It's here: ROUND Paper and Why It's the Best Thing EVER

Oh hey there, friends!

I hope this here blog post finds you either on summer vacation or getting dangerously close. Either way, you may find yourself asking "wait, why am I reading an art teacherin' blog?!" Because you are just so dedicated, that's why! Or delusional. Either way, welcome! 

You might know that I occasionally work with Prang Art Supplies to craft supplies for you and your students. A couple of years ago, when I was painstakingly cutting out circles for my students to use for Dot Day, with hands cramped, I reached out to my buddies at Prang and said,

"You know what would be REALLY great? If y'all made some round paper outta that good paper you have." 

And so...they did!

It's the perfect paper for Dot Day but also...ANYTHING that happens to be round! I thought I'd share not only my fave Dot Day lessons here (I'm only 6 months early as Dot Day is usually celebrated September 15th) but also a FREE download for your artists to brainstorm all the round things. 

But first, if you'd like to get your hands on this paper, you can find it here.

I created a FREE download for you and a video that will walk your students through drawing both a pizza and a donut! If you'd like that AND a free lesson plan, just click here!

For this FREE download, just click here!

Get started on your art making adventure here!

In need of some Dot Day inspo? Then check out this lesson plan! It's one I have used with students as young as kindergarten for years!

Need some more Dot Day inspo? I created a blog post of my 14 very favorite Dot Day lessons which pair perfectly with this here round paper! You can find them all here. 

And, of course, if you need a good book on SHAPE to reinforce all things dotty and round, then don't forget to check out my book Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes!

Why You NEED Modeling Clay in your Art Room!

When I first started teaching my art room had NOTHING in it but a bowling pin, a Leonardo da Vinci board game with the pieces missing, a coffee can of broken crayons and...a TON of modeling clay. I cast the clay aside not thinking I'd ever have use for it. But when my curriculum called for a "clay unit"...and I had no kiln and no budget, this stuff came in super handy. Turns out, my students and I loved it and used it to explore more than just sculpting. It became a vital tool for learning lines, shape, texture and more. Here's how:

I love using modeling clay for early finishers, lesson review, preview to sculpture and more! I created these clay sheets just for you! Please feel free to use them in your art room. 

Also, I know a lot of you need to turn in lesson plans. My friends at Prang created one for you! You can download it here!

To purchase your modeling clay, here's what I'm using. 

Here you go:

This is a great sheet to use to introduce clay to your students! You can find all of these downloads here. 

I use this sheet after introducing line or when I'm doing a line review with my students. Of course, I read my book Larry the Line and this follow-up activity ties in perfectly! You can find my book Larry the Line here. 

I'm closing in on nearly 200 five-star reviews of my book Larry the Line! I love to see Larry in your art rooms...thank you so much! Get yourself a copy here.

Once my students learn about lines, we move on to shape...so I created these sheets so students can see how to use lines to create shapes. These sheets can be found here!

Of course, my book Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes is the perfect companion to these shape sheets.

You can pick up a copy of Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes here!

Thanks, y'all! Enjoy!

Let's Make a Sandwich Collage!

Hey, friends! I'm coming at you today with a fun lesson that's the perfect thing to introduce collage, ignite the imagination and review shapes...a Sandwich Collage!

I shared a similar lesson years ago and you can find it here. And, if you want to continue on the food theme, I have a whole unit of lessons for you! It's one of my fave themes and you can find details here. 

For this lesson, all you'll need is construction paper, glue or a glue stick, scissors and maybe markers and crayons. I created this video for you to play for your students so...have fun!

For a quick link to the supplies I am using, jump over here!

I mentioned that this lesson would be a great way to reintroduce the element of art of SHAPES to your students. When I wrote my book Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes, I wanted it to go beyond the basic shape books I had on hand. So I dug into the first and second grade curriculum on shapes and made sure to include that.

As an art teacher, I focused on geometric and organic shapes. However, in the classroom, teachers talk a lot about sides and vertices. Which...I learned from my students! To support the classroom teachers and continue the education of shapes in the art room, I included the vocabulary and standards in my book.

