Oil Pastel Organization

After four complete years of teaching I have finally figured out a way to sort my oil pastels in a way that will be easy to pass them out as well as store them. It should be relatively simple for my first through fourth graders to keep them organized as well - here's to hoping!

Here's the run down. I bought 6 jewelry sorters from Michael's which normally run $8.29 each ,which can be pricy, but I waited until they were on sale for 50% off and then used my teacher's discount on top of that for an extra 15% off. This brought the grand total of each container to $3.53.

Jewelry containers do go on sale for 60% off every once and awhile and if you can couple that with a 20% entire purchase (including sale items) then you can really get the most bang for your buck!

I bought these specific containers because the inserts are removable so I could really customize how I wanted to sort my pastels.

Each container has an attached lid with two small latches that ensure the lid is securely closed, which will help prevent any spills while students are passing them out. I love how easily they stack as well!

Art Room Tour 17-18!

Every year I have changed the layout of my tables/teacher desk trying to find the most efficient use of space is a smaller sized art room. This year I may have found a winner!

Other new things in my room include: the pencil above my desk with my name on it and the color coded paint cans hanging from the ceiling (LOVE these).

Another brag moment: I FINALLY organized my how-to-draw books with labels and stickers. Now heres to hoping they stay this organized all year long ;)

Still on the to do list: Get rid of those tired elements and principles posters and come up with/find some that are more elementary friendly. Have any suggestions for me? Please comment!

On to the pictures...

Check out the FREEBIES section of my blog to download your own watercolor rules, hand washing, and paint brush washing posters.

If you have any questions about anything you see, ask in the comments and I'd love to give you the info!

Watercolor Center

In my elementary art room watercolors are a staple. We use them all the time, so I have a counter dedicated in my room to the watercolor center.

It has always been a challenge to get the students to clean up their tray the way I want, so I created this poster as a guide! 

Not only does this show how I expect the trays to look at clean up, but it also reminds my students of the few watercolor rules I am constantly going over.

Here is a little more information about how I set up my watercolor center:

I started with these 6 trays, one for each table in my room.

On each tray I put some paper towel so students can blot off extra water.

In the middle of the tray is a large bucket. I have the old round tubs that Crayola Model Magic used to come in

- similar to what is pictured below-

but any large, sturdy plastic container will do. Another great choice is Folger's coffee containers.

On one side of the bucket I have four brushes, one for each student at the table.

On the other side are the two watercolor trays.

In my room they have to share the paint tray with the person sitting next to them.

This helped me cut down the initial cost of buying all of the 16 count sets. I couldn't stand the basic 8 colors - not enough variety for how often we use these!

Now I just buy the refills and have even rearranged the colors to be in rainbow order to help my younger grade levels find what they need.

Don't forget to complete your watercolor center with your very own rules poster! Download your own copy for FREE here.

Poster Freebies!

Here are some posters/signs I have created throughout the years that I am finally getting around to uploading! Enjoy and let me know what you think :)

Click here.

Click here.

BINGO Game

I've worked extremely hard on creating this BINGO game to use as a sub activity, especially on those last minute absences. Easy for any adult to run and fun for all ages! Head on over to my TpT Store to check it out and purchase a copy for your own art room :)

 

  

Click here!

Georgia O'Keeffe Landscapes

Third graders are starting their landscape unit with a focus on Georgia O'Keeffe's work. Here is a preview of the lesson.

Look forward to the full lesson write up in my TpT store coming soon!

Kindergarten Curriculum Outline

Check out this new edition to my TpT Store! Grades 1-4 coming soon.

Click here.