Art Education = I need more money $$

So, I filled out my order requisitions for next year's art supplies in April, as I was instructed to do by our secretary. I come to find out the second week of June that I need to make around $500 in cuts to the orders I have already submitted.  And then, because my order is over $750, I am required to submit a bid from a second vendor. I need to look up all of the 250+ items I order and create a second requisition...  Art teacher problems! 

Many art programs are experiencing budget cuts and I hate to complain because my school district really does support the arts as best as they can.  So now I am brainstorming to come up with ideas that I can use to supplement my budget. With a quick Google search I found a few resources for grand applications and fundraising.  

National Endowment for the Arts: Apply for Grants

Square1 Art Fundraiser

Art to Remember Fundraiser

Donors Choose Grants

Wyoming Arts Council Grants


Have any of you readers ever used any of these means to raise fund for art room supplies?  Any advice or warning to the wise for me? 

Online Art Lessons for Next Year

In order to keep my classroom content fresh and my students motivated, I try to come up with new and exciting projects to incorporate each year.  Thinking of new ideas and concepts to try with my students can at times be a struggle, thank you internet! Here is a list of my top  finds for art lessons from the web. I have not done these projects yet but this is the challenge to myself for the next school year. So excited!  

• Salvador Dali Elephants and Surrealistic Creatures

   This is a step by step lesson on creating Salvador Dali's surrealists elephants.  It is a great resource because it includes step by step pictures, drawing instructions, and introductory video, and material tips.  
  
  
  Grade level: 4th-6th
  Materials:12x18 drawing paper, pencils, marker, chalk pastel. 
  Source: Blog- smART Class
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• We all scream for ICE CREAM!!!

  Wayne Thiebaud inspired paper mache ice cream cones.  Use crumpled up newspaper and cone shaped cups for the bottom.  Kids will be excited to create  the most delicious, realistic looking, and the tallest ice cream cones. This lesson is sweet! 
  
  
  Grade Level: 4th-6th
  Materials: News paper, masking tape, cone cups, tempera paint, glue. 
  Source: Blog- There's a Dragon in my Art Room  
  
  
  
  
  

• 2nd Grade Cat in the Hats

   This is a fun lesson for kids to create in honor of Dr. Suess' birthday. The students would turn themselves into a cat in the hat. 
  
  Grade Level: 2nd Grade
  Materials: Long piece of drawing paper, black and white printed photo of students, tempera paint, crayon, marker, glue.
  Source: Georgetown Elementary Art Blog
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

•  Foundation Wire

  Drawing in line.. with wire. I am so excited to try this lesson and have kids focus on creating a drawing using only conture lines.  The instructions are pretty skimpy on this resource but I think there are a lot of possibilities.  It does include project examples, a video, and resource links to related artists.  
  
  Grade Level: 6th
  Materials: 12 x 18 Black construction paper, wire, photograph, adhesive
  Source: Online Artroom
   
  

• Picasso Portraits

  Step by step directions fro drawing a portrait of Picasso's dear Dora Maar
  
  Grade Level: 1st- 2nd
  Materials: 12″ x 18″ white paper, black oil pastel, tempera paints, black tempera paint
  Source:  Blog- Deep Space Sparkle
  
  
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Art Education Links

Having completed my 3rd year teaching elementary art I find myself relying heavily on internet resources.  I wonder how did people share teaching ideas, lesson plan ideas, and everything from classroom organization and management before the internet???  I can not image it.

My first years in teaching were successful in part due to my fellow art teachers' blogs and the wealth of resources I found online.  Here are links to my most visited art education links:

Elementary Art - Pinterest 

Pinterest is basically art teacher Mecca. Every idea and resource organized and available right at your findertips. I find things on here that I never knew I was looking for.

Elementary Art Teacher Blog of the Year - Art With Mr. E

Mr. E has a blog that I aspire to create one day. Very organized with new and interesting posts. 

Art Teacher Blog - Experiments in Art Educations

This blog features art lesson that include pictures and descriptions for the complete process of the project, great for ideas and also showcasing student work.

Art Advocacy - National Art Education Association

A community of teachers, scholars, researchers, students, and artists come together around a shared belief in the power of the arts in developing human potential.

Art Institute of Chicago -  Curious Corner for Kids!

One of my favorite museum pages which includes awesome and FREE resources for kids to play and explore art.

Art Teacher Blog -  Adventures of an Art Teacher
This blog is by a 4th year teacher in Kansas who chronicles the highs and lows of what is happening in her classroom  

Getting Started

Hi and welcome to my blogging project for EDTECH 597: Blogging in the Classroom. This is the third blog I have ever made and my first time using Blogger.  My other 2 blogs are an EDTECH Learning Log using Wordpress (http://christinaedtech.wordpress.com/), and a blog for my course Integrating Technology into the Classroom Curriculum using Weebly (http://cbaysinger.weebly.com/).  So far I have been struggling when working with Wordpress and really prefer Weebly.  I chose to use Blogger for this course because it seems like the formatting will be a good fit for me.  I enjoy reading and following blogs by other art teachers from all over and teachers at my school.  I have not started creating my own personal blog yet.  My hope is to create a blog that showcases my classroom by featuring student artwork, classroom lessons and expectations, as well as serves as a resource for my students and other art teachers. Well, here's a good place to start!