Show Us Your Art Room 2010: Space Organizing
Posted on 25. Aug, 2010 by Hillary Andrlik + Theresa McGee in All Posts, Cool+Creative, Organization and Preparation
It’s another school year and we know most of our readers have been busy preparing their art classrooms to inspire and organize their students. Did you create a genius new system for storing sketchbooks? Or is your storage room an original work of art that maximizes every inch of space available? Then we want to see it.
Wouldn’t it be amazing to see the organizational solutions used by other art educators for supplies, artwork and more? Well this is your chance to share your art space solutions… and see others.
By September 25, send a photo of your art classroom organization to info@theteachingpalette.com. We’ll compile all the art classroom photos into one showcase post and in our Flickr photo stream. Take a look at last years “Art Room Showcase 2009″. We’ll also feature three lucky photos on our home page as the new “cover art” for The Teaching Palette.
It doesn’t matter what level you teach, we want to see how you organize your space. No art classroom space is too small or too large to share. In the end, we hope to provide an abundance of solutions in an online gallery to help art teachers around the globe get inspired to organize their own spaces. Start opening those drawers, cabinets and storage closets and snap some photos!
How to send your organizational tip:
Snap a photo and send it as an attachment to info@theteachingpalette.com with the subject line Art Room Organization. Include your name, school, town, state and brief description of the photo.
Proven Learning Centers for the Art Room
Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Theresa McGee Hillary Andrlik in All Posts, Organization and Preparation
Pictionary
Center activities are a great way for students to work cooperatively, experiment with new materials, and think creatively. I start by organizing groups consisting of 4-5 students. At this time it is also important to explain the center rules including how each station works and a one minute clean-up before rotation. One of the easiest ways to keep track of time is by using a count-down clock projected on the screen for everyone to see. Centers have been a life-saver for situations when a class is finished with a project way ahead of the rest of the grade level (due to assemblies, no school, etc.) or as a back-up sub plan.
If you’re looking to develop your own art center activities, or looking for new ideas, the following may inspire you:
Pattern Play
Pictionary. This classic game can be played in only a few minutes. Create your own words for kids to draw or use the ones provided in Squint.
Sculptorades. Cranium created this twist on Pictionary where instead of drawing you sculpt objects out of Cranium clay. You can easily create your own version with play-dough, a sand timer, and playing cards you create. Just grab a digital camera and take pictures of different objects (i.e., celery, dog, car, hand, butterfly). You can even sneak in cards that make connections to what students are studying in the classroom. Print images on a heavy weight paper and laminate for durability. Taylor the game to students even more by creating numerous sets of playing cards for different ability levels and grades.
Pattern Play. Kids love this puzzle game! I use it with students as young as Kindergarten. Or build your own wood pattern puzzle by following directions found on Mer Mag.
Toobers and Zots. Thanks to a guest post by Jan Johnson (and eBay), these sculpture-making objects are a hit in my room.
In the Garden. These soft foam puzzle pieces have endless tessellation possibilities. Busy Beetles and Batty Lizards is another option shared with us by Susan Tiemstra. For older students who like more of a challenge try Squzzle Puzzles.
Art Print Puzzle. Read this post on how to create your own for free.
“How to draw” cartooning books. Just set these out with some copy paper. Among my students’ favorites are 101 Funny People and Spongebob Squarepants. I also encourage the students to create their own funny pictures by combining two objects.
Connectagons
Connectagons. This product is so simple, yet creates fantastic sculptural forms.
Squizzles. I inherited a set of these square puzzles when I first started teaching. Read a product review here.
Modeling Clay. Set out tooth picks, plastic knives, forks and let the creativity happen.
Color Sudoku. Based on the original, I developed this color logic game for my students. Download this color sudoku game for free.
Computer Activities
Laptops. If you have access to a few laptops and the Internet, let your students explore online art games. I use this page set up for students to choose their online activity (resource page created by Hillary Andrlik).
Picasso Carnival. This idea was developed by Tricia Fuglestad consisting of centers focused around Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory.
Turn Old Prints Into New Puzzles
Posted on 10. Feb, 2010 by Hillary Andrlik in All Posts, Cool+Creative, Organization and Preparation, Techniques
I’m fortunate to have some duplicate copies of fine art prints — most were freebies from conferences and workshops. Originally, I divided a few prints into rectangular sections for grid drawings but after inheriting a felt board I started using them as a puzzle (click image at left to enlarge). When students had free time they loved working on these giant puzzles. And I loved finding a new purpose for existing materials that can do double duty and extend learning. Below is how to create each activity.
Group Grid Drawing Pieces
- Select a duplicate print to cut up into pieces. Remember you can use posters from inserts in publications like School Arts, your state art education publications, National Art Education Association publications or vendor freebies.
- Use a paper cutter to divide the art print into even sized pieces. Each art print will measure slightly differently due to its size. Cut up a large supply of blank paper the same size as the art print pieces for students to do their grid drawings on.
