Free Online Resources

Mo Willem Lunchtime Doodle
Fun and spontaneous, but use a PDF downloadable guide for younger kids to follow along.
Day 1 was drawing Pigeon, good for K-3


Starfall
A number of free activities before a subscription is needed.
For K-3, good for literacy activities and songs


ABCMouse.com
Free 30 days free during COVID-19 pandemic. It has all subject areas, including Spanish.


Scholastic Online Learning
Paired Fiction and Non-Fiction books, with a video, and vocabulary with some additional resources. They are grouped by grade levels.

Storyline Online
Picture books read aloud by celebrities. No log-in or email needed!

The Noisy Paintbox/Abstract Art Activity

Here is a fun activity that I did with third grade students after we read The Noisy Paintbox a biographical picture book of Vasya Kandindsky.  I also supplemented the lesson with images on an iPad showing paintings of his.  The children did a watercolor painting inspired by his work and then wrote a short paragraph about why they chose to do this particular painting.


Here are some examples of their work:

Sand Art

A fun summer activity, best done outside!  The kids create a outline of a simple drawing and then paint it with watercolors.
When the watercolors are dry, they go over the outline with a line of glue.  Using a scoop they sprinkle sand over the outline and shake off the excess.  Then, let it dry again!


Materials:  Paper, pencil, watercolors, water, cups for water, colored sand, liquid glue (cardboard sheets /backing is good for to keep the paper stiff), glue sticks (if using cardboard backing)

Clouds

We read a few cloud books and followed up with painting clouds.  This activity can be used for younger children with creating clouds and developing fine motor skills, or with older children studying weather and cloud types.  It's also a great way to paint snow or snowmen!


 

The cloud book we started with was Little Cloud by Eric Carle.  We read the book out loud a few times and then created our own clouds on blue construction paper.  To create our cloud mixture, I mixed equal parts liquid glue (such as Elmer's) and shaving cream.  It forms a sticky, fluffy substance (great for developing oral language and discussion) that can be painted/sponged/finger painting/foam brushed onto paper.  It will dry almost as puffy paint, in a textured, raised bubble, depending on how much is applied.  The children then wrote a story about a cloud.

Various clouds by kindergarteners.

This activity is also perfect for the Cloud Book, by Tomie De Paola and creating each type of cloud.