Welcome to the 2020/2021 School Year "Virtual Style"

Soon we begin the 2020/2021 School Year and it's definately going to be a unique situtation. This will be my first year not being face-to-face with my amazing art students. My heart is heavy as I LOVE seeing all my students each and every day. But, I will be teaching ART...just VIRTUALLY and I'll get to seem them through google meet once a week so that's a huge plus. I'm hoping this will be short lived and we can be back in the classroom together soon. So making the best of this, I've created a ton of interactive and virtual art lessons. As I get them all complete, I'll post them for all to see. 

Here's one of many....my DIGITAL/INTERACTIVE "Welcome Letter" for parents with all the different links and information to hopefully make things easier. 

Art is My Jam! Parent Sheet

Bringing AR to the Art Room

Augmented Reality (AR) is a huge thing right now and the students love it.   I was having a hard time trying to find ways to incorporate it into the art room without taking away too much of our creative time teaching it. And, I found a few great ways to make both things happen and I'm totally excited about it. 

The first was an app called "Quiver" which is limited but it gets kids excited about AR and ways to use it.  I used it to introduce 4th and 5th graders to the concept. 

The second is an app and desktop version called "Metaverse" which is also limited but it has some fun features. It's more teacher friendly than student. Here's an example of the piece I created. Just scan the QR code with the Metaverse App and see an example. This one is very simple and I'll post more later:) 

The third is an app and desktop version called "EyeJack". This one is by far the BEST one I've come across. I'm so excited about the things this AR tool offers for artists. My students will be creating pieces soon with this. So stay tuned for a post about this app and how it can be incoporated into the art room. 

Art Critique - "Carpet Critique"/"Table Talk"!

Incorporating art critiques, talks, etc... has been a challenge for me.  I've always done it, but felt like I needed to master this technique better. I do a variety of different things depending on the project, age group, etc... But I'm really thrilled with how this technique is going over with the students.

Tips:
1. Go over appropriate behaviour and language to ensure everyone contributes in one way or another.
2. I use a sheet like the above to help with how to word things. And being kind.
3. Use the walls, floors and tables to showcase unfinished and finished art talks. 
4. Movement is crucial.
5. Wrap up everything at the end of class - why we do this, etc...
6. Incoporate famous artists works, too. 
7. Compare and contrast.

If you'd like to use my poster, you can find it in my TPT Shoppe:) 

Amazing things to have

in any art classroom...besides the basic supplies.

I have found some great things over the years that no matter where I'm teaching, I need in my life, lol.  Besides the basic supplies (markers, clay, etc...), these things I use all the time and I find myself buying them when I've changed schools. Many of these items have been introduced by colleagues or I've just ran across and have fallen in love with:)

Painting Supplies that will change your life:

• Little plastic containers with lids are great when you have multiples classes and just want to reuse paint without having to sacrifice your paint trays. You can fnd them really cheap at the Dollar Tree or Amazon Prime. I usually buy them at the dollar tree just so I can make sure they're the perfect size. But, here's a link to some on amazon if you're interested  - small containers with lids

Condiment Squeeze Bottles

• A colleague introduced me to these condiment squeeze bottles...how have I lived without them for this long?! I use these instead of trying to constantly pour paint or use those pumps that get clogged, spray paint all over the place or just make a mess. The only negative is they are sensitive when you squeeze them so just be aware of that. 

Towels for the tables - because I do not use paper towels. I know this is just a preference, but I think they make more of a mess than needed. I have used towels in my art room for years because if I spill happens, the towel soaks it up and there ussually is no need in worrying about cleaning it up and no crying students cause their art got ruined. The towel absorbs everything and we just keep creating art. I've always bought mine at Ikea cause they are cheap, but you could use old towels from home or buy rags from places like home depot, lowe's and amazon prime.

Tiny Spoons for scooping paint. I use these for scooping paint to put into the paint trays when students need to mix colors. This saves a ton of time, paint and keeps paints from getting mixed together cause they don't rinse there paint brushes out correctly. I love that these are biodegradable. 

Clay Supplies that will change your life:

• Canvas bags are great if you can't afford to buy the fancy canvas wrapped boards for clay. I love that they have handles so when we are done we can just hang them on a hook until next class, they're supper easy for the kids to hand out and they don't get wadded up and wrinkled because they can be hung. They are so fabulous for clay because the clay doesn't stick to them and it keeps their projects contained to their space. I ordered mine through our art supplier, but you can find them on other sites like amazon prime. When clay dries you just knock it off and reuse them over and over. 


• Plastic trays (cafeteria trays) are great for easily handing out clay projects in the works. They are also great to use with painting supplies. I have the students place their wrapped unfinished piece on a tray - per table - that way it's easy to hand them back out and keeps them organized. 

• Plastic bags are wonderful for wrapping and storing unfinsihed clay so it doesn't dry out. I buy these thicker and large ones so I can reuse them over and over. I have students write their names on masking tape and we tape it to the outside of the bags. If clay has to stay in the bag for too long make sure to add either a wet paper towel or a tiny bit of water - I use a spray bottle and spray inside the bag just to be safe. 

I get asked this alot...
"What is STEAM?"

STEAM is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. It's an educational approach to learning that uses problem solving for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking. The end results are students who have real-world problems to solve are naturally motivated. 

STEAM education provides children opportunities to work on a task, experiment, correct mistakes and develop strategies. They are able to create theories that they test and then modify them from what happens. It provides children with an active role in their own learning. It also allows for independent, partner and group work to take place, giving them real-world scenerios.  

A really great website that I found to better explain all the ascpects of STEAM is "Understanding STEAM and how children use it." 

1st Graders Designing a shoe adapted to where they're traveling

For the Love of Symbaloo!  

One of my favorite technology tools is "symbaloo". For those of you who aren't sure what symbaloo is, this post will give you details and ways in which I've used it in my classrooms. 

Do you have lots of great websites, videos, etc... that you use in your classroom? 
Is it hard to find them and/or you feel like you have a billion bookmarks? 

Well, this is what I have used for years with all my classes and since I teach K-5th grade, it has been a lifesaver.

My Symbaloo Webmix

Symbaloo is a FREE visual bookmarking tool that makes it simple and fun to organize the best of the web. With an account you can access your bookmarks from any device and share your online resources with others.

How can you use it in the classroom?
You literally have all your websites at your fingertips. You can create a web mix of links that can be shared - privately or publicly, if you'd like. The link will take students, colleagues and parents straight to your webmix. Symbol will also generate you a embedded code to add to your blog. It's perfect for parents who are looking for good websites for "extra practice" or to find important information during the school year.

Check out the symbaloo website to learn more and get started!   

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas/Winter Break and a wonderful start to the New Year. I'm so excited about all the great art we will be creating in 2018. I love having the time to get creative myself, I'll be introducing students to some new artists and art work that students are going to love. 


I found this on a post and thought I needed to share this with everyone. What a great way to be reminded ourselves and others at how art can change our lives. 

So lets start the New Year off RIGHT and CREATE ART from the HEART!

Never Stop Loving and Creating Art!

As a teacher, I thinks it's so important to be artist's ourselves. I love painting, pastels and designing. I took some time over the break and started working on my 2nd art book. I know it's lessons for my students, but I'm hoping to share it with many others. Leaving a legacy of LOVING ART as much as I do is my goal in life. 

I can't wait to share it and see how it turns out. Here's a sneak peek at the cover design. But, it may change before I'm all finished.  Ok...it will change, because I'm always changing things around, lol!

I've posted a few of the lessons from my book onto my TPT Shoppe. I hope they will inspire others as much as I have been inspired to create them