Supporting Virtual Lessons at Home During Coronavirus School Closures

There has been an unprecedented number of school closures across the globe right now, and many schools and teachers have found themselves unprepared to teach their students virtually. I don’t think anyone really anticipated things getting this bad; but now that we’re faced with this reality, it’s important that we continue our students’ education—while keeping their new learning environments in mind. For that reason, I’ve put together some virtual Montessori lessons and art activities you can give you students to work on while schools are closed.

It’s important for students to maintain some regularity even though their daily routines have been turned upside down because of school closures. A routine helps kids establish constructive habits, grow in their independence, and may even reduce stress during chaotic times. So while your students (and maybe even you) might initially think of school closures as a surprise vacation, it’s essential that they continue to work on lessons, projects, and activities during the week.

Where to Start: Provide Fun Virtual Montessori Lessons that Focus on Art

Art, in particular, is a great way for students to add schoolwork or lessons to their day without sacrificing any of the fun that comes from being out of school. It’s an exciting and engaging creative outlet that allows them to work independently. Art is also therapeutic; so it can help students work through some of the anxiety or confusion they’re feeling because of all the COVID-19 news coverage.

What’s great about art at home is that you don’t have to be an artist yourself to teach these simple virtual Montessori lessons—kids can do most of the exploration completely on their own. (You may have noticed, I spend a lot of time on these blogs trying to explain to you that kids don’t need detailed how-to lessons, art at this age is almost all discovery-based.) What they need from you—or in this case, their parents—is an area to work in, basic art supplies to work with, and a quick explanation of how these materials work and expectations of containing mess. 

(I posted a blog last week about supporting parents with virtual Montessori lessons and how to even start putting together a virtual lesson—in light of the quick turnaround of school closures because of the coronavirus—you can read that by clicking here.)

One way to keep students entertained while schooling from home is with virtual art museum tours! Many of the world’s most famous museums offer virtual tours. So students can explore art exhibits and see paintings and sculptures from legendary artists without ever having to leave their homes! These virtual tours also support the Coming of Humans area of Montessori philosophy.

So take a look at the lessons you had lined up for next month and pair those themes with a museum virtual tour. These tours are really fun and informative and usually geared toward educating—so it does all the heavy lifting for the parents! And they will really appreciate the opportunity to get their kids to sit down and quietly focus on something engaging for a bit. 

Here are my eight favorite virtual museum tours that are currently available online. (I’ve been to a couple of these museums in person, and I can tell you, the virtual tour lives up to the experience!)

• Guggenheim Museum, New York – features artworks from the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern, and Contemporary eras
• Musée d’Orsay, Paris – a collection of artworks by Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin, and many other French artists
• Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), São Paulo – Brazil’s first modern art museum
• National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. – two different exhibits; one of which highlights American fashion from 1740-1895, and the other which features artworks from Dutch Baroque painter Johannes Vermeer
• National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul – features contemporary and modern art from Korean artists, as well as artists from across the world
• Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam – artworks from the Dutch Golden Age, including works from Vermeer and Rembrandt
• Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam – features 200+ paintings and 500+ drawings by the artist
• The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles – offers a huge collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and photographs

One Step Further: Download My Easy Montessori Art Activities Cheat Sheet

Before I became a Montessori art teacher trainer, I was an artist and homeschool mom. I also taught other art students from around my community how to create art, and have led programs in museums and educational conferences from different pedagogies throughout the world. With all this experience (more than three decades!), I’ve been able to observe the activities that excite and engage students. I’ve also learned what prompts can be done virtually anywhere—from your classroom to your students’ homes!

These virtual Montessori lessons support independent learning—and I’m sure parents will thank you for them! While you can offer these prompts to students to do while schools are closed, I also encourage you to do them in your classroom as well once school starts up again. They’re easy for you and fun for your students!

You can download 10 FREE Easy Montessori Art Activities by clicking here.

A Short Cut Just for You

The Montessori Art Activities cheat sheet is a way to inspire actual art lessons for your students. If you want a shortcut—a totally done-for-you lesson—that you can download and send out to students and their parents, then this Warm to Cool Butterfly Art Lesson is perfect! Simply purchase and download; then send the instructions and template to your students’ parents. It’s as easy as that. No extra work required! The only things students need at home are basic art supplies: crayons, color pencils, or any type of paint medium.

Buy Done-For-You Art Curriculum Now!

If you want a full year of simple, stress-free, exciting, and fun art lessons for your Montessori students, check out my Kids Color Theory, Kids Painting, and Clay Modeling curriculums! Each sequence within the curriculums is a step-by-step guide that includes Montessori direct and indirect aims, a materials list, and demonstration instructions. They can be combined to teach your students several different visual art domains, or you can stretch out a single curriculum throughout the year.

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