Songs in the Key of Art - Early Childhood
Elementary Art - Learning Elements and Principles

 Drawing Ideas       Painting Ideas       Collage Ideas -Mixed Media       Printing Ideas 

What could be more fun that to sing a song then do your work? Students listen to the song while work, too to reinforce the concepts. Pretty soon, they are making up their own dance to the music. Below are some basic lesson using Greg Percy's "Songs in the Key of Art ". Other basic elements and principles art lessons have been added.

Drawing Ideas

Grade 1 - 2. We read the book "Camille and the Sunflowers" by Laurence Anholt and looked at van Gogh's work. The drawings
were done with chalk and took 2 class periods. I did find that I had to go
through the steps of adding color with them and not let them "go at it" on their own or they looked very messy!

Painting Ideas

From Denise: This lesson is done  with pre-kindergarten. We discussed lines and I showed them a video from United Mainstreaming about lines. They filled out a worksheet about lines and then listened to the song "I Draw the Line" by Greg Percy (volume I) while painting some lines with black tempera on white paper. The second class period, we discussed primary colors. They listened to the Greg Percy song about the primary colors - "Red &Yellow Blues" (Volume I) while they added the colors to their paintings.

Submitted by Denise Pannell
Secondary Shapes

Discuss shapes and size (small, med., large). They use black tempera to paint a shape family on to their white paper: Mommy circle, daddy circle, etc. Talk about secondary colors and paint in around the shapes using them. Listen to "Secondary Samba" by Greg Percy (Songs in the Key of Art volume I)  Book: Circles and Squares Everywhere, by Max Grover

From Denise: This lesson is done with kindergarten. We listened to the song "Roy G. Biv" by Greg Percy (Volume I)  while they painted their rainbows in correct order - on 10" x 16" white paper.  During the second class period, we fractured the paintings and glued them on to black paper. Of course, we listened to the song again. I had one little boy say, "I can't get this song out of my head!".... "Precisely, my dear!". For a more advance version of this lesson see Kinetic Paintings

Collage Mixed Media

Submitted by Denise Pannell
Matisse Magic Glue Windows

Henri Matisse did many designs for stained glass windows. This are like a sandwich: Piece of acetate, watered down (magic) glue, 4 colors of tissue in fun cut shapes or ripped into small pieces, more magic glue, then another sheet acetate. Add black "leading" using black sharpie markers- find shapes and outline. Good for teaching color mixing also, because the tissue overlaps and bleeds together. I frame them in cheap pre-cut white mats. Shapes can be all non-objective or abstract. Use with "From Matisse to You" by Greg Percy (Songs in the Key of Art Volume II). 

Submitted by Denise Pannell
Cut Paper - Piet Mondrian

A favorite! They look at Mondrian's work- I am always amazed by what they find; cities, farms, roads, skyscrapers, Legos. I give them a 12" X 12" piece of either black or white paper. We listen to "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" as they work on a paper collage. I hand out strips of black, white, red, blue, and yellow paper - along with small rectangular pieces of primary colors. Teaches: Primary colors, neutrals, vertical lines, horizontal lines. Adapt Straight Lines lesson plan. Use "Mondrian" by Greg Percy (Songs in the Key of Art volume II) Book: Circles and Squares Everywhere, by Max Grover

For an easy online activity - see the Mondrian Machine

Submitted by Denise Pannell
Mixed Media - JOAN MIRO

Discuss Miroan show examples of his works, especially the "Carnival of the Harlequin". Pick out shapes, etc. I tell them to close their eyes and think of made up worlds- fish riding bicycles, cloud people, etc. They use oil pastels to create a strange land, making sure to use different types of line & shape. We add "Decorative Doo-Dads" or "Stick & Lick" shapes as well. Texture panels and crayons could be used in negative spaces to simulate the burlap texture of some of Miro's works. Try black marker outlines.

Easy Printmaking:

Bubble Prints: Put a touch of paint or food coloring in dishwashing soap. Place a butter dish of each primary color at each table. Have students blow bubbles through a straw (caution students not to suck on straw).  Move bowls together - Place 9" x 12" paper on bubbles. Try printing a second time -  moving paper to get some color mixing.

Shaving cream print Spread thin layer of shaving cream on table or flat pan. Swirl paint on surface (Prang watercolors work well). Press white paper on surface to print. Wash off excess shaving cream.

Submitted by Denise Pannell 
FALL REFLECTIONS MONOPRINT (adapted from KinderArt website)

Fold a piece of white paper in half the hot dog way. Using oil pastels, add a row of trees above the fold. Fold the paper up and rub the back of the trees to make them "jump" to the other side. (rulers, metal clips, anything hard will work) The trees will be fuzzy, but that is O.K. because the bottom half of the paper will be the reflection of the trees in the water.

Using tempera, add the grass above the fold & fold up and rub so that the grass is printed on to the bottom half. We used blue liquid watercolor to add the sky & monoprinted this as well. The last step is to add the leaves for the trees. We used bottles of tempera (in fall colors) that have a tip on the end. They dotted the leaves onto the top row of trees, folded it over, and rubbed. We had lots of positive feedback on these.

Also check out:

Art Songs by Robbie Quinn - Recorded collection of songs for art teachers to use with their students -- ranging in content from color theory to the elements of art -- composed in a variety of musical styles to appeal to younger children while still enjoyable for adults. Listen to some of the selections on line. CD is great bargain!

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