Spring Art Lesson Plans & Activities

Prepare for the arrival of Spring with these art lesson plans!

Storm Stories

Get your students actively involved in observing and studying the weather. In many parts of the country, Spring weather is unpredictable and often dramatic. Color diffusing paper and water-based markers are the perfect materials for drawing pictures of stormy weather. When sprayed with water, the drawings look wet and wild. They can become inspirational catalysts for poetry, such as the simple poem shown in the example above.

Fanciful Fish

At the beach, the aquarium, or even the dentist’s office, kids are fascinated by the vivid colors, interesting shapes, and intricate patterns of tropical fish. The varying characteristics of these creatures teach students about habitat and adaptation. Your students can create 3-D fish of their own with brilliantly colored Crayola® products that “pop” against a black paper background. For a more visual experience, check out our free Fanciful Fish webinar!

Intricate Insects

Children can, all at once, be both intrigued and horrified by bugs. As you study these ever-present (and important!) residents of our world, have your students create variations on actual bugs. Draw them on Folia transparent paper with a black Sharpie marker (or other markers) and elaborate on Mother Nature’s designs with myriad lines and small shapes. Frame them with black construction paper decorated with buggy words and hang these beastly beauties in a window to glow!

Pond Patterns

Ponds are little microcosms teeming with life. A study of pond life from books or from actual ponds will provide students with plenty of interesting subject matter for this fun approach to watercolor painting. Even the youngest students can experience success with the methods used.

Beautiful Bonnet

Color mixing can be quite an art! Discover the relationship between primary and secondary colors and create color harmony in a beautiful Model Magic® hat.

Fields of Daffodils

Represent the spirit of hope with a classroom display of sunny daffodils. Plant flowering bulbs and learn how communities help each other heal. What is a community? To which communities do you belong? Think about your local neighborhood, rural area, town, or suburb. How do the people in a community help one another? How can one community help another?

On October 20, 2001, communities in New York City started The Daffodil Project. More than 10,000 volunteers planted millions of daffodil bulbs. These bulbs were donated by people and organizations in the Netherlands and New York. This project brings a spirit of hope to the city. The daffodils remind people each year of the heroic rescue and recovery efforts after the tragedy on September 11, 2001. Each Spring, a golden field of daffodils weaves through the city in more than a thousand parks and green spaces.