BACK TO SCHOOL 101 The first days and weeks of school can be exciting and terrifying, all at once. Arming yourself wih a nice selection of introductory art lessons, 15 minute fillers and "getting to know" you exercises can help ease you and your students into the next school year. Below we have listed our favorite back to school ideas, lessons and activities (starting with some helpful articles for both teachers and parents). We hope you enjoy them!

ART SPEAK - ARTICLES
Visit our "Art Speak" area to find articles about teaching the arts to children. There, you will find helpful information including: Art Supply Safety Arts Standards, How to Look at and Approach a Work of Art, Saving Children's Artwork, What Do You Do With An Art Degree?, Why is Art Education Important? and others.

TEACHING - ARTICLES
Visit our K-12 area to find articles about teaching and education in general. This is a great section for teachers, but also for parents of school-aged children as well. Article topics include: Extra Curricular Overload, Help Children Learn to Write Well, Newspapers in the Classroom, Pets in the Classroom, So You Want to Be a Teacher, Teaching Students Who Are Shy or Withdrawn, Teaching Students with Autism, Top Ten Reasons to Create a Classroom Web Page and more.

A UNIQUE DRAWING EXPERIENCE ^{All ages}
Students (and teacher) will see how with just one set of directions, everyone in the classroom will come up with very unique works of abstract art. [read more]

ADJECTIVE, ADJECTIVE, NOUN ^{Gr. 1-8}
Nancy Tompkins shows us how to encourage drawing skills, imagination, and senses of humor. This is a great 15 minute filler. [read more]

ADVANCED SCRIBBLE PICTURES ^{Gr. 2-4}
This lesson from Kim Swanger requires planning and problem solving, much like a math problem or science experiment. Students will see that scribbles can become much more. [read more]

ART APPRECIATION ^K-6
This is a lovely way for students to get to know one another as they discover that it is okay for everyone to have a different opinion of art. [read more]

ART BOOK ^K-6
A complete set of portfolio assessment lessons from Maryanne Messier. [read more]

ART SAVERS ^Elementary
Kids will have fun making one of these handy art savers which they can use to transport their works of art. From Charlotte Riley. [read more]

BULLETIN BOARD IDEAS
Just in time for back to school, here are some bulletin board ideas designed to get your students involved in the fun! [read more]

BASIC SHAPES
This is a wonderful mini lesson in which children will create works of art using basic shapes. Written by Robert Beeching. [read more]

BASIC SHAPES II
This is a wonderful mini lesson in which children will create works of art using basic shapes. Written by Robert Beeching. [read more]
BEACH BALL GAME ^{all ages}
This is a nice way to keep summer going in the classroom as students get to know one another. From Brenda Essig. [read more]

BLIND CONTOUR DRAWING ^K-12
Contour drawing is an excellent way to train the eye to draw what it really sees rather than what it thinks it sees. [read more]

BOX OF CRAYONS ^K+
Students will create a classroom box of crayons to celebrate their differences and discover their similarities. [read more]

DOODLES ^{Gr. 4+}
A free-form drawing project that deals with the elements of design - colour, line, shape, form and texture. [read more]

GETTING TO KNOW YOU ^K-2
Linda J. DiPasquale-Morello has a terrific "ice-breaker" (based on the book, I Like Me) for you to try in your classroom. [read more]

ICEBREAKERS ^{all ages}
We are trying to build up a list of 100 icebreakers for back to school. Look at our list so far and share your ideas too! [read more]

MASKS (EASY) ^{Elementary, Middle, Secondary}
This is a great activity for a classroom where you have shy students who are having trouble getting to know one another. Once students create masks, you will see them become animated. [read more]

MILK CARTON PEN POT ^{Elementary, Middle, Secondary}
Micky Carline shows you how to create a cool pen holder using an old milk carton and some magazines. [read more]

MY HANDPRINT ^K-2
Julia Wallace has a fun idea and a poem too. This is a great idea to take outside when the weather is still warm. [read more]

NAME ALIENS & MONSTERS ^K-6
This is a fun, weird and creative lesson that encourages students to create art using their names. Who could ask for anything more? From Melisa McCurley. [read more]

PATTERNS GALORE ^{Gr 3+}
Using paper, pencils, markers and some objects from around the home and classroom, you and your students can create some fantastic patterns that will astound and amaze. [read more]

PERSONAL PUZZLES ^Elementary
Turn a photo into a puzzle. [read more]

POPSICLE® STICK KIDS ^K-2
Your kinderartists will love creating these little characters as they get to know you and their fellow classmates. From Amanda Formaro. [read more]

SEE IF YOU CAN DRAW ^K-6
Students will use their imagination and creativity by solving art problems in this art game. From Judy Walsh. [read more]

SKETCHBOOKS! MAKE YOUR OWN ^{Elementary, Middle, Secondary}
A great way to start the new year is for students to create a place for all of their clever creations. [read more]

SKETCHBOOK - MAKE YOUR OWN ^{Gr. 7-8}
Lori Rennekamp shows you another way to create and assemble a sketchbook from assorted materials. [read more]

STICK PEOPLE SCULPTURES ^K-4
This lesson takes the "stick person drawing" into a three dimensional sculpture. From Megan. [read more]

TASTY COLOR MIXING ^K-4
This is a yummy color mixing lesson that teaches students about the magic of color. [read more]

WHAT'S OUTSIDE THE WINDOW? ^{Gr. 3-8}
This is a terrific drawing lesson that gets the creative juices flowing. It is great as a 15 minute filler. [read more]

MORE:

You Might Be Interested In:

Portfolio Planner Here it is: a user-friendly, step-by-step guide to portfolio assessment. It's full of ready-to-use forms and practical suggestions for making and using portfolios in all curricular areas. This book is just right for teachers who want to start a workable portfolio system.

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