Since I began my teaching career, I have always worked with students of all different learning styles, and learning speeds. I have worked ...
Scribble monsters are a favorite in my adapted art class! If you follow me on Instagram you probably know that I am absolutely head over heels in love with teaching adapted art! I love teaching and creating lessons that meet the individual needs of my students in order to provide them with their own authentic, enrichin
The most important thing to keep in mind when planning to meet the needs of students is that they are all unique individuals with unique needs. The diversity in human beings is beautiful. It is worth celebrating. Unfortunately, I don’t think teachers get enough training in teacher prep programs or
Since I began my teaching career, I have always worked with students of all different learning styles, and learning speeds. I have worked with students who have a wide range of diagnoses, Autism, LD, Emotional Behavioral, Learning Support, and Multiple Disabilities. I must say that working with my special needs students are among the best experiences of my teaching career. Some of my students are very limited in what they can do, yet, in my classroom its as if the possibilities are endless, they can accomplish anything they put their minds to! My philosophy when it comes to special needs in art education is simply this: it is about the process, not the product. As artist's we all have this picture of what something will look like in our heads before we actually get started. With some of my special needs students, they are there for the experience of making art, not necessairily for what the outcome is. After they go through the process of making the art, working on fine motor skills, they are able to see the product, and they get so excited to see what they were able to create. In my art ed experience, I have never seen a curriculum specifically designed for my special needs students, so I have begun to develop one. It is always a work in progress, constantly being added to, as I am always experiencing students with different needs and abilities. Here are a few of my more successful project outcomes: I tend to break my lesson Ideas into different units, ex: squares, circles, triangles, fall, process, specific colors, etc. First up is circles. We practice the 'round and round' motion that our arm or wrist makes when we are creating a circle. We create lots of different types of circles using lots of different media. This project involves gluing pre-cut circles to a 12x12 piece of paper. Students then use a toilet paper roll and black paint to stamp black circles on the colored pre-cut circles. lastly we use dot markers to add a little something else to our project. For this project we look at Kandinsky's circle painting and we use a 12x18 piece of white paper and divide it into 6 sections. we work on folding skills to divide our paper. We then use three different colors of paint to create concentric circles in each of the 6 spaces. Lastly we cut (depending on the level of ability of the student) and glue them to a larger piece of colored paper. Some of our other circle projects include using different materials to create that 'round and round' morion, like chalk, marker and paint. We learn about oil pastel resist when it comes to watercolor and other water paints. Next up: Squares. We look at the work of Mondrian and glue pre-cut red, yellow, and blue squares and rectangles to a piece of 12x18 paper. We use a piece of cardboard to create vertical and horizontal stamped lines using black tempera paint. Another project we work on is laying painters tape on a piece of 12x18 paper in a grid pattern. Then we use different colors of paint to add color to the remaining spaces. I also use this project as a color mixing project to teach primary and secondary colors. The project with the yellow T's is actually a cube pattern that we use to make a 3D cube when its done. We begin by choosing a colored piece of 12x18 construction paper. I pre-cut the first letter of each students first name. Students trace a pre-made template of a cube onto their paper. Then they tape their letters into each of the 6 spaces created by the template. I place their paper into a copy paper box top, and students choose several different paint colors. We add paint in a few places on their paper and drop in a few marbles. Students pick up their box top and roll the marbles around through the paint. When it dries, we remove the taped down letters. cut out the template, fold it, and tape it together to create the cube. Next up: Triangles. We complete several tape resist paintings practicing laying the tape down in a triangle pattern. We use paint for one and dot markers for the other. We complete an analogous color scheme process painting, and then use our scissor skills to cut it into triangles. We then create a mosaic on black paper. This one is a multi step project. We use tissue paper and modpodge to fill different sized square and rectangle papers. We use a light blue piece of 18x24 piece of construction paper and paint a snowy scene. Students use bundled qtips to make the snow in the sky. Lastly we cut triangles out of the tissue paper squares and rectangles, and add them to the paper. Our Fall projects include print making, stamping, leaf rubbing with crayons, painting, gluing and resists. Our process art is constantly changing and these are usually the most successful. We focus on particular colors and create various projects using a monochromatice scheme. Marble paintings (which we did around valentines day so we used a heart theme) Apple prints, torn paper collages and tissue paper collages. I try to hang up most of their art by their classroom so that they can see it when they go to and from different places in the building, but I also include their work in with the rest of the student body around the building.
Scribble monsters are a favorite in my adapted art class! If you follow me on Instagram you probably know that I am absolutely head over heels in love with teaching adapted art! I love teaching and creating lessons that meet the individual needs of my students in order to provide them with their own authentic, enrichin
There’s a reason children are encouraged to draw and paint at a young age. One of the most important reasons for this is to develop the critical motor skills.
