***Some NEW K lessons are added at the bottom of the page! Please scroll down to view***
SNOWY OWL COLLAGE
This is such a fun and cute winter art lesson that not only engages young artists while learning new art terms (collage, texture, overlapping etc.) but also allows for an opportunity where young learners can feel successful with their art skills early on and helps build fine motor control!
One out of my 4 kindergarten classes finished their snowy owls just before winter break, so I’m sharing a small sample that I was able to capture before leaving school! I thought I got more photos of their finished artwork, but I know I was rushing to get out the door haha, so I’ll have to take more after I return and add more photos then! **(UPDATED: Just added more photos of kids snowy owls below!! 1/19/26)
They did a great job creating these though didn’t they?! I’m very proud of my students hard work with this lesson!
This took 4 (40 minute) art classes to complete and there was a lot of tearing that was required for the owls body. My students really enjoyed the process though and I’ve added the steps with photos as well as the learning goals of the lesson below!
DAY 1
Students each received a 12×18” sheet of black (Sax brand) paper which had an outline of an owl and a branch drawn with a white colored pencil (I did this step ahead of time).
Students each received a small sheet of brown construction paper to tear for the branch first. I showed them to tear longer strips that would fit inside their branches, and to glue the back of the brown paper using a glue stick and press with the flat of their hand for about 5 seconds after in place. For any smaller branches where they needed to add brown paper they tore smaller sections (making a triangular tear or point with their hands).
Once the branch is filled (and btw, they glue the brown paper right over the owls toes as well) they start tearing white (80# drawing paper) into small pieces (I show them to tear the white to about the size of a quarter or a bit larger) and as soon as they tear one piece to glue the back and press down somewhere along the wing or head to start. I also told them not to glue the black paper, but to make sure to glue the torn paper. This way they’ll make sure each piece of torn paper has enough glue so they stay down. We also talked about what overlapping means, and I demonstrated how to overlap the white pieces as they glued.
DAY 2
Students continued tearing the white paper and adding the pieces to the owls body until it was filled in completely. Then I showed them how to tear 3 small pieces for each toe on each foot over the brown branch.
If students finished early, they then added more texture to their collage by drawing lines within their branch using two different shades of brown with crayon.
DAY 3
Students continued finishing their white pieces, adding the owls toes, and then traced 2 circles on yellow construction paper with pencil for the owls eyes, using these cardboard circles that I had (I’m not sure where I got these? But they came in handy for this lesson!) Students cut each one out, glued them on the owls head, and then glued on the pupils and beak. I used a regular hole puncher for the black pupils and handed them out in containers as well as cut black triangles for their beaks.
Also kindergartners added the texture for the bark on the branch with brown crayons at this point, if they hadn’t yet.
This little cutie had some fun with lipstick out at recess before art class!
DAY 4
This was my students FAVORITE day of the lesson because they got to use paint!!
I demonstrated how to paint on some snow on top of the branch first, using liquid tempera paint (I use Crayola “Premier”) and then showed then how to flick snowflakes all around using a toothbrush! Kids LOVED that part especially! Kids shared the paint on paper plates at tables.
Zoom in on the girl in the background below!! She definitely needed a few wet wipes to clean her face afterwards Haha!
Since it was the last day of the lesson, if students had some “bald” spots within their owl, I told them to fill those areas in with white paint using their paintbrush, which worked out great. Another student ( further below ) decided to do a little “finger painting” to add in some snow flakes haha!
My teacher example below, and then some students finished artwork!
LEARNING GOALS:
- Continue to strengthen fine motor skills (tearing, gluing, cutting, drawing)
- Can create a collage using torn pieces of paper, and define what a collage is
- Can define texture and show texture within their artwork
- Can define overlapping and show this in their artwork
- Connection to science/ Learn about owls
WINTER TREE LANDSCAPE
This is a lesson I did with a seperate Special Ed. class years ago (probably 2016?) I will be doing this with my Kindergarten classes soon though!!
This is one of my favorite winter lessons. I love the unexpected pink sky and the simple tree shapes with pops of color!
This was a two day lesson (2- 40 min. art classes)
DAY 1:
On day 1, students created the trees on one 12×18″ white paper, and the sky with snow on 12×18″ pink construction paper.
