the idea: while my students are busy being impressionists, make a quick version of Renoir’s Dance at Bougival When I sat down to teach my last after school class for the year in Cambridge, I thought that I would participate along with my students. I was teaching about canvas (it originally came from the sails of …
the idea: teach stained glass using plastic laminate, tissue paper, and sharpie This is one of my lessons that I’ve picked up during my time at the MFA. When I first heard fellow teachers discussing it, I thought it would be too difficult for the young children that I tend to work with. However, it turns …
the idea: cut a monkey out of cardboard and cover it with rainbow tissue paper One of the things that no one tells you about teaching is that there are often times when all your students are doing work and you’re just sitting there, waiting for them to finish. As an art teacher, this isn’t always …
the idea: have students create their own mythical creatures by combining two or more animals I was taught how to make this kind of puppet by my friend, Amy Beth. You fold the paper in half like a hot dog, fold the hot dog in half, and then fold the sides down like a banana. (Trust …
While I greatly appreciate all my friends and family who contribute to these projects, I have to say it is particularly thrilling to get a submission from someone I don’t personally know. Today’s something comes from Amanda who says it’s ” a photo of some of the 80 pollen jars created during my residency with 2nd …
the idea: create a pink elephant as an example for the puppet project You may or may not remember, but a few ideas back I had another puppet named Feathers. Today I taught the same activity and instead of ending up with a blue bird that went through a quest to find a bowler hat, I …
the idea: make a drawing with a student Last week I was teaching a class where we were using oil pastels and as the children began to draw I started to doodle absentmindedly on the brown paper. At first it was just to show them how well oil pastels blend together, but as they started to …
the idea: sprinkle salt on a drying watercolor painting This is an old art-teachers trick that I have learned from too many different people to just credit one. however I did this recently in a class and it went over very well, the kids are always amazed to see how the textures change, and so I …
the idea: make a sculpture out of my students’ leftover impasto paint As an art instructor, I see way too art materials being thrown away. Usually there’s nothing I can do about this, I’m working after all. But every once in a while I make something instead. Earlier this week I was teaching a class …
the idea: have kids make postcards by drawing a picture and writing a message on the back This is one of my favorite things to teach because kids always write the most interesting things. This specific postcard was made for me by one of my students who is in kindergarten. She’d already made one to give …