Use this free printable Earth day template to make this Earth Day Watercolor Art. Kids will love making this art project for Earth Day!
We have been in school for almost a month. (I can't believe it either!) So far, this is the BEST year yet! My kids love art and I love teaching through the arts. I am always on the look-out for amazing art resources to use with my kiddos, but they are hard to come by. This summer, I found an incredible resource that was created by Whimsy Workshop. She does ALL of the work for you! There are background information sheets for each type of art that she includes. There are 3 art projects for each country, and each project has step-by-step directions with pictures! Not only are we learning about cultures from around the world and geography, we are also creating lots of art and learning about different techniques. Here are some of the projects we have completed already this year. Surfers from Australia Boomerrangs Chinese Dragons Chinese Flower Blossom Fans (before we folded them) Koi Fish Pretty amazing, huh?! The techniques that Whimsy Workshop shows, are easy enough for kids of all ages and abilities to be successful! My kids are so proud of their work! Check out her product, Art Around the World.
Scribble monsters are a favorite in my adapted art class! If you follow me on Instagram you probably know that I am absolutely head over heels in love with teaching adapted art! I love teaching and creating lessons that meet the individual needs of my students in order to provide them with their own authentic, enrichin
If you're a kid with behavioral, mental, or physical disabilities, sometimes craft time can be a hard time, but we're here to turn that around. This list of 45+ Crafts for Kids with Special Needs is the ideal guide to making craft time fun for kids of all ages and developmental levels. Whether you're two or twenty, a beginner or expert, this collection has the perfect project for you to work on your skills and is aimed at children who may need help in the areas of development and behavior. These easy crafts for kids take little to no time to put together, cutting down on boredom. These wonderful crafts for kids with special needs are sorted by skill set so that you can skip directly to the skill you're working on. You're guaranteed to keep them entertained for hours as these projects aren't only educational but also a blast. Whether you want to work on your fine motor skills by making your next masterpiece with paint or putting on a theater show with marker cap puppets or engage your senses with scented playdough or sticky sticks, there is no shortage of activities. If you love what you're reading, let us know by subscribing to our newsletter: Crafty Kid Creations Get started by following along with our How to Make Playdough video below, a fantastic sensory activity for kids with special needs.
Are you looking to gain more confidence in teaching adapted art? I'm here to help! Check out this blog to learn how to create a valuable, enriching and powerful adapted art program!
A fun doodle art 3D pattern cat activity for kids. Make a bold and colourful cat with this printable template with a cool 3D effect.
Spring is the in air at the Baddour Center! Check out our 5 favorite spring art projects for adults with special needs.
Art Ideas for Artists with Limited Hand Mobility Even though an individual may have severe limitations in using their hands they...
Since I began my teaching career, I have always worked with students of all different learning styles, and learning speeds. I have worked ...
Here is an art lesson for autistic students that I taught as an art sub.
A blog about parenting kids with special needs
256K views, 4.6K likes, 47 comments, 2.9K shares, Facebook Reels from Timm Sevitz: Squish painting butterfly wings is a really fun and easy art activity for little kids. The art technique is called...
A fun art project that always allured kids with its surprise element. What is really fascinating about blotto art is that each time your kids reveal a new painting; No two are ever the same. To cre…
This beautiful watercolor butterfly painting combines oil pastels and watercolors. Kids will learn easy watercolor techniques to create this wow-worthy art!
Drop drawing 💧 #drawing #drawingtutorial #dropdrawing #artvideo. fenekot · Mockingbird (Sped Up)
This is a year round art project inspired by the work of famous artist Andy Warhol. Make your very own BIG, stuffed POP ART APPLE with step by step instructions, photos and materials list. Grades K-8
These wide-eyed self-portraits are so fun and whimsical and started with a simple drawing prompt to draw a really wide face instead of a circle!
"I Spy..." This project was one of those projects that you think up and then think to yourself... "I am SO clever!" hehe. I ...
For some students with more significant disabilities finding ways to adapt and include them in an art experience can be discouraging and...
Our Black Glue Sunflower Art project for kids is a must for the Summer! Black glue and watercolour paints, combined with a handy template is all you need to get started.
In my first year of teaching, I was terrified of teaching art. It was a subject I had always struggled with and that a few of the kids had already decided they HATED. Thankfully, I was able to find some art activities that everyone could be happily engaged in!
Popsicle Resist Art with Free Popsicle Template
Find a way to introduce a sensory element.Some kids get excited to use tactile, sensory items. They may like working with their...
When teaching a group of students with special needs it can be challenging to know how to structure your class to meet everyone’s...
Scribble monsters are a favorite in my adapted art class! If you follow me on Instagram you probably know that I am absolutely head over heels in love with teaching adapted art! I love teaching and creating lessons that meet the individual needs of my students in order to provide them with their own authentic, enrichin
How The Power Of Art Helps Your Special Needs ChildThe power of art is its ability to transform. This can happen for the artist and the...
