Art at Home for the Week of April 27

Welcome back!  This week's theme is.... BUGS!  Scroll down to find the lesson for your grade level.  And don't forget, if you'd like, you can email me a photo of your artwork.  I'd love to see what you've created, and I'll even add it to our online art gallery.  Have Fun!


 Draw A Beetle

For Grades K and 1

Spring is here, and nature comes alive! The trees have leaves, the flowers are blooming, and
you can find all kinds of bugs! 

Materials:

• Paper
• Black marker or crayon
• Crayons or markers

Steps:

Using a black marker or crayon, draw two circles for eyes on one side of your paper.
Your circles should touch. Add dots for pupils.

For the head, draw a circle around the eyes. Your eyes should be on the top of the head.
Add a nose, mouth and curly antennae.

Now make the body. Starting on the side of the head, draw a curved line like a rainbow
that fills the paper. 

Draw a straight line from the bottom of the head across the paper to connect to the
curved line.

Make six legs with lines and then add small ovals at the end of each leg for feet. 

Draw a pattern to fill your bug’s body. It can be stripes, wavy lines, zig-zags or big

polka dots.

Finish your picture with a background of grass, a sun, flowers, plants, or maybe another bug!  Do you see the bug on the back of the bug in the picture? See if you can add a little bug on top of your bug now!

Add color

Magazine Bug Collage

For Grades 2 and 3

What is your favorite insect?  What bugs have you seen out in your yard lately?  I’ve seen some bees, ladybugs, ants and an inchworm!  Today you will be cutting household scraps to make your own bug collage.  It could be a real type of bug or a bug you invent.

Use this link to watch Ms. Goldman's video tutorial for this lesson!!  
Ms. Goldman's Video Link

Materials:

Piece of paper or cardboard

Pencil 

Old magazines, cereal boxes, wrapping paper, anything colorful that’s okay to cut up!

Glue or tape

Marker or crayon 

Scrap paper to make a sketch

Scissors

Steps

Look at the parts of the bugs on the attached pictures.  Locate the head, the thorax and the abdomen.  Your bug will have those parts, plus other parts like wings, legs, eyes, antennae, etc.  

Use your scrap paper to plan ahead and draw what your bug will look like.  Include head, thorax, abdomen plus other parts.  You can always make changes when you start your collage.

Use your colored paper to cut out all the parts of your bug.  It might be easier to draw in the legs and other very small parts after you’ve glued down your paper.

Glue the parts down onto your paper or cardboard.  

Use a marker or crayon to add details to your bug, like legs, eyeballs or lines on the wings.  

Bees and their Habitats

For Grades 4 and 5

There are over 20,000 different species of bees that can be found in almost every place in the entire world, besides Antarctica. Bees need flowers in order to survive, so they can be found in any habitat that has flowering plants.

You are going to learn how to draw a bee, and fill the background of your paper with a bee habitat of your choice (Just make sure there's flowering plants!)

Check out this website to find out more interesting facts about bees, and get ideas for your drawing.

https://www.coolkidfacts.com/bee-facts/

You can use this link Art For Kids Hub - Drawing Bees to learn how to draw a bee.  Remember you can pause the video if you need more time, and don't worry about making it look just like the bee in the video!  Also, he spends a lot of time coloring his bee, you can skip that part if you'd like.

Or you can use this step by step tutorial to draw you bee or bees.

Fill your paper with as many bees as you like.  Next draw your background filled with flowering plants of your choice and any other insects you like.  Add more details in your background.

Color in your drawing.

Art at Home for the Week of April 20

Spring is in the air, so let's get outside!  This week's theme is Nature.  Scroll down to find the lesson for your grade level.  And don't forget, if you'd like to, you can email a photo of your completed work and I'll add it to our online art gallery.  Have fun!

Walk Into Nature
For Grades K and 1

Have you ever noticed all of the wonderful leaves, twigs, seeds, needles, petals, pine cones, stones, bark, and acorns on the ground? These objects come from trees, bushes, plants and flowers. They are beautiful pieces of nature!

