Resources on the Web

The internet is an excellent and vast resource to help you find and plan classroom art lessons.  The following is a by no means exhaustive list of websites that are useful for elementary art.

• LWSD Art Docent Program - The Lake Washington School District has developed a full set of 7 art lessons per grade for Art Docent use. 
• Deep Space Sparkle - Deep Space Sparkle has been adopted as curriculum in LWSD. Teachers will be leading the lessons, but docents can help prepare materials and act as art helpers. The website has a lot of lesson ideas and blog posts outside of the curriculum that are available without a login.
• The Art of Education - Lots of lesson plans for students of all ages and artistic development.

• The Incredible Art Department - This website has a large collection of art projects that are searchable by grade, medium, artist, etc.

• KinderArt - Another excellent webpage for finding lesson plans, project examples, and ideas. Also searchable by grade, theme, etc.  Click the "Start Here" menu tab and have a look.

• Dick Blick - The art material supplier breaks down lessons in grade level groups. The link is to K-4, but grade 5 docents can also find great project ideas by looking in the grade 5-8 section.
• Crayola - Organized similarly to Pinterest, lots of ideas and plans for lessons for all ages.
• Mrs. Brown's Art Class - Lessons are organized by grade level from K-5.  Some lessons have associated PowerPoint presentations.

• Pinterest - It would be remiss to make a list of art lesson ideas without including Pinterest. There are literally thousands of projects on the site. Tip: Try different mixes of keywords, as in "elementary art paint," "first grade painting," "fall elementary painting lessons" for best results. Requires a login (free).

Special Needs

The following links have lesson ideas and useful information for helping every student express themselves artistically while also enjoying the creative process. 

• KinderArt - Art for Children and Adults with Disabilities - A curated list of art projects as well as tips for completing lessons successfully.

• Bright Hub Education - Art Activities and Lessons for Special Education - Another selection of projects and guidance for working with special needs students. NOTE: This site is heavily ad-supported, some of which may have audio.

• Dick Blick - Lesson Plans for Special Education - This list is compiled from their larger lesson pool.

Free Online Courses and Videos

Educational resources for art docents themselves - brush up on your Van Gogh to ancient Egyptian art to modern artists!

Khan Academy - Information about why art is important, the history of art, etc.

Open Culture - Compilation of links to free art content from museums, galleries, and libraries.

The Open University - Learn about the arts and humanities.

Forms

PTSA Check Request Form

PTSA Check Request Form - Fillable Please download and save the form to fill it out