Art Sub Plan - Secret Rooms

Favorite Lesson

I really don't understand it, but kids from elementary to high school, LOVE dreaming about hidden spaces. Whether it is a secret container to hide your money or jewels from robbers to secret rooms in pyramids or mansions, kids seem to love dreaming up secret spaces.

There is an illustration of the hidden space under the Lincoln Memorial in DC at Atlas Obscura.  I have been to the Lincoln Memorial many times and had no idea there was anything beneath the memorial!

         
You can use that illustration and website to inspire a lesson about secret rooms or do an internet search and you can find plenty of examples. (Photo is in the Public Domain. National Park Service)

Kids are also intrigued by the pyramids of Egypt and the maps of the inner corridors. Hidden passageways drawings are a great art connection to the study of Ancient Egypt.

Prepared Art Sub Lessons: Secret Rooms/Hidden Passageways                                 

If you don't want to create your own lesson, I have one in my TPT shop you might like. It is complete with  historic references, student samples, and a complete script for what to say to teach the lesson.

Here are some reviews of the lesson.

"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My students loved this project! The slide show with all of the interesting examples of hidden spaces was excellent and motivating. The students produced very detailed ideas after the slide show. I used it as a sub plan with a few classes when I had to be gone, and then I taught it in another class because the ones who had it from the sub loved it so much! " Used in 4th, 5th and 6th grades

"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My students loved this project! The slide show with all of the interesting examples of hidden spaces was excellent and motivating. The students produced very detailed ideas after the slide show. I used it as a sub plan with a few classes when I had to be gone, and then I taught it in another class because the ones who had it from the sub loved it so much! " Used in 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th

"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My students loved this project! The slide show with all of the interesting examples of hidden spaces was excellent and motivating. The students produced very detailed ideas after the slide show. I used it as a sub plan with a few classes when I had to be gone, and then I taught it in another class because the ones who had it from the sub loved it so much! "

For less than $5, your sub lesson is completely prepared. Don't waste your time doing more!!!  I have already taken care of that for you. 

You can find that lesson here:  Art Sub Lesson: Secret Rooms and Hidden Passageways

Doodle Monsters for Winter

 

 Art Sub Lesson - Doodle Monsters 

I’m still playing around with doodling monsters. They’re fun for me to draw and kids seem to have as much fun doodling them as I do. 

Simple Monster Drawing Characters for Winter

Here's a new drawing, that I have added to my art sub lesson. It is doodle monster gingerbread people. One is rather Santa-like. One looks like Mrs. Claus. (Does she have a first name?) There's an elfin one; a kid one; one with a top hat; and a couple with beanies....tuques?...knit caps.

Monster Doodles Worksheet for Early Finishers

I have added a blank template of this drawing to the lesson on TPT in case you want an early finishers coloring activity. It is an add on at the end of the lesson and won’t change the lesson at all. So, if you have already bought this lesson from my TPT shop, you can just download it with changes, for free. (Yippee!) I’ve added this finished drawing to the sample drawings too. 

Click here to see or buy the monster doodle lesson at my Art Sub Lessons shop:  Art Sub Lesson - Doodle Monsters in Winter

More Blog Posts about Doodling Monsters

If you are interested in seeing other blog posts about these doodle monsters, check them out here:

Doodle Monsters in Winter

Doodle Monsters in Winter

Art Sub Lesson Plan - How to Draw a Monster

How to Draw Doodle Monsters

This is the time of year that kids are most intrigued by monsters. They're everywhere you look in the stores and on TV! At school though, you don't want your students to work on grisly, bloody creatures. So, I like to teach them how to draw doodle monsters.

Doodle monsters are friendly looking and not at all scary. Drawing a doodle monster lets kids be creative and draw as crazy a creature as they can imagine.

Step-by-Step for Drawing a Monster

When I have kids drawing doodle monsters, I like to have lots of visuals around. Having examples of cartoon eyes, noses, mouths, ears, hair, arms, bodies, and legs is key. Examples give kids a good jumping off point. They are less likely to have  artist's block when they can see so many options.

Doodle monsters are made of such simple shapes, anyone can draw them. 

Let me show you how to draw a super simple one.

Step 1.  Draw a simple shape for the monster's body. Using a variety of lines makes it look interesting.

Step 2.  Draw simple eye shapes. It can be one eye, or many.

Step 3. Draw a mouth. It might be toothy or not.

Step 4.  Color in the monster. Start by outlining the shape.

Step 5. Color in the shape neatly.  To make it look more three dimensional, color more heavily around the edges.

