Today, I want to share the best Montessori art materials I recommend for beginners. These are basic art materials you can find almost anywhere and order online at Montessori-art.com or Store.EcoKidsArt.com
The reason I recommend these materials is that they are safe non-toxic, and are good quality. I have used them for many art lessons, and they work great. You can find them at a low to mid cost.
To download my comprehensive list of art materials suitable for teaching all art subjects to students of all ages, especially ideal for beginner Montessori students, please click downloads here:
This comprehensive list is curated from the 5 domains of art areas featured in all my books, curriculum, and art training. For further insights, you can explore more [here](link to additional resources).
Art Essentials: Safe, Non-Toxic, and Process-Based
No part of this blog may be used or be reproduced in any manner whatsoever including reproducing, publishing, performing, and making any adaptions of the work – including translation into another foreignlanguage without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Nature of Art® Publishing P.O. Box 443 Solana Beach, California 92075.
Are you eager to teach your Montessori students art lessons, yet uncertain about where to begin? Ready to dive into the world of elementary art? With the world wide web and social media saturated with Montessori art projects, many guides find themselves at a loss. Which Montessori art lessons should take precedence? How do you select the right mediums? Do you need to be an artist yourself to lead art lessons effectively? I’ve created a Montessori book for teaching elementary children 6-12 for guides who need to understand art literacy and where to start teaching art lessons.
Book -Primer
This Montessori essential art guide offers clear, concise, and practical insights on establishing art programing. So Montessorians can get clear guidance, instructions, tips, and best practices.
Also, covering key visual art concepts, the optimal sequence of essential steps, and valuable insights. This book offers actionable advice aimed at supporting beginner guides and parents alike.
By simplifying ideas surrounding art lessons and subjects, addressing common questions, and tackling challenges head-on, this guide empowers Montessorians with the knowledge and resources necessary to excel as an art facilitator.
Spramani Elaun, an author, International Montessori Art Trainer, and art curriculum developer, is here to guide you. With her sensory art method and expertise as the founder of Nature of Art® art school , she has empowered tens of thousands of students to explore painting and drawing.
Books Topics
Cover the essential visual art standards
Identify foundational building blocks and key initial lessons
Show you how to select suitable art materials
How to set-up art environments
Set up a proper Montessori art shelf effectively
Learn what art elements should be taught in elementary grades
Master Effective Teacher Management
Implement optimal art routines
Create Engaging and Meaningful Art Projects
Understand the Benefits of Integrating Art into the Montessori Curriculum
Foster Positive Art Dialogue and Encouragement
Receive guidance on crafting comprehensive art lesson plans
This book caters to Montessori guides, art instructors, and homeschooling parents. You will gain knowledge and tools needed to excel in teaching art. And by the end of this read, you’ll feel more confident and prepared to create a meaningful art program for elementary students.
Spramani shares foundational principles and practical examples drawn from her extensive 30 years of hands-on art teaching experience. And her systems and processes streamline the art instruction process, making teaching art to children a rewarding.
Color pictures, rich examples, and insightful stories woven throughout this book.
Author
Spramani Elaun is an author and art curriculum developer from San Diego California. She is a homeschooling mom, art teacher with a science art methodology. Her success is led by observations and real-life practice of how children cognitively and sensorially process art over twenty years. She is the founder of Nature of Art® Art school & Art supply company, Art Teaching Blueprint Montessori Certification Training Program. Spramani holds degrees in Graphic Design, Digital Media Design, Visual Communications, Print Media, and Fine Arts.
As a Montessori teacher, you know it can be overwhelming to choose the right fun art activities. But, that is why I’m here with some guidance on which Montessori art activities for The Great Lessons are appropriate for your classroom and enjoyable! Art activities related to The Great Lessons are my favorite to teach. Because they allow children to explore their imaginations and get creative in a concrete, meaningful way. From drawing explosions to painting supernovas, students can visualize and understand such a big concept.
Integrating Art Into Your Lessons
Integrating art with science helps children express ideas creatively, stimulates their senses, and provides tactile experiences. So when it comes to teaching the universe, there is no reason you can’t integrate art and science to have some fun. To get started, take a look at some of your classroom books for visual inspiration. One of my favorite books to use is “Born With a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story” by Jennifer Morgan. The illustrations are colorful and beautiful and can be used for many art activities.
