Batik

 I call this project, crayon batik.  It's super simple!

 We melt peeled crayons in tuna cans and then paint the melted crayon onto a fabric drawing.

 I use old white sheets to create batik work on.  I find illustrated kids books provide great inspiration for imagery.  I have the kids draw onto the fabric using sharpie pens, this provides a coloring book style image to fill in with color.  We iron off the wax, between newspaper, when we're done coloring.
The fabric is left with simply the dye from the crayons.  This is always super successful!

primary

 Little friends are good friends.  They come in with a smile and a hug, and leave even more joyful!

 My little students love art and they are so perfect for this subject because they are present and have no preconceived notions about how something should look. 

 For this age, it's all about the process, and not about the finished product.  Which is why my job is multidimensional.  I need to develop lessons where kids can experience art, and parents and principals can appreciate the lesson.  This Eric Carle inspired project is perfect for this age level.

Students paint thick heavy color onto card stock and scratch into the wet paint to create texture.  When the paper and paint are dry, paper is cut into cute bug shapes by each student.

 Now you can see why parents and principals alike are pleased, and the kids go home so happy!

This is a great lesson in symmetry.  We all share our painted papers, because each one is so beautiful and colorful, and learning to share is icing on the cake!

portraits

 I really like to use portraits as a subject.  All ages of kids can be taught the rules of portraiture.

 This assignment was done by my middle school kids.  Some are not complete, but all were successful.

 I let them use a thin black sharpie to create the original image, and I think it's cool that you, the viewer can see it through the tissue paper.

Some of the kids personalities really shine through their work, I love that!

displays

 This weekend was our annual kids art show.  These are some of my favorite pieces.

 Owls make a great theme for kids projects.  This was done with colored pencil, and six 6th graders.

 First grade clay owls are super cute!

 Third grade student, soft chalk pastels.

 These little ceramic dogs were all made by one sixth grade child.  I loved the display!

 This Australian inspired art assignment was created by a sixth grade child, and so beautiful!

A fifth grade girl made this Georgia O'Keefe inspired mosaic with construction paper. 
It was a fun and successful weekend show.  It's so fun to meet the families there, the kids truly shine!

fun!

Make it Fun!

 I love teaching middle school art, but they are a totally different breed of student than the little guys.  You must earn their respect, and it won't come just because you're an adult.  They are incredibly social, and they are very driven by fun.  Given all of that I try very hard to provide an avenue for socializing and fun, while they create.  Trust me, it works!

Beaded Bug

They are fun to be around, and make me laugh every day, not to mention the art work which they are capable of creating is absolutely amazing!

pre-k

 I love working with pre-school kiddo's!  Three and four year old children love art!

 I'm here to provide them an opportunity to explore with a wide variety of art media.

 This is a perfect time in a child's life to take art classes.  Even if they can't read and write yet they can improve fine motor skills and learn to share and create.

pastels

Kids love colored chalk!

  Chose a simple subject and the kids create the most beautiful drawings.  This project was done with third graders and owls as our subject.

Pastels always look beautiful on colored paper.