Many artists use these natural objects to create amazing artwork. It is sometimes called "envoronmental art". Watch the video below to see some examples of nature or environmental art.

Nature Art Video

You can also check out this video about an artist who creates art using rocks, leaves, sand, ice and more. Andy Goldsworthy Video.

Materials:

• Bag
• Natural objects
• Paper or cardboard (optional)

Steps:

1. Grab a bag and take a walk in your yard or neighborhood to collect as many different kinds of natural objects that you can find on the ground. (Please do not pick growing objects from trees and bushes).
2. Find a surface outside such as a sidewalk, or a flat grass or dirt area where you can empty your bag. If you want to work inside, use a large piece of heavy paper or cardboard as a background.
3. Place your natural objects in piles organized by color, shape, or size. 
4. Think about what you will make. It can be a picture, like a flower or a person. It can be a design, with patterns in a circle. Be creative!
5. If possible, have an adult take a picture of your finished artwork. It is a piece of art that won’t last. If you created it outdoors, it will stay there until the wind or rain moves it away!.

Walk Into Nature
For Grades 2 and 3

Have you ever noticed all of the wonderful leaves, twigs, seeds, needles, petals, pine cones, stones, pods, bark, moss and acorns that lay on the ground? Many artists have appreciated those things in nature that have been left behind in our environment and have used them to create amazing artwork.

Many artists use these natural objects to create amazing artwork. It is sometimes called "environmental art". Watch the video below to see some examples of nature or environmental art.

Nature Art Video

You can also check out this video about an artist who creates art using rocks, leaves, sand, ice and more.Andy Goldsworthy Video

Materials:

-Bag
-Natural Materials that you collect
-Paper or cardboard (optional)

1. Grab a bag and in your own yard or neighborhood collect as many different kinds of natural
objects you can find.  Leaves, blades of grass, rocks, sticks, whatever catches your interest.

2. Find a surface like a sidewalk or path or flat stone surface or dirt area where you can empty
your bag. 

3. Organize what you have. Maybe by color, maybe by shape, maybe by size, your choice how.

4. Once you've finished organizing, see if you can build and/or assemble the natural materials
into something, 

5. You could make patterns or make a picture. See what your collected natural objects can
help you create. 

6. If you can, take a picture of it. It is an art piece that won’t last, it will stay outdoors for
you to appreciate until the wind or rain or squirrels move it.

Good luck and fun collecting, organizing and creating your nature art.

Walk Into Nature
For Grades 4 and 5

Have you ever noticed all of the wonderful leaves, twigs, seeds, needles, petals, pine cones, stones, pods, bark, moss and acorns that lay on the ground? Many artists have appreciated those things in nature that have been left behind in our environment and have used them to create amazing artwork.

Many artists use these natural objects to create amazing artwork. It is sometimes called "envoronmental art". Watch the videos below to see some examples of nature or environmental art.

Environmental Art Video

Environmental Art Video 2

You can also check out this video about an artist who creates art using rocks, leaves, sand, ice and more.

Andy Goldsworthy Video

Materials:

-Bag
-Natural Materials that you collect
-Paper or cardboard (optional)

1. Grab a bag and in your own yard or neighborhood collect as many different kinds of natural objects you can find.  Leaves, blades of grass, rocks, sticks, sand, whatever catches your interest.

2. Find a surface like a sidewalk or path or flat stone surface or dirt area where you can empty your bag. 

3. Organize what you have. Maybe by color, maybe by shape, maybe by size, your choice how.

4. Once you've finished organizing, see if you can build and/or assemble the natural materials into something, 

5. You could make patterns or make a picture. See what your collected natural objects can help you create. 

6. If you can, take a picture of it. It is an art piece that won’t last, it will stay outdoors for you to appreciate until the wind or rain or squirrels move it.

Good luck and fun collecting, organizing and creating your nature art.

.