- Glue directions on the back of each art print piece and number them (see example). Having the directions on the back of each piece allows students to work independently when they finish regular assignments. Click here to print Art Puzzle Directions for students.
- Laminate all the art print pieces and cut them out. Remember cutting out laminate is a great job for student helpers in the art room (see odd art jobs).
- Store the art print and blank paper pieces in a gallon sized zip-lock plastic bag. On your storage bag record the artist, name of the artwork and the number of art print pieces. (Knowing the number of pieces makes clean-up and sorting easier.) Zip-lock bags are on the student supply lists at my school. I asked a home room teacher for an extra box to use in the art room. Check with the teachers in your building.
- Introduce the group grid drawing activity to your classes and store the pieces in a box, basket or container that they can easily access when they complete their regular work. Make sure to create a place to turn in completed grid drawings as well as store drawings still in progress.
Art Puzzle Pieces
- Take the newly created art print pieces for grid drawing and add Velcro or magnets to the back of each one. This is another great job for students (see odd art jobs). What you use depends on your preferences and what you have on hand.
- Velcro is great on felt boards and carpets. Kids can easily work on a puzzle in groups in a carpeted area. If you don’t have a carpet area you can take a piece of the Velcro’s hook side to a discount store and find an inexpensive throw rug. Local flooring companies might be willing to donate carpet samples or remnant pieces. There are also lots of inexpensive ways to construct a felt board. Here is a link to one creative solution I found. How to Make a Felt Board.
- Magnets are a perfect option for any classroom because almost everyone has a magnetic chalkboard or whiteboard surface that can be immediately utilized. If you have art on a cart or travel to another building you’re almost always guaranteed to have a magnetic surface at your disposal. Other options to consider are magnetic dry erase easels, magnetic paint or even cookie sheets depending on the art puzzle size.
- Store art puzzle pieces in a labeled zip-lock bag along with the blank paper for the group grid drawings and place in an area easily accessible to students.
Below is a short video of kindergartners using an art puzzle.
Can’t view this video? Try this link.
Museum Manners
Posted on 18. Nov, 2009 by Hillary Andrlik + Theresa McGee in All Posts, Clssrm Mgmt, Neat Video, Organization and Preparation
Art museum visits and art history discussions can be great learning opportunities for students. However, it just takes a few negative student attitudes to change the experience for the entire class. The following Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) video addresses many art conversations and museum etiquette issues in an entertaining format directed at tweens and teens.
Can’t view YouTube video above? See it at the AIC website.
Possible Discussion Questions:
1. What did you learn about visiting a museum that you didn’t know before?
2. Why might each artwork have different meanings to different people?
3. What type of art do you like best? Why?
LiveBinders to Manage Digital Clutter
Posted on 10. Oct, 2009 by Theresa McGee in All Posts, Organization and Preparation, Tech Stuff
I try to organize all the paperwork that lands on my desk, but somehow sculptural forms (OK . . . I’ll just admit it, piles of paper) take over. I’m not sure I am going to change the way my desk looks anytime soon, but I have found a great tool to get my electronic resources in order.
LiveBinders is a free service that helps you gather and organize your web links, documents, and videos into one tidy place. A LiveBinder is particularly useful when you want your students to access specific web-links for research or you’re teaching about a particular media, technique or artist and need to gather all your resources together. I created the following two LiveBinder links to use as extensions for early finishers and at home engagement:
The video below explains how easy it is to create your own LiveBinder :
(can’t view video? click here)
Create your own LiveBinder and share it with us in the comments area below!
Art Room Showcase 2009
Posted on 18. Sep, 2009 by Hillary Andrlik + Theresa McGee in All Posts, Cool+Creative, Educators in Art, Organization and Preparation
When we launched The Teaching Palette back on September 29, 2008 (almost one year ago), one of our goals was to create a place where other art educators could share their ideas and successes. With the start of the new school year, we came up with the “Show Us Your Art Room” feature.
Well, here it is… the creative spaces submitted by art educators around the globe and assembled into one Art Room Showcase (2009 edition). We hope art teachers will be inspired for their own spaces!
In addition to any comments you leave here, we’d like to encourage you to also leave comments in the flickr art room gallery. Below is a nifty Flickr widget highlighting some of the art room entries. Click any image for a close-up.
