Drawing an Orangutan

Click here for: Video
Drawing an orangutan or other monkey is a great way to remember a trip to the zoo.  I taught this to elementary students during summer camp. Having circle shapes (cups, bottle caps, etc) to trace around for the basic starting shapes is helpful. The video shows a watercolor, but the kids at camp used markers and crayons.

Read more...

Painting to Celebrate Summer Vacation

Click here for: Video 
Acrylics on canvas... this project takes up a whole week of summer art camp.  Great idea for pre-teen and high school girls, but younger students can have fun with it, too. Don't try to get too technical with the self-portraits, a cartoon-y look can be the goal.

Read more...

Beatitudes - Class Series

When I taught this class to 3rd and  4th grade we alternated - lesson one week, the clay dog the next week. 

1. Boston Terriers represent the "poor in spirit" because they know they need guidance.  Biblical example - Zacchaeeus

2. Bassett Hounds represent  mourning because they look so sad and bay so pitifully. Biblical example - the family and friends of Lazarus.

Get the idea?  I am writing a book for this series, so when I am done you can get the whole deal! I will post a link for sure.

Read more...

Clay Boxer - Brindle

                                Click here for: Video
Ahhh... the boxer, who has a reputation for keeping himself clean, so we gave him the "pure heart" award when we studied the beatitudes. This video shows how to make the whole body, too, but sometimes I just do a head, flatten it a bit, and glue a huge magnet on the back.  This saves money on clay when you have a large class, helps students concentrate more on the details of the face, and gets done a little faster. To give him a "brindle" look, have the students mix a little black clay with the brown, but don't mix it too much... you want to be able to see the black streaks in the brown background.

Read more...

Clay Dalmatian for 3rd Grade

Click here for: Video
Great activity for Fire Prevention or Fire Safety week.  The head is the most difficult part - create the heads before class and bake them to make it easier for younger classes.

Read more...