These activities can easily be adjusted to fit early childhood, lower elementary, or upper elementary classrooms. Older students will, of course, pay more attention to details, while the early childhood students will engage with these art activities in an open-ended fashion. Fun and fascinating science topics you can incorporate into art projects. Below are ten art projects that Montessori teachers can use to teach elementary students.
Art Ideas
1. Create a Cosmic Painting: Take your students on a journey through the universe with a cosmic painting activity. Discuss the Big Bang and the creation of the universe with your students, then have them create a painting depicting the birth of the universe.
2. Constellations: Give your students a chance to create their own constellations using paint or clay. Educate them on how the Big Bang gave birth to stars and how stars are the building blocks of constellations.
3. Paper Mache Planets: Introduce the concept of planets and solar systems by having your students make paper mache planets. You can use this opportunity to discuss the origins of planets and how they were formed following the Big Bang.
4. Galaxy in a Bottle: Encourage your students to learn about galaxies by creating a galaxy in a bottle. This can be a great way to explore the vastness of space and how galaxies form after the Big Bang.
5. Moon Phases Art: Discuss the moon phases and how they are caused by the changing position of the moon. Have your students create art that depicts the different phases of the moon using paint or chalk.
6. Starry Night Sky: Teach your students about stars by creating a starry night sky mural. This activity can help them learn about the different types of stars and how they are formed.
7. Cosmic Collage: Give your students an opportunity to create a cosmic collage by cutting out pictures of planets, stars, and galaxies from magazines and newspapers. Discuss the Big Bang and how all these celestial bodies came into existence.
8. Sun Catchers: Discuss the origins of our solar system’s star, the sun, and have your students create sun catchers using colorful tissue paper. This can be a great way to explore the different colors of the sun and how they are visible to us.
9. Universe Mobile: Make a universe mobile to showcase the Big Bang and the creation of our universe. Students can create planets, stars, and galaxies to hang from the mobile.
10. Astronaut Art: Discuss space travel and astronauts’ role in exploring space. Let your students create astronaut art that depicts them exploring the galaxies and space beyond, giving them a glimpse into the vast universe beyond our planet.
By incorporating these art projects into your Montessori lessons, your students can learn the vastness of space in a fun and interactive way.
No part of this blog may be used or be reproduced in any manner whatsoever including reproducing, publishing, performing, and making any adaptions of the work – including translation into another foreignlanguage without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Nature of Art® Publishing P.O. Box 443 Solana Beach, California 92075.
Preparing a Montessori art curriculum might feel overwhelming. Especially if you don’t know what should come first when teaching Montessori students art. In this blog, I’m sharing why you should teach primary color mixing to Montessori students. I’ll give you my art teacher advice on what’s important to focus on first.
Primary color mixing should be on the top of your art curriculum scaffolding. Why is teaching it so essential? Because all visual arts are connected to color theory.
If you want to teach children how to paint, they will need to learn how to achieve the colors they need when those colors are not available in their palette. And when learning how to create realistic images you need to know how to control color values by mixing primary colors together. Artists also tint and shade by understanding basic primary and secondary mixing ideas. To create color pop in designs you need to understand warm, cool, and complementary color ideas as well.
So start with teaching the basics of color mixing, then move into more advanced color theory ideas. Be sure to check out my store for the art supplies you may need for this curriculum.
Good news!
As a homeschool mom, artist, and art teacher I know how difficult it can be to create an art curriculum. I’ve spent the last five years developing an easy-to-follow sequential step-by-step curriculum for parents and school teachers…so you don’t have to!
It took me twenty years to create this method. I start my color theory curriculum modules first with primary colors into secondary color mixing, then move into more important color theory ideas with easy lessons. I can save you valuable time from trying to figure this all out, so check out my links below!
No part of this blog may be used or be reproduced in any manner whatsoever including reproducing, publishing, performing, and making any adaptions of the work – including translation into another foreignlanguage without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Nature of Art® Publishing P.O. Box 443 Solana Beach, California 92075.