Thank you to the following art educators who shared images of their 2009 art spaces:
- Laura Carey (winner, as seen on our home page – the shopping cart)
- Myrna Ellison (winner, as seen on our home page – the castle)
- Matt Cauthron (winner, as seen on our home page – the digital studio)
- Lori Wilson
- Elizabeth Burns
- Frank Curkovic
- Brooke Nicholson
- Tara Conover
- Tricia Fuglestad
- Denise Pannell
- Jessica Houston
- Emily Valenza
- Tana Puppe
- Susan Bivona
- Katie Balla
- Keith Chapman
- Matt Cauthron
- Amy Kratochvil
- Kristen Grzemski
- Carol Frueh
- Katie Jarvis
- Myrna Ellison
- Christy Branham
- Katherine Malone-Smith
- Maria Smith
- Laura Carey
- Julie Vladika
- Theresa McGee
- Hillary Andrlik
- Brooke Nicholson
Do you have an art space to share? We can add it to our Flickr pool! Email photos to info@theteachingpalette.com
Present your Classroom Rules
Posted on 04. Sep, 2009 by Theresa McGee in All Posts, Clean-up and Transition, Clssrm Mgmt, Organization and Preparation
The first week of school typically involves going over classroom rules and procedures. However, making these rules “stick” is a year-long challenge. The SlideShare PowerPoint below, created by an art teacher from Michigan, outlines her art classroom expectations and management solutions. This presentation could be useful to play periodically throughout the school year, during quiet work times, or even as students enter the room and get settled. Download for your classroom or use as inspiration for your own expectation presentation appropriate for your students’ grade levels. Click the green play button at the bottom of the screen to watch the presentation and hear the audio track.
Artistically Awesome
View more presentations from jessicamaynard82.
Show Us Your Art Room!
Posted on 12. Aug, 2009 by Hillary Andrlik + Theresa McGee in All Posts, Clean-up and Transition, Clssrm Mgmt, Organization and Preparation, Tools and Miscellaneous
It’s that time of the year again. Over the next couple weeks, most of our readers will be preparing their art classrooms for the new school year. Wouldn’t it be great to see the creative spaces of other art teachers around the country… or around the world for that matter? Well this is your chance to share your art space… and see others.
By September 15, send a photo of your decked-out art classroom to info@theteachingpalette.com. We’ll compile all the art classroom photos into one showcase post. Think HGTV for the art classroom. We’ll also feature one or two lucky photos on our home page as the new “cover art” for The Teaching Palette.
Regardless of what level you teach, we want to see what you have done with the space you were given, even if it is on a cart or in the corner of a gym. In the end, we hope to receive enough photos to make a healthy online gallery so art teachers around the globe can be inspired for their own spaces. Now go snap some photos!
Review: IKEA Dignitet Curtain Wire and Clips
Posted on 30. Jul, 2009 by Hillary Andrlik + Theresa McGee in All Posts, Clssrm Mgmt, Organization and Preparation, Reviews, Tools and Miscellaneous
Submitted by: Anni Lyzenga, middle and high school art teacher from Lakeland, Florida
Product Title: IKEA Dignit Curtain Wire and Clips
Grade Levels: 3rd grade and up
Categories: Teaching Resource, Art History/Aesthetics/Criticism
Product Review: The Ikea Dignitet curtain wire and clips are a great addition to the art room. Used together, these can be used to quickly clip up artwork for student critiques, or as a more permanent exhibit of student work. Be sure to have a wire cutter handy as well to cut off extra length of wire to fit your room. Currently, I have three of these installed in my art room. Be sure to chose a spot that is easy for all students to view and if stacking them, leave enough space to display large artwork or posters.
Bucket Rating (out of 5):
(5) Love it! Need it! Gotta have it now!
If you’re interested in being a Teaching Palette contributor and submitting a review, please click here to learn more.
Delicious Denial
Posted on 22. Jul, 2009 by Theresa McGee in All Posts, Clssrm Mgmt, Organization and Preparation
I was once in Delicious denial; I had heard of Delicious as a social bookmarking site but really didn’t see the need to use it. Sure, sharing bookmarks with everyone else is a nice concept, but I already had spent hours organizing my own bookmarks in Safari and was just fine with my own little system. What I wasn’t willing to admit at the time was that my little system of organized bookmark folders was not very effective.
The chart below describes my reasons for finally making the switch to Delicious:
So what about your organized websites neatly tucked into a bookmark folder? When uploading to Delicious, the folders and sub-folders that you created on your computer will turn into tags – no need to redo anything! See how easy it is to use Delicious in the Tutorial below:
Can’t view video above? Click here.
So here’s where the “social” part of Delicious comes in: If you think a website is useful to others who also read The Teaching Palette, add the tag “teachingpalette” (one word). See the hundreds of art education resources we’ve already tagged here.
Useful Tips:
- When using compound words such as “art history” do not leave spaces in between each word as they will separate into two different tags. Instead write “arthistory” or “art_history”. (I learned this one the hard way)
- Use “tag options” to change or rename a tag.
- Bulk edit is useful for adding additional tags to large groups of bookmarks or making selected tags on bookmarks private.
- Keep in mind that although your bookmarked website will show up instantly in your Delicious account, sometimes it takes longer for the tags to register.
- Use Delicious as your search engine – type in a tag on the Delicious homepage to see what websites others have bookmarked.
- It never hurts to create a backup of your Delicious bookmarks from time to time. (Backup directions can be accessed when logged in)
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