For the paper with the trees, I prepped the trees ahead of time by drawing simple triangles using a ruler, on 12 x18″ 80# drawing paper. (I may have kindergarteners do their own trees without a ruler this year though.) Some trees can be wider, and taller than others. Space them apart on the paper, holding the paper horizontally. Draw in pencil first, then outline with thin black sharpie. Then students add lines inside the trees with thin black sharpie.
Prep cut tissue using various colors in short strips and/or squares.
Students then glued on pieces of tissue paper, one at a time, using a paintbrush dipped into watered down elmer’s glue. Glue the paper where you want the tissue to go first with a thin layer, then apply a piece of tissue, then smooth the tissue down with the paintbrush with another thin layer. Overlap pieces of tissue as you work your way down the tree. It’s ok if kids go over the edges of the trees since the trees will be cut out later on. Once all trees are done, set aside that paper to dry until the next class.
Students then created the sky background, by dipping their finger (I tell kids to just use one finger here) into white liquid tempera paint and dotting their pink papers all over. The lighter they press, the smaller the dots, the harder they press, the bigger the dots (snowflakes). This paper gets set aside to dry until day 2 of the lesson.
DAY 2:
On day 2, students glued on the white hills to their pink papers. I prepped the hills ahead of time, by drawing one sloping line along the bottom of a sheet of 12×18″ 80# white drawing paper (holding the paper horizontally), and then turning it upside down to draw the second sloping line on the same side. So basically, two hills should fit on the same side of one piece of paper.
Students cut along the lines, cutting out their hills. They glued them down using a glue stick. Glue one hill down along one edge, then the other one overlaps the first along the opposite edge.
Next, students cut out their triangle trees following the black lines. Students glued the back of each tree using a glue stick, making sure to use a lot of glue, especially on the edges.
I tell students to press each tree with the flat of their hand for 5-10 seconds, counting as they hold it down. Space the trees so some are glued higher on the hill and some lower, alternating so it has a balanced composition and creates the illusion of space.
Learning Goals:
- Students can identify shapes and colors while creating their artwork
- Students understand that lines that connect creates shapes
- Develops an understanding of how to create a sense of space in artwork
- Continues to strengthen fine motor control
”Pumpkin’s Starry Night”
Gahh! These pumpkins are just SO stinkin’ cute! I LOOoove how they turned out, and my students did too! So proud of their hard work and effort. 2 out of my 8 classes finished so far. Here’s some of their finished work- and photos and details on how we made them!
I love all the different facial expressions!
But students didn’t have to include a face in their pumpkin if they didn’t want to
This was a 4 day lesson (40 minutes each art). My YouTube tutorial is posted below the artwork / steps for the lesson.
DAY 1:
This lesson was inspired by “The Starry Night” —Kindergarten and 1st grade students learned about the life and artwork of Vincent van Gogh.
After learning about Vincent van Gogh, I showed students step-by-step under the document camera, how to draw the pumpkin on a 12×12” sheet of 80# white drawing paper. I began with drawing a large “C” on the left side of the paper. Then drawing a backwards “C” on the right side- leaving a little space in between. We then connected the two C’s at the top with a slight curving line, then connected the bottom.
Then we drew the pumpkin’s stem, adding a few bumps at the top and lines inside for texture. After that, we drew a straight line down the middle of the pumpkin, and then curving lines on either side to create more texture, and to make our pumpkins look more rounded. Then students drew the face (if they wanted one) and added a zig-line for the grass (making sure to go OVER the bottom of the pumpkin a little bit to show overlapping).
Then we erased the parts of the pumpkin that was below the zig-zag line. For the final step of day 1, we drew a moon in the sky.
DAY 2:
Students traced over ALL pencil lines with a black crayon making sure to press real hard as they traced. Then students filled in their pumpkin’s eyes and mouth with a black crayon; pressing hard. Students then drew stars in the sky using a yellow crayon (also making sure to press really hard, and to fill in the circles completely).
DAY 3:
Students then painted their sky using black watercolors, creating a crayon-wax resist technique. It never gets old seeing students watch in awe as the paint glides right over the crayon and doesn’t cover it up! Then they painted their grass, pumpkin, stem and moon.
