Art Stations in the classroom and art room

❤️ Have you considered setting up exploratory art stations or fast finishers art centers in your classroom or art room? 

Why not? What is holding you back? In short - We can no longer omit art explorations from our classrooms because art can make a powerful contribution to our students' mental health. In addition to helping students develop a number of important skills, free expression (like using art stations or art centers) is also good for overall health and well-being.

Giving young children a creative outlet can help relieve stress and work through things happening in their lives. By encouraging artistic expression, you can help facilitate further learning and engagement. Making art can help children to deal with a wide range of mental health issues and psychological stress, like anxiety. 

You can view further information about this topic from Michigan State University HERE

❤️ Types of Stations you can set up

Convinced yet?  Then you may benefit from these sets of art station set-up guide cards I created for my classroom,  to help you get started. Suitable for students in elementary grades, you will find guides, so far, for:

→ What is Collage

→ What is Papier-mâché

→ What is Clay

→ What is Wax Resist

→ What is Sculpture

→ What is Paint

→ What is Drawing

Typically, these guides includes 10x square shaped slides for:

1. The guide cover
2. What is (Media)
3. Famous (Media) artists
4. Materials list
5. Making a (Media)
6. Can you make a (Media) - instruction card
7. (Media) clean-up guide
8. Teacher Information x2
9. Teacher instructions
10. Blanks slides for you to add your own instructions x2

And a bonus slide with a recommended lesson for your next whole class (Media) project, with links.

If you would like more topic cards added to these guides, or a guide created for a specific center, please comment on this post below. Then follow my TPT store so that you don't miss the new set when it's added.

Bundles are also available to save you $. Read this feedback from teachers who have already used:

→ CLAY, COLLAGE and PAPIER-MÂCHÉ BUNDLE 1

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Thank you for creating this art lesson, my students were engaged in this project and the outcomes were great"

❤️ The benefit of Art Stations for your students

Are you wondering why you should run art exploration centers in your classroom? Isn't that just for art teachers? The short answer is NO.

✅ Use this art resource to build independent prior knowledge before starting a whole class project.

✅ Guides new learning for students who have not experienced an art medium before

✅ Consolidates knowledge for students who have used a medium in the past.

✅ Avoid possible frustrations for students working on your guided art projects, that result from not having time to explore a media or technique, beforehand, and build that crucial prior knowledge and confidence with this medium.

With these Art station guide cards, you can either print and file into clear sleeves - with blank spaces on either side of the images where you can also add your own notes, or...

print 2/page, laminate and add cards to a jump ring for students to use.

Introduce the art station guide to you students by sharing the PDF slides on your large screen, discuss your expectations and answer any questions. Then leave them to it and watch them grow in responsibility and self management. You can even put some students in charge of the clean up section on a rotation basis.

❤️ How will this resource help busy teachers, who are nervous about teaching art?

No worries - I’ve got you covered.

This guide comes with illustrated cards & teacher information, giving you the confidence to run art centers in your own classrooms.

⏰ How long should I run an art station for? 

If you are an art teacher, then you can make that call based on your programme. For classroom teachers, I recommend that the art center stays open for at least a week, prior to starting your guided, whole class art project, with this media.

Then for another week after completing that project, so students can further experiment independently, especially those early finishers, giving you time to support those that need it.

❤️ So what is special about these art station guides?

Introduce students to the techniques of creating with a particular medium. Learn about the history of a medium or meet famous artists that have created with this medium. A list of the materials that students can use. A starter project is included with an image and simple instructions, or to a video with QR code link, to foster further independence. The clean-up card will encourage responsibility and blanks cards have been included for you to add further resources or personalise for your classroom needs. Teacher information cards will up-skill your knowledge about each medium so that you can wow your students. Media specific, teacher guided lessons are also recommended in each guide, as follow-ons.

❤️ Where can I find more information about these art station guides?

→ You can browse all my Art Stations / Early Finishers / Sub support resources on TPT, in their own custom category, HERE

→ Browse all my comprehensive art lessons provided as PDF presentation lesson on TPT HERE: VISUAL ART STORE

→ If you would prefer the added support of guided video tutorials, browse my growing collection in this custom category on TPT HERE: ART LESSONS WITH VIDEO TUTORIALS

→ For my Elements of Art lessons on TPT, click HERE: ART ELEMENTS

All lessons are also available directly from my own Website, Help Me Learn, HERE 

❤️ Why should you trust my lessons?

