art class time by Mrs. Harrison

‘Spot’ the leopard teaches kids how to find their place in the world and that there is a special spot for everyone. This craft is handy when you are in a pinch since it can take as little or as much time as you need it to. Or use it to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday the first week of March.    preK & kinder 

Celebrate Dr Seuss with this weaving project for young children. The project is paired with the book, "I am NOT Getting Up Today" and uses basic supplies and a little prep work.  The episode describes in detail how to teach students to weave a blanket with colored strips of paper and draw themselves dreaming beneath it.

Teach kids how to make a beautiful, circular weaving using yarn and a paper plate. This episode guides you through every step of the project to ensure that your students end up with a work of art and a love of weaving.

No, it's not your imagination... teaching weaving to kids is REALLY hard. This podcast will help you break down the process of weaving for different age groups. Teaching children the 'secret' to weaving helps emphasize an important step so weaving becomes fun instead of frustrating.

If this podcast helps prevent just one art teacher from an epic fail, then sharing my disaster stories will have been worth it. Admitting mess-ups is humbling... Especially when you’re creating a podcast on how to be a successful art teacher; but we do grow more from our messes than from our successes. No matter how much you plan, prepare and practice, every teacher will have a set back... especially when first starting out. In my 12 years as an art teacher, there are mistakes I will never, ever repeat. Here are a few of my art lesson blunders. 

This inexpensive art project is great for a chili cook-off, rodeo season, or for any western theme. Create cowboy (or cowgirl) boots out of craft paper. Transform a repeated name or phrase into embroidered boot stitching... perfect for students  learning how to write in cursive. Younger kids can use their fancy, swirly writing along with gemstones and stickers to add glam to their boots. Great for any age.

This podcast teaches students how to transform an empty water bottle into a glowing firefly.  This craft is inspired by, "The Very Lonely Firefly", by the late, great, Eric Carle. Use the fireflies to give a pretty glow to an evening school event, then students can use it as a night light. ages 4+

This podcast provides everything needed for you and your students to play the art game called, ART CHOPPED. The game is based on the Food Network show called, "Chopped". A bag of mystery art supplies is given to each group of students to create a masterpiece before time is up. Bring out the creativity and resourcefulness of your students as they use a limited amount of supplies and time to compete against their classmates. Have a 'pantry' of tape, scissors, staplers and stick glue accessible and think up a cool prize for the winner.   ages 6+

Three little mice in the story "Mouse Shapes" show how to build different objects using circles, triangles, rectangles and squares. Go beyond this project to build a colorful village of houses out of paper shapes.   ages Pre-K+

Mind-blowing optical illusions introduce students to positive and negative space using basic supplies; paper, scissors and glue. 

Paint on glass successfully with this podcast. A supply list, instructions, set-up and clean-up details are included. Students get very creative with this project and it's easy with the right materials.   ages 11+ 

Etching on glass is easy! Masking a design on glass to be etched is easier after looking at positive and negative space through the work of M. C. Escher and his optical illusions. Included in this podcast are a supply list, set-up, instructions with links to graphics, and tips on clean-up.  ages 11 and up

These water bottle Luminarias are easy to make and create a festive glow for our chili cook-off. Students can collect water bottles to be upcycled for this project. The supplies are basic, and glow sticks can be used instead of the battery operated tea lights.

This mosaic cup lantern glows and has the look of stained glass. An alternate version for older kids uses dry, fall leaves and pressed flowers on mason jars. Use the lanterns to decorate a school event, on the dinner table, or as a night light.

How do you explain to students why screen-printed soup cans hang in a museum and are worth millions of dollars? This episode has the answer to that question and more by learning about 1950s and '60s pop culture artists. Learn how to create a unique pop art design for today's pop culture. Included are detailed instructions on turning that design into a print and also on how to create a personal pop art collage.

