Art and Art History for Elementary Students


Our latest upload on the Glimmercat Education store is a bit different than what we have offered so far.  Mainly, this is because my children are still on the younger side and I am creating our curriculum for them as we go.

Caedyn paints like the Impressionists:  In all sorts of weather.


But my son took a very artistic bent last spring as we began studying the Impressionists and I began looking for more information on specific artists so I could pass it along to him.  Funny, I couldn't find a whole lot.  Although, there is certainly Art History available, I wasn't able to find much in the way of lesson plans geared for younger children that still managed to teach valuable information that they could grasp.

In fact, the truth is that I was so disappointed in what I was able to find, that I went to my computer and went after it myself.  There's always a bit of trepidation when entering waters that others have apparently left alone.  You think to yourself, "Maybe they know something I don't..."

But then, usually, you venture in anyway to discover it on your own.  Well, at least I do.  Or did.  Anyway, because I was gearing this curriculum for those who were a little older than my son, I asked a close friend to run through it with her 8 year old daughter who is home-schooled.


And so the photos I get to share with you today include the lovely Maranatha who accomplished one of the three Renoir lessons in a beautiful way.


Here she is, ready to begin.  Lesson 1 of  "Renoir: the Artist Who Loved Pretty Things" requires three print-outs, colored pencils, a paintbrush, watercolors and a paper plate.


After her mother read the lesson called "Renoir's Porcelain", which explains Renoir's early apprenticeship in a porcelain factory, Maranatha practice drawing leaves and flowers on our Art Activity Sheet.  First she drew the outlines as we suggest with colored pencil.  Then, she filled in the flower with watercolor.


Having tested her skill on this practice Activity Sheet, she is ready to move over to designing her porcelain plate...that is, her paper plate.


Again, she creates her flowers first with colored pencil, and then fills in the centers of her designs with watercolors.  And her finished plate looks incredible! Almost as lovely as her happy smile!

Beautiful work, Maranatha!

Also included in this packet are some copyright free images of a few of Renoir's works.  Although these are available online also, sometimes it's nice to be able to look at one that is in your hands.

Here is the image utilized in Lesson 3:

 The blotchy, quick style of painting (synonymous with the Impressionists) is very evident in this piece, and after discussing it, children have another Art Activity sheet to do.


And in this activity, they are to utilize cotton balls and Q-tips in acrylic paint to create the flower image.


Caedyn did a great job making an Impressionistic looking Black Eyed Susan.  And then, again in a follow up lesson, children are encouraged to use the same style of painting for a subject of their choice.

There are three lessons in total, which is quite enough for an elementary introduction to Renoir.  I'll be creating more of these Art Packets in the future.  In the meantime, this one is downloadable for $2.00 at my store:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Renoir-The-Artist-Who-Loved-Pretty-Things-2341661




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