Coloring on black paper with oil pastels is an all-time favorite art activity in our house. If you don’t have oil pastels on hand, I highly recommend you pick up a box or two and then try this warm sun and cool water art project. The drawing and coloring is simple enough for preschoolers, but older … Continued
Create dramatic leaf printing art using watercolors and acrylic paints! Kids will learn easy watercolor techniques to create a colorful background for their leaf prints.
In what kids would probably say is the most excellent art lesson I have ever taught, kids could be found doing this all down my school hallway: For real. We got a lot of dropped jaw stares. Sometimes life throws nifty ideas your way, they roll around in your head, mash up with other information, and come out awesome. One of my goals as an educator is joy. The joy in riding a skateboard on your tummy around your school hallway, pushed and pulled by a friend of your own choosing, is, well, both obvious and enormous. And creates amazing sound effects: Another goal of mine is getting students to draw with their nondominant hand. The thing is, kids tell me that they don't like to draw with their nondominant hand, because it "never looks as good." The solution, I decided, is to get kids to draw bilaterally. Enter stage left, Heather Hansen- contemporary artist, dancer, queen of bilateral drawing: Heather Hansen at work. Image via thisiscolossal.com Enter stage right, Tony Orrico- contemporary artist, dancer, human spirograph: Tony Orrico at work. Image via tonyorrico.com To get my students to draw bilaterally, I know that it needs to start big. Whole body movement, preferably. So we began with some yoga, and students took turns creating bilaterally symmetrical arm movements for the class to copy. After extensive talk about how students thought these artist might make their work, we watched some video footage of Tony performing: Drawing with your nondominant hand has all kinds of benefits, as does large, gross motor-style drawing. Doing it bilaterally, and in a way that was fun and silly, evaporated any potential anxiety about how it would look in the end. A friend shared this on Facebook a while back, and I was already hooked on the idea of figuring out how to include skateboards in my curriculum. The concept rolled around in my head for a while until I realized that this project, and these contemporary artists, were the answer. This lesson gives tons of space to talk about lots of important art concepts. Symmetry (bilateral symmetry here, like a butterfly), contrast (dark paper works well with light colors, and vice-versa), movement ("action" in art comes up here, like in Jackson Pollock, where the movement is evident in the end work), and material choice (we used chalk and charcoal, but really any drawing and painting implements would work. Dot-a-dot markers might be awesome! Next time it will be great to have the kids choose.) Group work was part of it, too. Partners took turns drawing on the same piece of paper. Each student chose a movement, and repeated it for a few minutes while their partner shuttled them forward and back. Then, the partners switched for a new color and new movement. This is a process lesson, so the product is quite secondary, and yet, the results are quite stunning. The papers are very large, and conveniently we have lots of blank space on the walls of our long hallways. Although I did this lesson with my fifth graders, I have confidence that all of my students across grades K-5 could do it successfully. It was a great confidence-building activity, too, and it's not a lesson that a single person worried that they had gotten "wrong," even my hesitant artists. Want to try it in your classroom? Here are few tips: Collect skateboards for a couple weeks beforehand- kids forget them, even with notes in their backpacks. Have tons of smocks on hand. Pre-cut your roll paper to reasonable lengths to save kids' time. Make sure that you have two each of whatever media you want to offer, one for each hand (two red markers, two aqua chalks, two black charcoal sticks, etc.) You know art class is about to get awesome when you walk in, only to see... Want to try it outside in the sunshine? Skip the paper, add traffic cones, and do a temporary art installation on your playground blacktop, driveway, or sidewalk with sturdy bright chalks. It'll stay until it rains. Video and photograph it, and make a little movie of the experience to share at your art night. This is a sharing lesson. As in, one that I feel I really, really need to share with all the art teachers I know. And the parents, caretakers, and camp counselors. Try it out! The world, and schools, will be better places the more kids experience joyful, anxiety-free, movement-based learning experiences. One of my New American students: Mrs. Elliott, what was that guy's name again? Me: Who, Tony Orrico, the artist we looked at? Student: Yes, him. I am Tony Orrico, Mrs. Elliott. [hits chest.] That's me. And this is really your job? I would like to be an art teacher someday. I can't believe this is your job. And I am Tony Orrico.
Stained Glass Art Using Toilet Paper Rolls. `A fun and simple processed art project for kids. This is perfect for preschool or school age children.
Providing a successful inclusive art experience is about assessing, simplifying, and adapting to each child’s abilities. This can be...
These ideas for meaningful art therapy projects for kids are fantastic for kids who might be struggling or going through a hard time. Or, just use these ideas to connect with your kids anytime!