Art at Home for Week of April 13

This week's art theme is houses and homes.  I thought this would be a great theme because we' are all spending so much time at home these days!  Read below to get to the lesson for your grade level.  Don't forget, you can email me a photo of your work and I'll post it in our Art Gallery. :)

Patchwork House Collages

For Grades K and 1

A collage is a piece of art made by sticking different materials such as pieces of paper or fabric on a backing. 

Materials:

-Cardboard (back of a cereal box or similar is fine)
-Marker or pencil
-Scraps of fabric, patterned, paper, wrapping paper, cut up paper, magazine or newspaper scraps
-Buttons (or anything fun you can find to add to your collage)
-Glue (or tape if you don’t have glue)

                       

1. Have a grown up cut a house shape out of your cardboard.  Now you’re ready to start !

2. Use your marker or pencil to draw windows, a door and a roof on your house.  Draw anything else you think you need.


3. Now use all of your fabric and paper scraps to fill in the space of the house.  Glue everything in place.


4. Lastly, decide where you’ll place your buttons or other objects.  They could be decorations, doorknobs, or tiles on the roof. Glue these down as well.  

5. Leave your collage somewhere safe to dry.

6. When it’s dry, show your collage to someone in your family.  Tell them about what parts you added to your house and what supplies you used.  Tell them the hardest part about creating it, and the most fun part.

Sukhala Houses from 

West Africa

For Grades 2 and 3

There is a country in west Africa called Burkina Faso, and in that country there is a small village called Tiebele. Tiebele is famous for its sukhala or colorful windowless traditional houses.

In Tiebele, people use their natural resources to express their rich culture. They decorate their homes by painting intricate patterns and designs on the walls of their houses, using colored mud and chalk. 

Take a close look at the photographs of houses below.  What patterns do you see? What shapes do you see (stars? triangles? diamonds?)  What colors do you see? What types of lines do you see (horizontal, vertical, diagonal, zig-zag, what else?)

Now you are going to create a drawing of a house in this style. 
Your house needs a door, but very few windows. Your house needs
at least 10 different patterns on it.  Look at the pictures for ideas!

Materials:

Paper or something to draw on

Pencil

Black marker, crayon or pen

Steps:
1.  Use your pencil to draw a rectangular shape to start your house, add a door, and maybe one or two small windows.

2.  Use your pencil to draw 10 or so lines that go from top to bottom of your house.

3.  Now you have spaces that you've created in between the lines.  Fill each space with an interesting pattern.  It's okay to repeat some patterns.  Think about types of lines (like wavy, zig zag and criss cross).  Think about different shapes to use (circles, diamonds, hearts, etc.). Take your time making your designs and patterns, don't rush!

4.  Use your black marker or crayon to trace your lines.

5.  Add any other details you like, plants, rocks, bushes, clouds, sun, people, animals.

Designer Tree Houses
For Grades 4 and 5

Have you ever constructed a tree house? View the following tree houses and think about these questions. How are the houses sitting in the trees? How do you enter the houses? What details do you notice?

Materials:  Paper, pencil, markers, crayons

1. Use a pencil to draw a large tree on a sheet of paper. Remember the “Y” tree we
made in art class? Start by drawing a block letter “Y” for the trunk. The top part of the
“Y” must be spread further apart to make room for the house.

To make a simpler tree, draw the trunk on one side of the paper, from the top edge to
the bottom. Add a large, flat branch just below the center of the tree, long enough to
fit the house. Add additional branches, and some leaves.

2. Draw your house, inside the “Y” branches or on top of the long, flat branch,
depending on which tree you made. It can be a square house with a triangle roof,
or a rounded house, or some other shape. Add details such as a chimney, a door
and windows.

3. Draw an entrance to your house. This could be a ladder, a rope, or steps attached
to the trunk. Think about other details you could include such as flower pots, a
tire swing, animals and people.

4. Finish with markers and crayons.

Tree with Y trunk

Tree on one side of paper