DAY 4:
On the final day, we looked at Vincent’s StarryNight painting again and talked about all the short dashed lines in his work- particularly around each of the stars, and how it made them look like they were twinkling, and how it created a lot of texture throughout.
Students drew short dashed lines in the grass with a dark green crayon, dashed lines with a red-orange crayon inside the pumpkin, and white dashed lines all around the stars; making sure to press down hard as they drew.
Learning Goals:
- Students can identify and create various types of line
- Students can define texture and show texture within their artwork
- Students can define overlapping and show overlapping in their artwork
- Students can define and create a crayon-wax resist painting
- Students can identify artwork by Vincent van Gogh
I just added 8 NEW Resources (printable PDF sheets for various art lessons) in my TpT store (11/5/25) link is https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/art-with-mrs-filmore
K / 1 “FALL LEAVES”
My students in grades K and 1st created these beautifully vibrant leaves for the fall trees I made on my schools bulletin board recently! It took just 1 art class (40 minutes) to create.
I did this a couple years back and I’m always SO impressed at how bright and vivid the colors come out! And how rarely any leaves end up being brown or muddy!
We used Roylco brand diffusing leaves (you can purchase these on Amazon in packs of 80 leaves -3 different leaf varieties). I’ll also share a pic of how I did the bulletin board one year with the leaves as a wreath for the holiday season below.
Kids colored on their leaf (1 per student) with any colors of the rainbow they wanted (plus teal and pink) with bingo daubers until the entire leaf was colored in. Before they colored, we talked about colors and discussed what two primary colors make secondary colors. I was VERY impressed with my kindergarten students knowledge on this!!
Once they finished coloring, I sprayed their leaf (while on top of a messy mat) with a water spray bottle (about 4-5 sprays) about 12” away from their leaf. Students loved seeing the water spread the ink and watching their colors blend!
After letting the leaves dry in the drying rack black veins were added using oil pastel, then I stapled them on the 3 trees I created earlier. I made them out of crinkling brown construction paper strips and stapling them together.
I love how the trees came out and how it brightens up the hallway for fall!
I’m planning on using the remaining leaves that didn’t fit on the trees, to decorate the edges of my second bulletin board for other “fall” artwork soon!
Here’s a photo of how I used the leaves a couple years ago for the winter holiday!
Learning Goals:
- Students learn art making techniques when marker and water are mixed
- Students experiment with color mixing and can create secondary colors
Paper diffusing leaf lesson idea from @mrsgreenartartbaby
LEAF RUBBINGS WITH TEXTURED FRAME
Kindergarten created some beautiful framed fall leaf rubbings!
‘Each student got a piece of 9×12” 80# drawing paper, and selected various leaf templates to rub.
They placed each rubbing plate under an area of their paper, then used WARM colored skinless crayons to rub the sides of their crayons to reveal the TEXTURE of the leaf.
I put a bunch of crayons in a “tub” of warm soapy water for about 15-20 minutes, in order to get the papers off easily. Then let dry after dabbing them with paper towels. I do wish though, that Crayola would come out with some “skinless” crayons!! That would be fantastic for so many projects.
Once kids finished their leaf rubbings, they used a darker brown crayon to add TEXTURE ( bark) to their frames.
The “frames” were created simply by drawing a rectangle and then I ran it through the photocopier on brown construction paper.
Then students cut out the centers of the frame, and they glued the leaf picture to their frame!
I showed students how to cut a little slice by poking their scissor into the center somewhere, then they could cut the center out.
LEARNING GOALS;
- students are able to identify what the warm colors are and use them in their artwork
- students can define the element of art texture
- students can create various textures and be able to identify where texture was added to their artwork
- students understand what overlapping means, and utilizes it within their artwork
- students enhance their cutting skills when creating the frame
BUGS IN A JAR
This was a very fun, one day lesson. Kids had a blast creating these adorable bugs!
Students each received a pre-printed outline of the bug jar, and they printed the bugs by coloring their fingers with marker and pressing down onto their paper. I told students they could only color their fingers on one hand, and could choose 5 colors. One color for each finger. We used washable Crayola markers.
