Mandala Art Lesson as Art Sub Plan

Mandala Art Lesson as Elementary and Middle School Art Sub Plan

How do you draw a mandala? Here are photos of beautiful ones from Arts&Activities Magazine from 1983. When I originally wrote this blog post, they have the article that would accompany these, online. The blog post sharing how to create these, no longer exists, unfortunately. 

The second best thing I can post here is another option for a mandala that an art sub can teach.

This lesson includes templates and examples that a sub could use to lead this lesson. Check it out at Cool Classroom Stuff's TPT Shop:  Create Insect Designs with Radial Symmetry

Art Class for Special Needs

Art Class for Special Needs - Cardboard Sculpture

Last month, I took a long-term sub job for a friend of mine.  Twice a week, kindergarten and first grade age students who have autism, came to art for a half-hour each time.  When they arrived, we watched the video from YouTube to "Shake the Sillies Out."  After that, we went over to the demonstration table and I showed them how to glue a tower of cardboard shapes.

Early in my art teaching career, a special ed teacher requested that I do a lot of 3D lessons with her students.  She told me that this was something the kids rarely got to experience.  So, I've kept this in mind over my career and tried to incorporate more sculptural experiences in their art classes.

       


Before they arrived at the art room, I had chopped up a large corrugated box into a variety of shapes.  I had styrofoam trays full of glue.  I also had cut cardboard squares for sculpture bases.

The students dipped the surface of the cardboard shapes into the glue and stacked them upon each other.  They stacked them any way they liked.  Overnight the sculptures dried and the next day the students painted them.

Art Sub Plan - A Home with an Onion Dome

Art Sub Plan with Architecture Theme

This art sub-plan is one that I created and taught recently.

This art lesson focuses on the architecture of onion domes. It talks about the beauty and uniqueness of this architectural element and shows how architects from the past and present have used this element in a variety of ways. It includes such classical structures as the Taj Mahal and St. Basil's Cathedral as well as an avante guarde creation of Hundertwasser. Many other buildings that have onion domes are featured as well.

This lesson was created with an art sub in mind but could be taught by a classroom teacher or art teacher. As a retired art teacher who subs now for my friends, I want to be able to teach good lessons that engage the students. The lessons that I use when I sub are the ones that I sell here. They are proven to engage students and help them create a work of art that is satisfying and original.

This lesson may be shown in two ways. It may be projected or it may be printed out and shown up close. All the teacher needs to do to teach this lesson is to read the script and ask the questions. All instructions are included.

The materials needed for the student artwork are simple: paper, pen or pencil, ruler, and crayons or markers.