American – KidsArt.com

The Great American Artists for Kids Book

kim solga — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 20:42:40 +0000

Fun and easy art-appreciation activities to explore the work of 75 great American artists from colonial times to the present. A brief biography for each artist tells why his or her work is important, and a kid-tested art activity tries out the artist’s approach. Projects are centered on the creative process and encourage kids to try unusual techniques such as block printing, soak-stain, and stone carving as they learn about architecture, drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture. A resource guide provides a glossary of art terms, a list that groups the artists by style, a list of the artists’ birthdays, an index of art supplies, and websites for viewing art online.

Georgia O’Keeffe – Desert Painting
Frederic Remington – Face Cast
Leroy Nieman – Action Athletes
James Whistler – Clay Engraving
Roy Lichtenstein – Comic Speech Balloons
Janet Fish – Painting Transparent Containers
…and MANY MORE easy, child-centered activities.

This excellent book is co-written by KidsArt’s Kim Solga and MaryAnn Kohl, award-winning author and leader in the field of process-oriented art for children.

KidsArt Winslow Homer Paperback Booklet

kim solga — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 19:26:45 +0000

Winslow Homer was one of America’s greatest artists…a painter of New England and the islands of Florida, of the sea and the Eastern mountain wilderness, of children and animals. He was one of the first artists to take watercolor seriously, and created masterful paintings. In this KidsArt booklet on the art and times of Homer you’ll find hands-on projects and art history on:

Homer’s life and career
The American Civil War
The life of Americans, especially children, at the turn of the last century
Painting watercolors
Seascapes, sailing ships…and lots more

KidsArt art teaching booklets bring you 16 reproducible pages of hands-on art activities. The projects are simple, innovative and easy to use in home or classroom settings. Because the activities are open-ended, teaching the process rather than a specific product or end result, they can be used with many different ages and stages of development, from preschool through middle school.

KidsArt American Folk Art Paperback Booklet

kim solga — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:42:27 +0000

Creative activities for children with traditional American folk art projects, including US and Canadian fish decoys, quilts, dolls, basketry, beads, American Native designs and much more:

Make replica fish decoys
Traditional clothespin dolls
Dried apple faces
Wild grass basket making
Mimbres Indian designs
Edward Hicks and allegory paintings of the 1800s
Quiltmaking…and lots more

American Folk Art for Kids

kim solga — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:41:54 +0000

This activity guide teaches kids about the history of organic art and inspires them to create their own masterpieces.

The full breadth of American folk art is surveyed, including painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and textiles from the 17th century through today. Making bubblegum wrapper chains, rag dolls, bottle cap sculptures, decoupage boxes, and folk paintings are just a few of the activities designed to bring out the artist in every child. Along the way kids learn about the lives of Americans throughout history and their casual relationships to everyday art as they cut stencils, sew needlepoint samplers, draw calligraphy birds, and design quilts.

Each chapter contains several related projects ranging from reverse painting on glass to quilting, stenciling, and tin-can sculpture. Some activities might be best for family exploration (e.g., a sponge-painted stool), but most are easily adapted to classroom use.