Guidelines and Thoughts
for Art Workshop Teachers

The following began as a resource for teachers from Rev. Lisa Martin, a Rotation Model enthusiast and member of Rotation.org. You are invited to copy it and make it your own. The resource also has a number of great tips for organizing your classroom, selecting your art projects, and helping kids produce something that is meaningful.

Guidelines and Thoughts for our Art Workshop Teachers

You are wonderfully made, and created in the image of our Creator to make and do wonderful things with your students.

Thank you for agreeing to teach in our Art Workshop

As you can tell by the lesson plan, we really do want this to be an artistic experience for the kids and you, and not the old "construction paper and paste-fest" of the past. And because you will be in the same Workshop for the next couple of weeks, feel free to improve the project along with your lesson. Let us know what supplies you need replenished.

The lesson and art project have been designed to tap into our student's creativity and imagination as they work to create something that expresses their knowledge and understanding of the Bible lesson you are teaching them.

Your job is to help them move from head to heart to hands, so to speak. To excite them with creative Bible teaching, artistic supplies, and creative techniques that produce something that is both meaningful and shareable.

We hope that each phase of your Art Workshop lesson will feature some form of artistry and use of artistic supplies. For example, opening the lesson by inviting students to answer questions using a paintbrush and watercolor, or as you read the scripture together stop to pose or mold clay figures in key scenes and ideas. Or use color highlighters on a printed copy of the scripture to highlight or illustrate what Jesus is saying and mark key words ("Which word did YOU mark and why?").

Show visuals, especially works of art that relate to your project and story. (Internet image searches are especially helpful here.)

As you approach the main art activity, you'll introduce the supplies and demonstrate how they might be used. Guide, don't prescribe. This is art, not craft! It is important that art is not an "imitation" of what the teacher does. Rather, your creative suggestions are a starting point for students to learn from and make their own.

Set some expectations of how their project might turn out. Write key content on the board or paint it on the table. You don't want to squash their creativity but you also want them to focus on the lesson, not just have fun with the supplies.

A big part of "doing art" is that it helps students learn how to internalize and express their thoughts and feelings about the Bible story. Some will naturally be better than others at this, but your job is to encourage this innate creative and expressive spirit in all of God's children!

Students will also learn how to express their thoughts and feeling through the art materials and process by watching how others do it. So throughout the creative process, circulate and elevate!  Invite students to look around and talk about what they are thinking and doing. Invite them to share ideas and help one another.

Creating something is God's work, not busy work.

• Allow for time and quietness, trial and error.
• Don't be in a rush.
• Allow do-overs and do-anothers.
• Don't worry about spills and mistakes.
• Have cleaning and protective supplies handy, including "medical gloves" and smocks when necessary.
• Consider "shortcuts" in preparation and materials to help students finish on time, or help younger children get a head start.
• Plan "drying time" if your project needs it. Have a fan or blower dryer to accelerate drying if needed.
• Be smart about supplies with regard to time.  Watercolor dries better on real art paper rather than copier paper, and faster than acrylic paint. Tacky craft glue is faster and holds better than white school glues.
• Preview the use of all your materials! This will also give you something to share.
• Less is usually more! Guard against applying too much of product, and encourage students not to overapply or overdesign their project.

And by all means, CONTINUE TO TEACH THE STORY as students work the creative process.

• Add insights and tidbits.
• Ask questions.
• Refer to the story.
• Point out something in a student's work that nicely illustrates a key point.
• Demonstrate techniques once again to guide those who need a little bit of help.
• Encourage students to include key ideas.
• Make sure everyone feels your creative embrace and positive affirmation.
• Help them think about what elements or words might be added to their project (obviously, quietly, or on the back) as a reminder of what they are learning and as an aid to tell others about their work.
• Have classroom help so you are not so preoccupied with supplies that you can't do the teaching.
• Remember that you are God's loving arms. Embrace the students with the spirit of acceptance, joy, laughter, and thoughtfulness. Create an atmosphere for God's Holy Spirit to bless your lesson and students.

As you begin to close...

• Watch your time and leave time for sharing of projects and reflection.
• Give them a "countdown to being done." Let those who can't finish know they are welcome to stay afterwards or take supplies home.
• Leave time for "show 'n tell."
• Don't be the "Clean Up Cop."    The kids are there to learn a Bible story, not how to pick up glitter off the floor. Art is messy, and time after the lesson with your helper or a helpful student is often great pastoral time.

We strive to make projects that can go home at the end of class.

Depending on the materials used, you may need to provide a safe way to transport their projects home. Use bags, pizza boxes, folders, paper plates, and the like.

However, if a project gets left behind, that is a good opportunity to BRING IT to the student's home. In fact, it may be one of the best things about your lesson -- that you cared enough to show up with it.

Prayer time:

Whether it's an opening or closing prayer, include some sort of art supply/activity. How do you draw or sketch what you want to praise God for? Sketch who you want to give thanks for! Write a colorful word cloud of prayer requests.

Need more inspiration or art project ideas?

Browse your Bible story's Art Workshop topic in Rotation.org's Lesson Forums at https://www.rotation.org/category-directory. You'll find many exemplary art projects and lesson plans there! You can also find a sort of manual titled "Guiding Principles for the Art Workshop" at https://www.rotation.org/forum/Rotation-Art-Workshop.