Open House Ideas for the Art Teacher

Open house is a great time to make or solidify connections with your school community. If you're in a school that doesn't have a formal program or tour you may be wondering what to do in your room. Here are my top 6 ideas to maximize this event for you.

1. WISH LIST

Classroom teachers are not shy about putting together lists of everything they need for their students to be successful in their room. You don't need to be shy either. Maybe you truly love dumpster diving, but if not, I suggest hanging up a tear-tab style poster on your bulletin board or door. 

2. ARTSONIA/FUNDRAISER SIGN UP 

If you participate in Artsonia you are going to need parent permission for any new students. If you aren't using artsonia this post walks you through the many benefits I have found using this program in my school and how to get started. 

If you participate in any of the single project fundraisers or "art show" style fundraisers you will probably want to seek the help of your PTA or individual parents. Open house is a great time to capture their attention and enthusiasm. So grab a clipboard and start a volunteer sign up sheet. 

It's also great to have your artsonia site up on the projector with looping slides of student work. Another great place to do this is in your auditorium or gymnasium. It reinforces the value of art, and is a great reminder for parents who may not have signed up in previous years.

3. ART GALLERY APPLICATIONS

Parents of even the youngest students are often looking for opportunities for their children to engage in activities beyond the school day. One of the best things I did for my school was to start a student-led art gallery. Students met a few times beyond the school day (conveniently times when I already had to be in the building but was not actively participating in meetings) to help with mounting artwork, hanging displays in the hallway, photographing art for our online art gallery and leading tours as docents for the art show. Have plenty of applications on hand for this event while parents and students are in your room increases the chances of filling those positions. This resource contains all the forms needed to start your own.

Not sure you're ready for an art gallery? You could also have a sign up sheet for parent volunteers to cut paper, mount artworks on paper or hang displays in the hallway.

4. COMMUNAL COLORING

Our open house takes place the week before school starts. So my hallways are typically empty. I like to roll out some bulletin board paper and invite students to color (a little or a lot) while their parents are completing some of the above mentioned activities. You can write an inspiring quote, or outline some art supplies, whatever would go over well with your populations. Now you have art ready to hang up for the first day of school until students finish some projects to hang in the hallways. The bonus? Since these don't belong to any one student, roll them up and now you have decor ready to go for NEXT YEAR'S open house. 

Another option would be ready to go coloring pages of single objects like art supplies that students can color and then staple to the bulletin board. You could have prepared bunting pieces that spell out your school name, or welcome back.

5. BUILD YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM

If you want parents to like, follow, subscribe to your art blog, instagram, etc this is the time to grab their attention. I set up a "selfie-station" and asked parents to post their favorite picture from the night and to tag the art social media account. Then make sure to like each post and you will find most parents follow you back. This is the place where you announce your art shows, art contests, request for donations and more. But it all starts by building your audience.

6. HANDOUTS

I firmly believe in teaching parents how to have productive conversations with their kids about art. This handout is a great way for parents to open the line of communication. I try to model these questions in front of parents as students are participating in free draw or coloring in the banners.

If you have a formal program or must present to groups of parents, I would suggest this drag / drop  Meet the teacher format. 

magnetic photo frames

These 4x6 magnetic photo frames are great for organizing supplies on my metal carts.

I have extra pictures behind the front label, so I can quickly swap things out if needed. I get mine at a local photo store, but you can find similar here.

I have also used them in the past to organize my goals, etc on the whiteboard

(or in this case, ancient green board). More on this system here.

All my favorite art teacher organization hacks are included in this free download.

Happy Art Room Decor

Super excited to kick off the new year in ONE BUILDING. It's been so nice to have time at night to work on fun little signs and things. Since I get to be in one place I want to make sure it's a space I love to see at 7:15 every day.

If you need some signs, labels, binder covers, whatever...I gotcha covered in my new decor bundles. Check 'em out!

I definitely need to take photos of my room. I keep thinking of "just one more thing" to print and hang and then it will be ready. By now I should know that's never going to end. Always more to do.

What's your favorite part of your room decor?

Finding their voice in art class

The past two years in a row I have created signs for my room to reinforce the leadership habits the students learn about. Here are the newest set of signs, including the eighth habit, a personal favorite.

How do you use and reinforce the habits in the art room?

Please note: Franklin Covey does not permit the sale or distribution of their trademarked items. If you wish to make similar signs for yourself, my clip art frames and kids are available in my TpT shop, but I cannot sell these signs or load them to a site for you to download.

Art Teacher Stickers

So my daughter is now addicted to putting stickers on everything. Overpriced waterbottles, her school issued chromebook (wow, I really hope that's allowed), you name it. As a new batch arrived...I can't even believe there is any space left anywhere, she said "you should put your art on redbubble." Which is a thing that I knew nothing about because I thought stickers were something that I outgrew in 1987. But I guess not.

So. Stickers.

  

And O. MY. LORD. Leggings. 

*disclaimer * These items are my own design, and I will receive commission if you decide to buy anything from my store. But seriously, those leggings?

Art Center for Early Finishers

As I was answering a post on an art teacher Facebook group, I realized that I never shared my new art center from this past year. I've always had a free draw situation, but wanted to link my early finisher activities to a classroom management system. And so my art center was born.

I use a point system for students to earn and track points to "unlock" more shelves. If you've been wanting to try something similar, check out this resource to create an art center in any space...even when you share a room or are teaching on a cart. There is a video about how that works on my instagram highlight.

My complete set up guide with walk you through the questions you need to ask yourself to make the art center of your dreams. It's jam packed with photos of many different set ups as well as samples of my point tracking system to maximize student buy in.

New to teaching? This is part of the ultimate guide for new art teachers. Check that out here.

Who doesn't love a free sample

Wondering if my clip art will work with your next worksheet, presentation or display sign? I have a sampler of some of my school supply clip art items available for free. Try them out and see if it's a match!

Introducing Girl 6

A day off left me with a little time to doodle. Girl #6 is now joining the rest of my clip art children. All of my clip art friends combine little bits and pieces of the amazing kiddos in my life. This one right here is the kind who will give you a hug on the way in. She might be known to wear cat ears, striped tights and a unicorn t-shirt. She loves to tell you which person in class has a birthday today and at bus duty, she will totally tell you that she saw you in art today.

Welcome to the family, Girl #6.

Standardize Testing Art Gallery

Our school starts their standardized testing next week. As a surprise, I hung some new art after school with motivational exhibit names.



1st grade wishes you smooth sailing on the test

4th grade knows the test is a piece of cake

Kindergarten friends remind us to "Just keep swimming"

Here's the original post on how I started a student led art gallery.

Leadership Bulletin Board

We are a leader in me school district. My principal ordered 8 new bulletin boards to spotlight the seven habits which they will start using next year. So I asked if I could use them in the meantime and got the green light on Friday.

So this happened.

Original Post.

Student Run Art Gallery

When we returned to our building, I proposed an upstairs gallery space.  My students applied for one of 4 positions: curator, docent, online web manager and frame shop. Over forty students applied for a position!

The three classrooms in my hallway kindly donated all of their tackstrips to this effort and we now have eight unique display spaces that rotate much more frequently than I would be able to on my own sharing two buildings.  We had a dry run the evening of our winter chorus concert and it was very well received.

Update: I have all the documents and details about starting an art gallery here.