Kindergarten Line Drawings

This is one of my favorite kindergarten projects and it is perfect to teach at the beginning of the year.

Lines are introduced and we talk about the many types of lines... straight, zigzag, loopy, wavy, etc.  Then I show them how they can make dotted and dashed lines, lines that start out wavy and then become spiky and even lines that are made by placing shapes in a row.

The kindergartners start with a black marker and draw the lines across the page (9x12":  I find that drawing on a small piece of paper is good for this project, because the kids get tired of coloring neatly after a short time)   This usually takes the entire first class period (40 minutes). 

The second class period, I show them how they can color in the shapes and in between the lines.

This is also a good sub plan lesson if you choose to use it that way, since it uses just a few materials and is pretty straightforward to teach.

This is an affiliate link for Dick Blick. I buy some art supplies from them and they have very fast shipping. This week I ordered some watercolor pencils from them and they literally arrived at my door in 2 days with regular shipping. You know how teachers spend their own money on things for their careers... like professional development, books and so forth? Well, I'm lucky to work in a school that is very supportive of all these things, but of course I do spend my own money on online workshops, art classes, books and some personal art supplies for my own artistic development. If you feel so inclined to ever buy something from the little ads on my blog, it just helps me to purchase more art-related things. Just thought I'd put that out there. 

And, if you are just starting out with teaching art or are looking to buy art supplies, I recommend Blick art materials... and Nasco too.  Nasco is awesome!  Honestly, I've bought supplies from just about every major art supply company and those two are my favorites.  Michael's is good for when you need to just pick up a couple things.  Did you know that there is almost always a 40% off coupon (on one item) on their website?  NEVER go to Michael's without printing off a coupon from their website.  Also, they give 15% off of every purchase for TEACHERS.  Just make sure to bring in your teaching id or paystub and you will get a discount.  You can't combine coupons though.  Joann's does the discount too, but you have to go through a little more of a process to sign up for the discount card.