I am both a general ed. classroom teacher and currently practising as a Visual Art and Digital Media specialist educator, teaching students from ages 4-12, at a primary school. I do this every day, just like you! I’ve done it all for you and trialed these art station guides in my own fast finishers art centers.

Thank you for stopping by, be sure to pop back and read my next post about the scaffolded activities that I am creating for each art station.

With love, Te Aroha 

Timea 

Let's connect:

My TPT store 

My Pinterest Page 

The Gram 

My Website

Set Up An Art Table In Your Classroom

Hi there!

Ever thought about setting up an art table in you classroom? But not knowing where to start or how to stock and manage an art center?

And then wonder - isn't that just for art teachers? 

The short answer is NO. 

We can no longer omit art explorations stations from our classrooms and ignore the value that they bring to your students. 

For starters, independent explorations at an art table can make a powerful contribution to our students' mental health.  Free expression (using art materials at an art center) is really good for overall health and well-being. Giving young children a creative outlet can help relieve stress and work through the things happening in their lives. Making art can help children deal with a wide range of issues and psychological stress, like anxiety.

In addition, creating at an art table helps students develop a number of important learning skills. By encouraging artistic expression, you can help facilitate sustained focus and engagement. Testing out ideas, problem solving through multiple iterations, making modifications and persevering through challenges are just a few skills that students develop at the art table in your classroom.

And finally, don't forget that art is also beneficial for both fine and gross motor improvements. With the need to use your grip and pinching actions, cutting with scissors, applying a range of pressures as needed and working with greater accuracy all contribute to building those motor skills.

But don’t just take my word for it.  View further information on this topic from researchers at Michigan State University HERE

Click here to follow One Teacher’s Journey on TPT

Convinced that setting up an art table immediately, will have a tremendously positive impact for your students?

So where to start? Don't worry - I have your covered!

I have written a series of 4 Art Table guides so far, for a range of art media, that you can use to set up an art making station in your classroom. New sets are added regularly.  They are fantastic for low stakes explorations and can be used to:

1. Build independent prior knowledge before starting a whole class project.
2. Guide new learning for students who have not experienced the medium before
3. Consolidate knowledge for students who have used the medium in the past.

So which one are you going to set up first, before your next whole class guided art project?

Collage … Papier Mâché … Clay …  Wax Resist?

And if you have a specific medium that you require a resource for, please drop a note below in the comments. I will be glad to make it for you and I know it will benefit other teachers too :)

These art station guides each cover a specific art medium and include square shaped slides for:

1. The guide cover
2. What is (medium)
3. Famous (medium) artists
4. Materials
5. Making a (medium) artwork
6. Can you make a (medium) project instruction card
7. (medium) clean-up
8. Teacher Information x2
9. Teacher instructions
10. Blanks slides for you to add your own instructions x2

And a bonus slide with links to recommended, whole class, art projects for (medium).

You can either print out the pages and slip into a clear file for students to refer to, or print 2/pg, laminate, punch and slip onto a jump ring.

Take a closer look at these Art Table guides for 2nd Grade - 5th Grade, by clicking on any of the images above.

I wish you all the best with setting up these great experiences for your students too! If you like the sound of all 4 sets so far (and why wouldn't you - they are all great),  take advantage of purchasing the bundle and save $$$. 

Why trust One Teacher’s Journey resources?

Because I too am a full time teacher, just like you, with years of experience and current Visual Art Specialist responsibilities. In other words, I do this everyday - just like you.

You can contact me through my store Q & A or email me through my website if you are looking for anything specific. 

That way I can get in touch to better support you. info@help-me-learn.com

Click here to follow One Teacher’s Journey on TPT

Remember to share this post with a friend who might need this.

 🖍 🖍 🖍 🖍 🖍 🖍 🖍

I would love to have you join me and experience my resources first hand because my hope is that you will happily become an advocate for this product lines.