Because Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes introduces so much, I recommend reading it in two parts! On the first day of the collage project, try reading about how line creates shape, the difference between organic and geometric shapes and what makes a shape. The first half of the book chats about geometric shapes, what makes them unique and how to tell them apart. From there, the book discusses organic shapes. Perhaps that could be discussed on the second day, when the artists focus on the organic shapes of the food they wish to include in their collage sandwich.

By the way, if you are interested in checking out free lessons and downloads, you may want to subscribe to my email list! You can do so here.

And often I share videos on YouTube before I have a chance to chat about them here. So...be sure to subscribe! You can do so here. 

Let's Play Snowman Bingo!

I know what it's like this time of year...constant interruptions for programs, field trips, classroom parties and the like. It's nearly impossible to keep the kids engaged let alone...keep them on track or start new projects. I found that THIS drawing activity was perfect for my early finishers and for some Winter Centers that keep all kids happy and creating. I created a how-to video just for you and your students AND these two FREE downloads!

Let's start with the downloads! I used these in a sheet protector so that my students could draw on them again and again. I found that the best deal on these protectors was Amazon. You can get a ton of them cheap! However, the plastic IS thinner that the more professional grade sheet protectors made for the classroom. Just be aware of that. 

You can find this free download here. 

And you can score this free download here!

Here's the video:

Now, if you want to take the activity a step further, check out the end of the video to see how we make a work of art out of our drawing! It's super fun. 

And don't forget to check out my OTHER free downloads to create snow globes here!

Check out the kids in action here:

Of course...this fun activity can lead into this big project that I did with my kindergarteners! You can find all the video details and lesson info here. 

In other news...I think I know what some folks are getting for Christmas as I've been shipping out a lot of my books lately! If you are interested in receiving one of my books before the holidays, please consider ordering soon so that they MIGHT arrive in time. 

Art Teacherin' 101 is packed with everything-I-wish-I-woulda-known about teaching art. It has all of my tips and tricks for classroom management as well as discovering just who you are as an art teacher so  you can be your very best. If  you would like to kick off the new year with some new methods to try, this book is for you! 

My new book Find Your Way was written to read to my students as they work. I do this with my second through fourth graders (and on up would work but I only teach thru 4th) and it keeps them focused and working quietly. This book is a choose-your-own-adventure style book where you go on art adventures with 7 different artists! From Vincent van Gogh to Frida Kahlo, Money, da Vinci and more, the reader can decide what adventure to take with up to 32 different endings and over 80 illustrations! Find it here.

As a teacher, I could never seem to find a book on shapes that wasn't too baby-ish. All the books seemed to be simply getting children to recognize and name shapes which...most can already do by the time they enter the art room. However, many don't know the difference between a shape and a form, geometric and organic and how shapes can be used to draw. So...I wrote Alfred the Ape Knows His Shapes and I think you'll love it!

Larry the Line is based on a poem I wrote my first year teaching art. I've shared Larry in many blog posts...before writing a longer version of my poem, illustrating it and crafting it into a book! It's a rhyming book which are always fun to read to students...and, added bonus: they remember the names of lines much better this way! You can check out Larry the Line (and read the 175 reviews!) here. 

Have fun, y'all!

My Favorite Art Lessons for Winter!

Hello, friends! With Thanksgiving break coming to an end, it's time to kinda-sorta start thinking about exactly what is gonna go down in the art room for the next (longest) weeks of your art teacherin' life. Well, have no fear! I've got a TON of projects here that will not only get you to the finish line but will also be projects that are appropriate to continue after Winter Break. Yippie!

Before we dive in, I thought I'd share my books with you! I've had lots of folks purchase my books for Christmas presents for teachers, art teachers and children...and now is the time to get them, if interested. If purchased soon, we can assume (hope and pray) that they'll arrive in time for the holidays. You can check out all four of my independently published books here. I have written two other books with a publisher...and those can be found on Amazon. Let me take you on a quick book tour: 

Art Teacherin' 101 is packed with everything-I-wish-I-woulda-known about teaching art. It has all of my tips and tricks for classroom management as well as discovering just who you are as an art teacher so  you can be your very best. If  you would like to kick off the new year with some new methods to try, this book is for you! 

