I haven’t been very good about updating my blogs for quite some time. I have been doing all kinds of fun things in real life, I promise. As my own two boys get older, we go on less field trips, and with Covid-19 shut down, no trips at all, really. I have been teaching art online, which I love.
I have also been teaching an art history based art class on zoom to a bunch of amazing 8th and 9th graders. Which is what this page is all about. It has been a lot of fun so far. It has been a long time since I was in a class, learning art history myself. Let’s just say I am rusty.
Every two weeks, I dive into a time period, learn everything I can for two weeks straight, and then go on to tell the kids what I have learned. Except, my goal is to search for those sticky ‘aha’ moments that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. I know they probably won’t retain the names of one thousand and one artists. Each week, I ask them to focus on just a few things, so that they can retain them far into their adult lives.
Since I am not a big believer in tests or quizzes, each art history lesson ends with an art assignment. It is open ended, and philosophical, and requires a bit of thinking on the kids part. I never ask them to copy any particular artwork, not exactly anyway.
As we get deeper into the year, my own review, knowledge and research to each period of history grows exponentially. It is a lot of joyous work, and rather awesome. I want it to live somewhere, where others can also enjoy it and maybe love it as much as I do. That’s why I decided to share what I learn here. For each lecture, I curate short videos to watch in between my talking. All in all it takes us about an hour for each discussion, and then whatever time it takes the kids to make the art.
Art History For Kids:
Georgia O’Keeffe Art Lesson
1889-1986
Draw these great landscapes inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe using oil pastels. This is a fun art history lesson for kids based on Georgia O’Keeffe’s work.
Georges Seurat And Pointillism Art Lesson
1859-1891
I had a great time doing an art lesson on Georges Seurat. After all, who wouldn’t have fun with Pointillism. It is such a fun way of painting, and I love it. The kids loved it also. Give it a try!
Vincent Van Gogh Art Lesson
1853-1829
We explored van Gogh’s art by making these great landscape paintings inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s many wonderful landscapes. Van Gogh is definitely a fascinating artist to explore.
Tiffany Stained Glass Art Lesson
1848-1933
This is a really fun faux stained glass paintings lesson for kids to do. We explored the art of Louis Comfort Tiffany, and then made our own faux stained glass paintings.
Earth Day Recycled Mosaic Art Lesson
This is most certainly one of my favorite art lessons to do with kids. It takes a bit of prep time, but really worth it!