In the current climate of state-mandated education standards and assessment that prioritize math and language arts in U.S. schools, drawing, an accessible and/or pleasurable endeavor for a wide variety of children, is undervalued. Although research in art education over the past four decades has shown children's drawing and drawings to be rich…

The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing stay-at-home orders have shifted family lives worldwide. Government regulations about social distancing and isolation have resulted in parents/carers and children spending most of their time together in private spaces. During the northern hemisphere spring 2020 semester, most childcare and school systems closed…

This article explores the technology fluency of the preschool "digital native" and how this familiarity with technology influences learning in the classroom. The study involved introducing tablets as a tool for mark making and observing how students engaged with the technology creatively. This study considered the continuously rising…

This article describes an art lesson that allows students to set up and collect sphere canvases. Spheres move art away from a rectangular canvas into a dimension that requires new planning and painting. From balls to many other spherical canvases that bounce, roll, float and fly, art experiences are envisioned by students. Even if adults recognize…

When her director first asked her to teach an art class in the infant room, the author must admit that she thought her director was crazy. She nodded and smiled, pretending confidence, all the while thinking, "Teach art to infants? What does that even mean?" But when a teacher is trying to get a job at one of the best early childhood…

This article reflects on the significance of a series of encounters with a baby doll in an early years' classroom during an artist residency. The article takes an event when a small group of children encounter a baby doll as its starting point. By connecting this shared lived moment with Deleuze and Guattari's idea of machinic production and…

In school, the author sat next to Sandor the sculptor--when he was still undiscovered. He could take a pencil and, while seemingly listening in class, completely reshape the pencil by biting it. To detail his best pieces, Sandor would highlight the dents and gnashes with colored pens. Little did Sandor realize that his early efforts would be an…

Asperger Syndrome (AS) and autism are two pervasive developmental disorders of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Individuals with AS may have exceptional speech and language abilities and difficulty establishing friendships with peers. The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that all American children have the right to…

Each August, third grade artists at Apple Glen Elementary in Bentonville, Arkansas, start the school year planning, creating, and exhibiting a clay relief mural. These mural projects have helped students to acquire not only art knowledge and techniques, but an even more important kind of knowledge: what it means to plan and successfully complete a…

Recalling memories from her own third grade art classes, Ann Mueller, recreated an updated version for her students showing her students how to make snow scenes from Ivory Snow flakes. She showed students the video, The Snowman based on Raymond Briggs's book of the same name. Its beautiful images spur the imagination, and the musical score is…

Presents a printmaking project that enables students to work with lines and shapes by having them create tile designs on Scratch-Foam Board. Explains that the shape of the combined four tiles should be a pinwheel while the design on one corner of each tile should connect forming a design within itself. (CMK)

Presents an overview of factors in the development of children's art and a theoretical rationale for elementary art education. (SJL)

Presents an elementary art activity that successfully teaches the process of slabbing by having students create fishbowl plaques. Explains the process step-by-step beginning with a demonstration to the students along with showing previous examples. Endorses a type of clay that fires white because the glaze colors are much more vibrant. (CMK)

"Lwa" is the term given to spirits who are believed to act as intermediaries in the lives of Haitians. Many Haitians call upon the "lwa" daily for their problem-solving abilities. The goal of any artist is to be one with his or her own artwork. When working with young art students, this is the key to keeping them on task. For…

A teacher or art specialist who would like to initiate kite activities will draw confidence from beginning with proven, class-tested designs, easy to make and decorate, sure to fly, using inexpensive materials. Instructions for making a Vietnamese kite and a stapled sled kite are provided. (RM)