This blog post is a part of a three-month series: Montessori Art in the Natural World: Kids Nature Journal Color Lessons. This series is about growing kids’ knowledge about the natural world by taking them outside their home or classroom and challenging them to create focused art, based on the nature around them. Every aspect of nature—seasons, layers of the earth’s soil, energy, rocks and minerals, fossils, landforms, water, flora, fauna, the atmosphere—can all be represented and expressed through art lessons.
Nature Journaling – Part lll
One of the most relaxing and rewarding parts of being in nature is experiencing its colors and beauty. Nature can teach us a lot about the color theory aspects of art and nature journaling, in particular, is a great way to teach Montessori art lessons.
As an artist, art teacher, and naturalist, I find color so fascinating! Color inspires kids to gain new knowledge about the natural world. Nature journaling can be an amazing tool to lead outdoor exploration and discovery. Having your kids take their nature journals outdoors can enrich their learning experience and help them make a meaningful connection between science and art.
Kids nature journaling activities give educators many chances to teach the Elements and Principles of Design while integrating science methods, such as observation. You can actually teach multiple Montessori color lessons using just the basic nature journal materials, a guided outdoor activity, and engaging your students’ imaginations.
Color in Art & Science
Color theory is a foundational area of visual arts studies. Understanding color and color theory is essential to developing art skills. All artists must learn how different colors complement each other; part of this means understanding the principles of the color wheel and creating mixtures of color values and intensities of different hues.
Beyond being an important part of art, color also plays a significant role in science! Did you know that Sir Isaac Newton not only discovered gravity, but he also observed how light bends as it passes through the prism—which was the first step in giving us what we now know as “ROY G BIV!” So, teaching kids about color is both artistically and scientifically important.
Color theory lessons can be easily integrated into nature journaling. Nature journals offer kids the opportunity to investigate and observe color while recording their nature and outdoor observations.
When they’re completing their nature journals, have students describe the colors they observe with written words, and also by choosing specific color mediums (such as crayons, colored pencils, and/or paint) to represent the objects they see. For instance, they might doodle leaves, tree bark, ponds, or the atmosphere, and then assign these observation notes with descriptive color words.
Examples:
“The tree had small, bright green leaves growing.”
“The bark on the tree had a cool feeling and looked dark brown.”
“A bird with reddish feathers flew by.”
Where to Start: Simple Nature Journal Color Prompts
It can be overwhelming to think about taking your class outside for an art lesson. Maybe the idea of rounding up your students and keeping them focused on lessons outside the classroom—when all they want to do is climb a tree or jump on fallen leaves—stresses you out. I get it and I’ve been there! Kids have minds of their own and once they’re outdoors, their playful instincts tend to take over. However, getting them to focus on Montessori color lessons can be done.
Keeping young students’ attention comes down to giving them something specific to focus on while they’re outside. Color can be found in outdoor environments in all different shades, hues, and tones:
The colors of a rainbow (ROY G BIV)
The natural pigments found in flowers and minerals
The iridescent colors of a butterfly wing
The color differences in males and females of a species
The green tones in different types of tree leaves
Color even plays a role in the survival of particular organisms in certain biomes! There are amazing teaching opportunities to point out how color is represented in the natural environment and different ecosystems. These kinds of observations can lead to fun and insightful scientific discussions in your classroom! Observing nature and recording natural color values are great ways to integrate science and art.
Using the prompts above will help give your students focus and purpose while they’re outdoors. While I focused on the importance of including color observations when students are recording in their nature journals, to make it a true scientific activity, students should include other datum and information as well.
This Outdoor Journal Checklist will help you guide your students and keep them on track to make sure they’re implementing both scientific and artistic principles during their expedition. You can print it out or save it on your phone so you have it with you the next time you lead your students outside to journal.
A Short Cut Just for You
I think nature journaling is the perfect way to introduce art to Montessori students, since it relies so heavily on natural and scientific observations. It opens to the door for so many more interesting art projects!
If you know that you want to bring art into your classroom but aren’t sure how to do it, check out my Theming Art & The Natural World
No part of this blog may be used or be reproduced in any manner whatsoever including reproducing, publishing, performing, and making any adaptions of the work – including translation into another foreignlanguage without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Nature of Art® Publishing P.O. Box 443 Solana Beach, California 92075.
