Posts tagged "Art"

Arts and Crafts for the End of the Year

Image by bookgrl via Flickr

Are arts and crafts on your list of things to do with your students?  One of my favorite arts and crafts project that incorporates literacy skills is making a memory book.  Each year I purchase a blank book for every student.  I encourage kids to write about their favorite classroom memories over the past school year.  This is a wonderful activity for all ages and ability levels.  Students can just draw pictures or write complete pages about their favorite highlights from the year.  Students as well as their parents and their families will cherish a memory book from school for years to come.  There is also something special about authentic student work.  There are many different ways students can make a memory book, but when students can use arts and crafts supplies and their imagination, they can make an amazing book.

Here are some examples of sentence starters that I used for my first grade memory book:

My favorite color is ____________.

My favorite math activity is ___________.

My favorite book that I can read is ______________.

I like to _________________________________.

Theses are just several examples of sentence starters.

You can also choose many other themes and create a variety of books.  In years past, I have helped students create books to summarize science and social studies units.

Here are some of the other supplies that you may need for creating a beautiful book.

• crayons
• markers
• colored pencils
• stickers
• stencils

Let the creativity begin and help students make a memorable book that will help create a keepsake book that will be read for years to come.

Stop by www.k12schoolsupplies.net to get these arts and crafts supplies and stock up on many more.  We strive to provide you a wide selection of teaching supplies that meet your needs.

Arts and Crafts – Make time for Creativity

Arts and crafts always seem to make it into my lesson plans; however, many times the arts and crafts activities are skipped or modified because of schedule constraints.  The benefits of adding creative activities to any type of academic program are tremendous.  I firmly believe that kids need to explore the arts hands-on using many different mediums.  When kids are able to use their imagination and explore their creative side, their ability to learn in all subject areas increases.  You may be fortunate enough to teach at a school or facility that has a structured art program with additional teachers, but if you don’t, you may be responsible for planning and teaching all of your arts and crafts activities.  Here are some ideas on how to plan for and incorporate creative activities  into your existing program.  You can assess your program by units, semesters, or for the year.

1. Assess your program – Make a list of the current arts and crafts activities that you do.  You may feel that you are not doing enough creative activities, but when you take inventory, you may realize that you are doing more than you think.  On the other hand, you may really be lacking in the area of arts and crafts.
2. Choose a unit to focus on -  Pick one or two units that you thoroughly enjoy teaching and brainstorm ways to incorporate meaningful arts and crafts activities into specific lessons.
3. Research appropriate art skills to focus on for different age groups.
4. Find the materials you need for the project and make high quality examples.
5. Prepare for the lesson – Take time to organize the arts and crafts materials and spend some time teaching kids how to use the the paint, watercolor, clay, or whatever material they will be using.
6. Have fun – Let your creativity flow!

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.
For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand,
while imagination embraces the entire world,
and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
-Albert Einstein

Do you have a favorite art activity?  Please share your ideas.  We would love to hear from you!