My students LOOOVED being able to color their fingers “on purpose”. I did tell them it would take a few hand washings to get the marker off after they were done ( I’m sure parents were thrilled after seeing their kids hands LOL, but it’s for art! )
Once they created at least 10 bugs, and leaving a bit of space around each one for wings, antenna etc, they added legs, antennae and wings etc. using an ultra fine point black sharpie.
Then students cut their jars out with scissors!
LEARNING GOALS
- students learn the basic methods of printmaking by stamping their fingers to leave a print
- students utilize their knowledge of line, to create texture in the insects wings, legs, and antennae
- students enhance their cutting skills
LITTLE CLOUD
These ‘little clouds’ were inspired by the book Little Cloud by Eric Carle. This was a quick two day lesson but it easily could be a one day lesson. 40 minute classes each. Kids loved listening to the story and creating their sweet little clouds.
https://youtu.be/s-owb_b5pEk?feature=shared
Day One
Students followed along with me under the document camera to draw their cloud with pencil. I told him it was like drawing the letter M over and over connected. They then drew raindrops in the background with blue crayon. Then they took a blue oil pastel and traced over their cloud line with a thick line. Students then smudged the blue cloud line with their finger. They then added facial details with blue crayon.
Day Two
Students used watercolors to paint the rainbow behind their cloud. Then added rosy cheeks if they wanted to.
Lesson idea from @mrsprice_art
LEARNING GOALS
- Students understand that when a line connects it creates a shape
- Students understand how to create a soft, blurry line by smudging oil pastel
- Students understand the technique crayon wax resist
- Students learn the rainbow’s color order and can show that in their artwork
https://youtu.be/s-owb_b5pEk?feature=shared
ORGANIC AND GEOMETRIC SHAPE ROBOT
This lesson took 2 (40 min.) art classes to complete.
After discussing and showing students what organic shapes and geometric shapes were, they watched a fun video about those shapes by Scratch Garden. Here’s the video below!
Then I showed students pictures of various robots for inspiration. Then I demonstrated under the document camera how they could use the pattern block template to create various geometric shapes to create the robot’s body. Students were asked to use geometric shapes somewhere in their robot, but also include some organic shapes as well by drawing them themselves. If finished before the end of art class, they then traced over all their lines with a black sharpie.
DAY 2
Students continued where they left off on day 1 and then added color with markers.
LEARNING GOALS
- Students can define, identify, and create organic and geometric shapes in their artwork
- Students understand that when a line connects, it creates a shape
”SELF-PORTRAITS WITH RAINBOW LINES”
Kindergarten and 1st grade created these “Self-Portraits with Rainbow Lines”
We listened to the story “Lines that Wiggle” by Candace Whitman on YouTube first (a great animated version that my students loooved!
Then I showed students a variety of lines (vertical, horizontal, diagonal, wavy, bumpy, loopy, dashed, dotted, zig-zag, spiral, sandcastle) and how line is one of the 7 elements of art.
Students then drew along with me for each strip of paper with a black sharpie marker and each time they finished one strip they glued it down immediately onto a sheet of black 9×12″, leaving space in between.
On day 2, students drew their self-portrait with pencil, then traced over all their pencil lines with black sharpie and then cut them out ( leaving white around the edges) and then glued on top of their rainbow strip background.
I will have both grade levels create self-portraits a couple of other times throughout the year. We’ll take a look back at these at the end of the year to see how much they’ve progressed as artists!
LEARNING GOALS:
- Students can identify and create various types of line
- Students learn that line is one of the 7 elements of art
- Students can define and create a self-portrait
- Students can list the colors of the rainbow in rainbow order
- Students strengthen their fine motor and cutting skills
Mixed-Media Bridges inspired by Claude Monet
This is a lesson that I taught my Special Education class years ago (when they had a separate art class) but I think I’d like to try this with my Kindergarten students later this year.
Students learned about the artist Claude Monet and watched a video on his life and artwork.
On day 1, Students layered tissue paper pieces with watered down white glue on 9×12” tagboard, to create the water and tree background.
On day 2, they glued on their photo, then a pre-cut bridge to go over their lily pond, drew lily pads with green oil pastel, and added white and pink dots with their fingers dipped in tempera paint to create lily flowers!
I LOVE how they turned out!!