Color is one of the foundational components of art making. It helps children talk about their art, as well as explore more uniquely, since they can eventually learn to create any hue imaginable. That’s why I want to take the time to talk about the importance of giving students the opportunity to experiment with color—however, it’s important to start simply. When you’re doing a Montessori color mixing activity with your students, you should start off by giving them fewer color choices when they first begin to explore different color pigments.
One of the main reasons I like to isolate colors is because it gives children the opportunity to observe different color values, such as light, medium, and dark. In my experience when you give kids a full palette of color choices or introduce several colors at one time, their senses will pick up on all the different colors available to them and they’ll get so excited to use them all, that they won’t spend enough time observing each hue and their values separately.
I give more details about color play in my book, Kids Color Theory, and explain how color play is actually a form of scientific exploration that allows children to witness hands-on. That’s because color theory, in general, is all about exploration, observation, and experimentation.
Working this way—through experimentation—is a great way to introduce the elements and principles of design to children.
When children have the chance to work with fewer colors, they have deeper reflective thoughts and are able to form an essential understanding of spatial awareness in art. By experiencing a single color at a time through specially set up Montessori color mixing activities, children will notice different degrees of hues with a sharper eye and even learn to appreciate and be more selective with colors as they progress in their art literacy. It helps them develop a more aesthetic eye for color choices in their designs and artworks. Children will naturally develop color harmony in their artworks.
Where to Start: Set Up a Montessori Color Mixing Activity
Watercolor Play is a simple, natural, and exciting way for students to start exploring color. I’ve laid out the how-to and steps in a previous blog post, you can read that here. It teaches them how color behaves and mixes, which are things all artists need to learn, without getting too technical just yet.
Starting out with one color at a time, and give them the tools and materials (buckets, cups, bowls, paper, sponges, droppers, paintbrushes, etc.) to mix non-toxic, liquid paint. As they add more water to the paint, they’ll be able to see the value change from dark, deep, rich, to lighter and more transparent. This will help them learn valuable color theory concepts.
When I teach brushstrokes for the first time, I also isolate distraction by offering one color to work with at first. This helps students focus on the movements rather than all the color choices.
Once I feel my students have spent a good amount of time discovering primary colors, and cool and warm tones separately, I then offer palettes with more colors options.
Understanding the actual set up and purpose of color mixing—especially when you’re only using one color at a time—is relatively easy. As a Montessori teacher, I’m sure you’ve noticed that when more options are offered to students, the less focus they become. In this FREE Montessori color set-up activity video download, I show you how to set up a color mixing station for students to get hands-on experience in color tones and values.
Bonus Activity
Here’s another fun tip: I love placing out different natural elements so students can see different color tones in nature. For example, slices of lemon show the different color value of yellow, and a handful of leaves will show how vibrant and varied the color green can be. Natural elements like flowers, leaves, seeds, berries, and fruits are perfect for children to understand where pigments, tones, and hues derive.
A Short Cut Just for You
I explore the importance and how-to of color theory in my book,Kids Color Theory. I share the reasons kids should be able to identify primary pigments and secondary color, as well as how to create art and color mixing Montessori environments to allow kids to thrive as little artists. Plus, I even give you 11 color-mixing lessons to make your life so much easier! You can purchase the book here.
Of course, understanding the principles of color theory is just the first part; to be able to share that knowledge with your students involves creating fun, exciting, and effective art activities. My book includes 11 art lessons, but I’ve created an entire curriculum that revolves around this essential art concept. Kids Color Theory Practice & Process Curriculum has more than three dozen color theory lessons for early childhood, lower elementary, and upper elementary Montessori students. And every lesson is laid out, step-by-step, so all you have to do is read up and follow the instructions! To purchase Color Theory Curriculum for your classroom, click here.
No part of this blog may be used or be reproduced in any manner whatsoever including reproducing, publishing, performing, and making any adaptions of the work – including translation into another foreignlanguage without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Nature of Art® Publishing P.O. Box 443 Solana Beach, California 92075.
Color appears in all areas of art study and is a very significant aspect of art literacy. Artists who don’t understand the concepts of color theory and color mixing struggle in painting and digital design as they advance through their art education and practice. That’s why it’s important as Montessori teachers to introduce color theory concepts to students at a young age—and that’s why I’ve created this Montessori art curriculum to make teaching it in your classroom so much easier.
