art ideas

5 Earth Day Art Lesson and Project Ideas for your Art Classroom
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5 Earth Day Art Lesson and Project Ideas for your Art Classroom

In this article I’m going to give you 5 Ideas for Earth Day Art Lessons for your Art Classroom that you can use with your own choice of art mediums or materials. These art lessons will explore a range of art making techniques and will explore a variety of art making styles, such as installation art, art using recycled materials, or photography. We’re going to learn about Earth Day and reflect on what it means through creating art with the students in our classrooms. Alright, let’s dive on into this blog post!

Art Teacher TLC… Taking Care of YOU – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators
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Art Teacher TLC… Taking Care of YOU – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators

Today I’m going to be talking about something important, which is Art Teacher TLC. We can’t be there for the kids if we aren’t there for ourselves first. As we know, teaching consumes a lot of our focus power, energy, and emotions. Some years are harder than others, and some moments in the day are more stressful. This pandemic year has added another lovely layer to it.

Becoming an Art Teacher Boss… Strategies for Success – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators
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Becoming an Art Teacher Boss… Strategies for Success – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators

Today, I’ll talk about things that you can do in your art teaching practice to fire it up and take it to boss level. They will help you get those things checked off your to-do list and help you be a more productive teacher so that you can leave sooner each day. Because living your life… Is kind of a big deal. Let’s learn strategies for being Art Teacher BOSS!

Be an Art Teacher BOSS… Mindset Strategies – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators
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Be an Art Teacher BOSS… Mindset Strategies – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators

Someone who is Art Teacher BOSS knows what they want, how to get what they want, and implements the process to get it. This is what it means to be BOSS! Essentially, you’re the ultimate to-do list checker, task completer, and productivity person. Being boss is a great mindset to have. Of course, it’s not just mindset. You have to feel it in your heart and you have to do the work to get there. Being boss means that your actively and consciously doing the steps each and every day, every moment, working to make the slight improvements in yourself that are needed to get to your goals and your better version of yourself. I like to say: “Reflect, self-improve, and calibrate perfection.” Of course, this is a LONG journey of success, not a quick trip. This is way of LIVING LIFE.

Reflective Teaching Strategies for Art Teachers – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators
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Reflective Teaching Strategies for Art Teachers – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators

Hello my lovely friends, I am your host Kathleen McGiveron, founder of all things Ms Artastic. Today we’re going to talk a bit about reflective teaching practices.

This is a topic that I need to focus on as well. It is so often that we feel alone in our classrooms, offices, or studios… We show up, do the work, and go home. Sometimes we have colleagues, but it’s not all the time that we see them. As well, they may know you well, but they might not know what is happening inside your classroom, or your office, or studio. I think it is important that we remind ourselves of the magic makers in our lives, which are ourselves.

Encourage Students to Be Creative in Your Art Classroom – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators
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Encourage Students to Be Creative in Your Art Classroom – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators

Art Teachers, we’re going to talk about Encouraging students to be creative in your Art Classroom! First, I’m going to share with you some ideas of how to fuel your creativity, which you can write down notes for then share in your OWN classroom. Second, I’ll talk about some Finish the Picture and Creativity Challenge ideas. These are all ideas that you can use or teach in your own classroom that can help encourage your students to be creative.

Inspiring the Reluctant Artists or Art Makers in your Art Classroom – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators
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Inspiring the Reluctant Artists or Art Makers in your Art Classroom – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators

Art teachers, we know encouraging students to make art can sometimes happen easily and other times, it’s a challenge. You bring out, act out, or show your “hook” and BAM! They’re engaged and are wanting to do their best. Depending on the age or the student’s own personal experience with creating art, this is sometimes a challenge and you might even get a complete refusal. As a teacher, it is our job to encourage a student to create. After many years of experience teaching, and having taught art to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12, I have a few tricks up my sleeve in terms of getting ALL your students to create art, even if they really don’t want to. Let’s look at ideas for how to inspire the reluctant artists and art makers in your classroom.

What to do with Fast Finishers in your Art Classroom – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators
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What to do with Fast Finishers in your Art Classroom – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators

Art Teachers, in your Art Classroom you’re always going to have students finish before the rest so let’s take a look at some ideas or routines that you can build into your classroom so that students know what to do when they’re done so they don’t have to ask you and so that you don’t have to instruct them on what to do EVERY time.

Ms Artastic’s Art Teacher Curriculum: About the Art Resource Membership

Ms Artastic’s Art Teacher Curriculum: About the Art Resource Membership

Well my lovely friends, I just wanted to take the time today to share with you a little bit about a resource that can honestly… be a game changer for art teachers. Now, it is not everyday that art teachers get things that are shiny, new, and spectacular… but this IS!

Now, before we get started, I just want to tell you that… Well, I get it. Art Teaching isn’t all rainbows and glitter. It isn’t always a magical moment where you’re creating art with kids or are looking at and hanging student artwork. There is the OTHER side of being an art teacher, and that involves both planning and grading. Now, while I can’t grade for you as you have to do the assessment as your student’s teacher, I CAN alleviate some of the other stress that is a HUGE time suck in your life. And when I mean time suck, I mean endless hours both searching for ideas, finding inspiration, creating tidy lesson plans, matching it to curricular content, and then making all the student handouts and worksheets to match. Just building a unit from the ground up is all kinds of hours, which, of course, we can’t do during class time. This is all done… on YOUR time.

Creating Happiness in your Art Classroom – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators
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Creating Happiness in your Art Classroom – Teaching Strategies for Art Educators

Teachers, let’s talk about creating happiness among your students in your art classroom. For me, this is so important. Right now, at this strange and unusual moment in time, it is essential. It is a major part of creating a positive learning space, creating a strong classroom community, building trust with ALL your students, and creating a classroom that kids WANT to be in.

November Art Lesson and Project Ideas for your Classroom
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November Art Lesson and Project Ideas for your Classroom

In this Article I’ll give you ideas for Art Lessons or Art Projects that you can do in your Art Classroom, general classroom, or at home if you’re a homeschool parent. These are all themes for art that are perfectly suited for teaching art to kids in November! You can use these ideas for Elementary or Middle School students. #novemberart #msartastic #iteachart

Autumn Art Lesson and Project Ideas for an Elementary Classroom
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Autumn Art Lesson and Project Ideas for an Elementary Classroom

It’s already FALL. Well, I’ll be honest, I have my pumpkins out already… but I grow them myself. I LOVE growing pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. It is a 6 month adventure as I start my Atlantic Giants indoors in the spring… then after months of TLC I get a giant pumpkin or 2! They’re so beautiful. Also, Halloween is my Christmas. If you’re someone who wants to start getting ready for Christmas in November… well, that is how I feel about Halloween. I LOVE IT. But I also love Autumn too so let’s get inspired by some lovely autumn artworks that you can do with your kids in your classroom or at home.

How to Encourage ALL Your Students to Create Art (even those who don’t want to)

How to Encourage ALL Your Students to Create Art (even those who don’t want to)

Inspire kids to make art through encouraging them, earning their trust, and building a relationship in your classroom! These are classroom management strategies for art teachers to help them reach all their learners (even those who are unwilling to make art or are challenging to teach). Learn how to draw out the artist in each of your students, inspire them, and be YOUR BEST teacher through reading this blog post! #artteacher #artteachingstrategies #firstyearartteacher #msartastic