I'm a big ole fan of Charley Harper so this lesson brings him and Vincent together in one super cute and fun lesson. Details with video here. 

There for a while, I was really into crafting this massive masterpiece murals with my students. They are a lot of fun...but a lot of work. When they come together...it's amazing! You can find details on this second grade Starry Night here. 

Of course, mark making and brushstrokes are always important to chat about when learning about van Gogh. This second grade lesson focused on that while also talking about warm and cool colors.

Here's what the painting exploration looked like after the first day.

And here's our final touches with India ink. Full lesson here. 

These second grade Super Hero Selfies were always a favorite lesson...it's one we did EVERY year! The sky was inspired by, you guessed it! Van Gogh! Lesson details here. 

Van Gogh also inspired my creations! I created this needle felted light up Starry Night dress and a Sunflowers sweater all thanks to him.

Most recently, I even made some buttons for a sweater and earrings...both from polymer clay. Lesson how-to here.  

I'll leave ya with another illustration from my book Find Your Way! The book features 7 different artists, over 80 illustrations, 32 different endings, a biography of each artist and a project inspired by each artist too! It was a labor of love...I hope your students enjoy it as much as mine did!

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