Kids Color Theory Practice & Process Curriculum is an introduction to the color theory domain. It lays the foundation for basic contemporary color concepts that lead to more advanced art skills in painting, drawing, and crafting. It gives students everything they need to be successful in the study of art.
I’ve designed and organized this curriculum into 37 Master Color Mixing Lessons. Each one is a small, digestible part of the color theory domain and builds onto the previous, helping students develop new skills in sequential order. Every lesson is curated as a guided introduction, with supporting extension activities for students to explore and discover in process-based, hands-on, real-time experiences.
Each lesson includes an overview of what you’ll be teaching. You’ll also get a materials list, and instructions for presenting and demonstrating the concepts and techniques addressed in the lesson. The direct aim and indirect aim of each lesson is also laid out.
You can use Kids Color Theory Practice & Process Curriculum to create a full year of content, with weekly lessons covering one sequence at a time or you can do six lessons throughout the year along with other art study curriculum. If students have never had a color theory lesson, they should start from the very first lesson of this curriculum.
This curriculum is the accumulation of more than 20 years of experience in teaching art to early childhood and elementary students all over the world. I’ve taught students of all ages how to paint, draw, sculpt, craft, and yes, mix colors.
My years of working with children led me to discover exactly how they naturally learn and comprehend art. My success is led by my observations and real-life practice of how children cognitively and sensorially process different art matters.
My art method has been taught to thousands of children internationally, and now I’m bringing the best of my knowledge and experience into the Montessori classrooms with this brand new curriculum.
I’ve seen Montessori teachers stress out and lose confidence as they try to put together art lessons and activities for their students. I understand how intimidating it can be to put together curriculum for a subject when you have no background in it. But art is such a crucial part of a child’s intellectual and motor skills development, it’s something that needs to be included in their education! And truthfully, art is all about experimentation and exploring, so you don’t need to be an artist to participate or even teach it! As long as you have a guide—like Kids Color Theory Practice & Process—to keep you on track as far as what skills to teach your students, you’ll be able to bring art into your classroom without any stress!
Where to Start: What Other Teachers & Parents Are Saying About This Art Curriculum
“My 3 kids are really enjoying a once a week art class using this color theory curriculum. It so easy to set them up with paint, paper, brushes, and examples to inspire their imagination. Then let them do their thing and be little artists. Even with having multiple ages at 3, 6 and 11, the lessons are a breeze and work for all of them. It’s fun to see what they will come up with each time and then put them in a portfolio as a collection. Thanks Spramani for an art program that works!”
Katrina Marie Thibodeau, New York Homeschool Mom of four children
One Step Further: Download a FREE Color Mixing Lesson
In Kids Color Theory Practice & Process Curriculum, every lesson includes a list of the materials and the steps your students will need to complete it. You don’t need complicated color mixing lessons or principles for kids to explore and experience the color theory domain.
I wanted to share this Color Theory Mixing Lesson with you to help get you started with teaching your students. While I strongly believe you need an entire curriculum to teach your students and help them build the proper color theory skills, you’ve got to start somewhere. And allowing them to create and explore within this lesson will open their eyes and spark their creativity. To download the Color Theory Mixing Lesson, click here.
A Short Cut Just for You – Buy Curriculum Now!
You want an easy, fool-proof, step-by-step way to teach your students exactly what they need to know. Well, here it is; no more guesswork. I created this curriculum for Montessori teachers just like you!
Kids Color Theory Practice & Process Curriculum has dozens and dozens of color theory lessons for early childhood, lower elementary, and upper elementary Montessori students. The lessons build on each other to provide students with the knowledge they need to understand color theory and start the artistic process. Plus, every lesson is laid out, step-by-step, so all you have to do is read up and follow the instructions! To purchase Color Theory Curriculum for your classroom, click here.
No part of this blog may be used or be reproduced in any manner whatsoever including reproducing, publishing, performing, and making any adaptions of the work – including translation into another foreignlanguage without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Nature of Art® Publishing P.O. Box 443 Solana Beach, California 92075.