Larry the Line is based on a poem I wrote my first year teaching art. I've shared Larry in many blog posts...before writing a longer version of my poem, illustrating it and crafting it into a book! It's a rhyming book which are always fun to read to students...and, added bonus: they remember the names of lines much better this way! You can check out Larry the Line (and read the 175 reviews!) here. 

As a teacher, I could never seem to find a book on shapes that wasn't too baby-ish. All the books seemed to be simply getting children to recognize and name shapes which...most can already do by the time they enter the art room. However, many don't know the difference between a shape and a form, geometric and organic and how shapes can be used to draw. So...I wrote Alfred the Ape Knows His Shapes and I think you'll love it!

My new book Find Your Way was written to read to my students as they work. I do this with my second through fourth graders (and on up would work but I only teach thru 4th) and it keeps them focused and working quietly. This book is a choose-your-own-adventure style book where you go on art adventures with 7 different artists! From Vincent van Gogh to Frida Kahlo, Money, da Vinci and more, the reader can decide what adventure to take with up to 32 different endings and over 80 illustrations! Find it here.

Okay! Let's talk winter lessons! If you are looking for something big that involves all your students then crank up those holiday tunes and let's make a big ole Winter Mural. Details here. 

If you are feeling adventurous, run a homeschool group or love working in small groups...OR just have kids who learned to stitch and don't wanna quit (which was the case here) then this project is super! I had fourth graders who had just finished a sewing unit and would come in during recess wanting to sew some more. I came up with this fast sewing project which you can find here, complete with video tutorial!

If you are looking for a project that really gets the kids drawing and focused, these Snow Glow Cities were the trick for me! Added bonus: it was a long project that took us all the way to the holidays! IYKYK. Video tutorial in the post!

Okay, lemme just say this: DO NOT start this project...unless you've done weaving (even just paper weaving) with your students first. Otherwise, you will curse my name and probably put a hex on me and my cats. And I don't want that! BUT you could start by spending a couple of days before break painting and prepping the plate before diving into weaving. I promise it's not HARD...but it does require patience which...who has that before break? Full lesson with video here. 

And if you are interested in more sewing and weaving projects, I do have TONS under the "fibers" playlist on my YouTube channel. I am getting ready to upload a ton of new content there so...I encourage you to subscribe! Also, if you'd like to see more of these type of projects, then check out my book: Stitch and String Lab for Kids.

Now let's chat about some fast -n- furious art projects that all your students will love. I put together several in this blog post, just for you! This Hot Chocolate Collage was a fun pairing with what we did after winter break...

And that was to make ceramic mugs for our Hot Chocolate Party! I do this every year with my kindergarten-fourth grade students. By the time they leave my school, they have a cabinet of five mugs at home! 

Another spin on yee ole hot chocolate is this bingo dauber lesson! I created a video to walk your students through the process and you can find it here.

Speaking of a little guided drawing...I created a video that will walk your students through a quick -n- cute cats and dogs drawing video that I promise they will love! 

If I may...offer a little advice during this time of year. Your schedule is going to experience so many interruptions that it's gonna be hard to know what to expect. SO...why not just do the same dang lesson with ALL your student?! Then the supplies can just stay out! ALSO...older students LOVE doing projects that are 'easy' every now and then. It builds confidence and they love doing younger kiddo style of artwork. This lesson is penguin perfect for this idea! Video lesson included!

Same with this lesson! Fun, colorful and easy. Full video tutorial here. 

This lesson is ALWAYS a hit and now...even better that Prang sells ROUND PAPER! I know, isn't that the best?! Full lesson with video here. 

A lesson I did every year with kindergarten that was always a hit is this painted and collaged winter landscape with a decorated frame!

I'm gonna add an update to this lesson so listen carefully before you cause yourself a whole lotta headache: don't make black glue. DON'T DO IT. You can still do this lesson HOWEVER...do it the way I share in this lesson and it will be so much easier! Tree lesson here. 

Looking for a fun and easy way to introduce pattern and printmaking? Check this one out! 

Oh, look, another penguin lesson! 

I just uploaded this tutorial last week! It's easy, low mess and low stress. Details here!

And stay tuned! I have lots of winter-themed projects that I'll be sure to share here and on my YouTube channel! Have a great rest of your break!