“April Showers”
This is a lesson that I taught my Special Education class years ago (when they had a separate art class) but I think I’d like to try this with my Kindergarten students later this year.
I LOVE these so much! We used a wet-on-wet watercolor technique for the umbrella (using only warm colors), and crayon, oil pastels, and marker for the grass, puddle and flowers background.
They brushed just water over the areas with marker to create a painted sky, puddles and grass.
I took a photo of each student “holding their umbrella” and printed out on regular copy paper then cut and glued their photos and umbrellas onto their painted background.
For the umbrella “handles” I had students hold an orange pointer stick to mimic the umbrella handle!
Learning Goals:
Students can identify and incorporate the warm colors in artwork
Students learn how to create “paint” from markers and water
Students can create and define crayon-wax resist
“Mixed–Media Hearts”
This lesson takes (2) 40 minute art classes to complete. I did this lesson with my special education class years ago and am going to do this with my Kindergarten students this year for Valentine’s Day. We used this artwork for Square 1 Art.
First, students traced a heart on 80# paper, then glued pieces of pre-cut tissue paper with watered down white school glue, overlapping any of the following color combos-red, pink, purple, yellow, and orange.
On their Square 1 sheet, they then traced a heart using the same heart tracer again and drew lines with oil pastels in whatever colors they wanted coming out from the heart, then painted over their lines around the heart with watercolor paint creating a resist.
Once dry, on day 2- the tissue paper hearts were cut out, glued in place on the Square 1 sheet, and either red or pink oil pastel was added around the rim of their cut hearts!! ❤❤❤
Learning Goals:
Students can define and create an oil pastel resist
Students can define overlapping and show this within their art
Students can define and identify warm colors
PULLED STRING ART
This is yet another lesson I taught my Special Education class years ago- and thought it’d be so fun for Kindergarten (albeit a bit messy!)
This was a super fun and EASY one day lesson on mirror symmetry! Kids dipped cut yarn into a plate of liquid tempera paint, then using a plastic fork, pushed the paint all over the yarn, keeping a small section of the yarn out so it wouldn’t get covered in paint. Then after taking the excess paint off with your fingers running down the yarn-(This part is important!) place yarn on a sheet of paper (we used medium weight tagboard) anyway you like. Just make sure you leave the part that doesn’t have paint on the end dangling out.
Then wipe hands on a paper towel or handy wipes, and place another piece of paper (same size) on the top, keeping that end bit of yarn dangling out from the side between the two sheets.
Then while holding down the 2 papers together with your hands or a book, pull the string (yarn) out slowly.
”TISSUE PAPER PUMPKIN COLLAGE”
Students created these gorgeous pumpkin collages using liquid watercolor, tissue paper, glue, and liquid tempera paint!
On day 1 of the lesson, students traced a pumkin using a cardboard tracer onto 9×12″ paper. They then glued on orange, red, yellow and pink squares of pre-cut tissue paper using a paintbrush and watered down glue. They brushed on a second layer of glue once a piece of tissue was placed on. They used a brown piece for the pumkin’s stem.
On a second sheet of 12×18″ paper, students painted a turquoise sky with liquid watercolor paint. (Very vibrant!)
On day 2 of the lesson, students cut out their pumpkins and glued onto the sky painting. They then glued on cut strips of various green and yellow tissue paper for the grass using watered down school glue and a paintbrush.
For the final step, they sponged on leaves in the sky by lightly dipping a pre-cut sponge in the shape of a leaf into a plate of drizzled red, yellow and orange liquid tempera paint, then gently pressed onto the sky to create falling leaves!
Learning Goals:
Continue to develop fine motor control (tracing, cutting, painting, stamping and gluing)
Primary/Secondary Color Mixing
I have a PDF Mixing Primary Colors Sheet in my TpT store
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/art-with-mrs-filmore
Primary/Secondary Color Mixing
Before any painting, I showed students a short, super fun 3 minute stop-motion video of the band OK, GO perform a song about the primary colors and secondary colors, as well as a “LEGO version” of the same song in stop-motion. Students LOVED watching these! Then, as students watched me demonstrate each step on how to blend colors together, they did the same on their own papers.
Learning Goals:
-Students learn what the primary & secondary colors are
-Learn how to mix primary colors to create secondary colors
