The Creative Classroom Book...

Exciting News!
I'm working on my second book and I'm almost done. I just love that way this book is turning out and I can't wait to share it with art teachers, classroom teachers, homeschool parents, etc... The video above will help explain how my book looks and the great lessons that you will find inside.

It's similar to my first book in that the lessons are full illustrated, 4 color photos, links to book, videos, etc.. and so much more. If you haven't seen my first book, here's a link to it in my TPT Shoppe: "The Creative Classroom" Art Book

"K" Gumball Machines

A really fun artist to introduce students to is Wayne Thiebaud. His "Dessert" art is absolutely amazing. Check out this interview that CBS Sunday Morning did with him: Interview Video. 

Kindergarten Examples

This, Wayne Thiebaud, lessons is a perfect way to introduce younger students to layering - creating objects in front and behind others. It's a little tough, but if you take it slow and model it, the results are priceless.

Lesson Concepts for Kindergarten:

- Shapes - basic shape drawing without using tools.
- Coloring - technique
- Outlining - technique 
- Layering - how to make basic shapes look like they are in front and behind one another. Very hard concept, but a great introduction piece for students to learn from. 

When teaching this lesson I discuss money, etc... with the students. It's a great collaborative piece for art and classroom teachers alike. 


Teaching Tips: If you are a classroom teacher, this lesson would be perfect to use with money. Have students figure up how much money they could make if they sold all of there gumballs, how many gumballs would they need to sell to make a certain amount of money, etc... I would probably use this with 2nd or 3rd grader's. 

Another great money lesson is this one "Breakfast Menu". Just click on the words breakfast menu above and it'll take you to the link. Anytime as a teacher you can create lessons that incorporate multiple subjects, the results will be amazing. 

5th Grade Taxi's featuring Artist "Red Grooms"

Whenever I'm designing art curriculum, I try to incorporate a variety of artists. Ones that my students might not have heard of along with one's like Van Gogh, Michelangelo, etc... It's nice to pull some that are different and create new lessons. 

This lesson is one of those lessons and you can find the whole lesson in my TPT shoppe. I had this in mind when I was designing, writing and creating this lesson. 


I also try to find books to use that help guide my lessons. I found this one and use it because it helps give students a little background knowledge of New York City life.  The book is called "My Taxi Ride" by Jennifer Swender & Paul Jacobs. It's cute because it rhymes, too. The illustrations are also very fun and colorful. 

My 5th Grade Bulletin Board - love their art!

If you have a subscription to Scholastic Magazines ART, they have a great issue about Red Grooms that's perfect to share with your students. 

Hundertwasser...

...I love the spirals and colors that can be seen in Hundertwasser's art work! I would love to see one of his buildings in real life, I bet it's AMAZING! I purchased his book "Hundertwasser for Kids". This is a fun book that can be used to do a variety of lessons and activities with your students. One of my favorites was "creating an artist name...". This was a great activity for introducing and teaching the concept of a signature and creating an artistic name. I think mine would be: Daisy Laughing Hippy!


Using the idea from one of his works of art (pictured above), I created a lesson that put a different twist or should I say "spiral" on the typical still life. This lesson was perfect and my students came up with some creative ideas on how to create their flowers and vases. This would also be great for teaching patterns to younger students. 

This step-by-step lesson along with examples, ways to include it into other subjects, etc... can be purchased individually or in my art book "The Creative Classroom". I offer my book on TPT, Amazon and LuLu and can be found: digitally, as a printed spiral bound hard copy and/or as a non-spiral bound hard copy (just click on the link to find which version works best for you and your needs as a teacher). My book and art lessons are created in color with tons of illustrations and photos to make creating art a breeze with your students. 

And you can always email or message me with questions or anything else you might need. I hope you will enjoy teaching these art lessons as much as I enjoyed creating them.