This podcast has everything you need to learn the process of printmaking. Supply list, class room set-up, transferring a line drawing onto a printing block backwards, cutting into the printing block safely, applying ink, making prints and clean-up. Even the process of signing and numbering the prints

Learn about the First Nation Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska. Use their graphic and simplified line work to draw an animal that represents you or your family. Take the project further and create a totem pole.   ages 11+

This is an introduction to printmaking for younger students. The project uses a pencil to carve into a foam plate instead of sharp tools with a printing block. Create a symmetrical design and transform it into a real art print.  ages 8+

This podcast covers printmaking for young children and making stamps. The book, "The Shape of Things" is our inspiration for using squares, circles and triangles to draw pictures. This is an easy introduction to the mature craft of printmaking made simple for children ages 4-7.

Art Nouveau is an art movement from the late 1800s through the early 1900s that used anything from nature as inspiration. Louis Comfort Tiffany's stained glass work is used as an example of flowing, organic lines and forms. Use feathers, flowers, shells and insects to inspire your art students to create an Art Nouveau style line drawing in colored pencil.  ages 9+

Can anyone learn to draw? This lesson works through exercises in the book, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" and will make an artist out of anyone who wants to learn to draw.   ages 11+

Students will create their names in graffiti... legally, and we will discuss the mysterious artist, Banksy. Simply trace letters from a sample graffiti alphabet sheet (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KYOsbROjMEpD7cJhHrjHewhfZwGFlINW/view?usp=sharing) and learn how to add color and shadow to make it look 3-D. Also learn about the current art movement, Street Art, and how graffiti artists took it off the the streets and into museums and auction houses. For ages 9 & up.

Learn about the story quilts by Harriet Powers. Take a look at samples of different candy, then create your own. Redesign an existing candy or make one up from your imagination. Get creative! Does your candy have a super power? Does it taste like cherry then turn to pickle flavor? Is it hard candy that is specially made for braces? Is it invisible gum you can chew at school? 

Redesign the U.S. one dollar bill... or currency from anywhere; real or imaginary. We will look at currency from around the world, take a closer look at our $1 bill, and learn about the symbolism used in our money.

Lines are everywhere you look. Use line to draw your own wacky monster inspired by the book, "Lines That Wiggle" using basic supplies. For students in Pre-K through 2nd grade.

Create the "Busy Spider" on her sparkly web from the book by Eric Carle.

Picasso's line drawings of animals are beautiful in their simplicity. Use soft, colored wire instead of a pencil to trace a line drawing or create an original one. No special tools required. Ages 11 and up   

This project emphasizing line, works well for grades 3-8 and explores 3 different media: oil pastel, black glue and watercolor. The project is a beautiful oil pastel leaf outlined in black glue with a hazy watercolor background. The lesson lists the supplies, instructions on how to make some of the supplies on your own, step-by-step guidance through the project, and things to look out for when the kids are working with wet media. The result is definitely frame-worthy.   YouTube companion video: https://youtu.be/lMiI9kry3E4

"A line is a dot that went for a walk". The quote is by Swiss and German artist, Paul Klee and is a playful definition of the most simple form of art: LINE. This lesson is an imaginative way for kids to create line art that tells a colorful story. YouTube companion video: https://youtu.be/Rr5OK31WcDg

Get kids ready to open their imaginations with the book, "The Dot", by Peter H. Reynolds. Make a mark and see where it takes you! This podcast will lead you through a lesson on how dot-making and line drawing turns a circle into something special as well as inspiration for creating your own, "Itty Bitty Art Show".  

Your art room is creative and inspiring, your art supplies are organized, and now all you need are the kiddos. This podcast describes the first day of art class and will cover: Talking to students about rules and expectations, A game called, "Guess the Medium", The weekly, "Spotlight Artist", the basic elements of art covered through the school year, and sketch books for each student. 

Art class set-up and art supply organization. A tour of the art room and links to pics. 

Do you love teaching art more than planning lessons or do you simply not have the time? I want to share the art curriculum I’ve developed over the years with you. Each project begins with a supply list with options for different budgets, an inspiring story about an artist or art movement, classroom set-up, instructions for the project with links to graphics and a companion video, and clean-up. Even tips on classroom management and organization.