One monster, DONE!

They can fill a whole sheet with these simple creatures. Varying the shapes, lines, patterns and colors will make the drawing more interesting. The more examples you have around to inspire the students, the better.

Get the Lesson Plan and Visuals

I love teaching how to draw these monsters, so I have created lesson plans for teaching doodle monsters during the different seasons. They were written for a sub, so they are fully scripted; use simple materials; and have lots of examples.

Here are some visuals from the one I created for Halloween. I have made versions for kids who want to draw Halloween monsters and another for kids who want to draw fall monsters. (Not all students are allowed, nor want to, draw Halloween imagery, so I have taken this into account.)

Here's where you can find my lesson and all the visuals:  Art Sub Lesson - Doodle Monsters at Halloween. It's only $4.00 and will save you hours and hours of time.

Blog Posts about Doodle Monsters

Check out these blog posts about Doodle Monsters at other seasons:

Doodle Monsters at Christmas and Winter

Doodle Monsters at Valentines Day

9 Halloween Art Sub Lessons

9 Halloween Art Lesson Plans Easy Enough for a Sub

Here are some fun lessons for October. I’ll add some that can be adapted for those kids who cannot use Halloween imagery for religious or personal reasons.

First, here’s one I just created. Kids love drawing “doodle monsters.” They are easy shapes to draw and there are so many options for adding fun details. 

In this art lesson, I gave examples of doodle monster drawings that are either Halloween focused, with mummies, ghosts, witches, and the likes plus an example of one with none of that. It has footballs, fall trees, hot cocoa, and warm clothes. Kids will appreciate that options are given for either direction.

You can find that lesson in my TpT shop:  Doodle Monsters at Halloween.

At the Mrs Art Teacher Lady blog. you can find a directed drawing. "Halloween Bats and Frankenstein Monsters" is a lesson that both upper and lower elementary kids will have fun drawing. It uses simple materials, so would be great for a substitute teacher.

The TpT shop, "Cool Classroom Stuff" has an activity that would be super easy for your sub to teach. This one is focused on Mexican Sugar Skulls. Your kids will be engaged and happy to work on this one.

Here's another one at "Cool Classroom Stuff." This is a fall themed one and would be good for fourth grade through middle school. 

This radial symmetry lesson has templates and sample templates to help kids out.

Amy, at Makes and Takes, gives step-by-step instructions and many visuals for this lesson. She used black paper and oil pastel, but this could easily be done with crayons on lighter paper.

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At Panicked Teacher, Susie gives you step by step instructions on how to make this patterned pumpkin.  I believe she is a classroom teacher who has to supplement art instruction in her class for most of the school year.

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This lesson, at ArtfulNest, was written for middle school.  You could write it up as a fifth-grade lesson or a sixth-grade one.  You could also bring it down to the upper primary grades with a change of media.  Leave your subs some good visuals.  They could teach this!           

 

This Halloween art lesson is fun for students and easy to teach. The prep for this is minimal. Students will need paper; one black crayon per student; and assorted other crayon colors. I call it a “print and go” lesson as that is all you need to do.

It includes full instructions and visuals. You could even post it as an art learning center in the classroom.

“Creating Silly Monsters” is a fun lesson about monsters that you could use in an art center; as a regular art lesson; or for an art sub. It is super easy to teach and kids will love it. Check it out at TPT Shop: Centers and Early Finishers  It would be timely around Halloween but could be taught any time.

This lesson was posted on a blog called, “Clown and Poodle.” It appears that it no longer exists. However, I had written a blog post inspired by the original, and that still exists. You can see that complete lesson in my blog post here: Purple People Eater

Art Sub Plans on Patterned Landscapes

Patterned Landscapes as an Art Sub Lesson

Here's a simple lesson that was done in middle school, but could so easily be done in elementary art too.  

Mrs. Hare at Becker Middle School gave her students handouts with sample patterns. They filled their drawing paper with lines for foreground, middle ground, and background. Then they filled in the areas with pattern. 

The supplies used were simple: paper and Sharpie.

The students had previously studied landscape, so they were acquainted with the basic principles of drawing one. 

As a sub lesson, you could provide the teacher with the preprinted pattern sheets; a sheet showing the steps to draw the picture; and a finished sample drawing. 

If the students are relatively independent, they could follow the instructions on their own. Most any sub could also demonstrate how to draw the lines across the paper and label them as foreground, middle ground, and background. Then, the sub could show the finished sample and get the students started.

Another Blog Post About Patterned Landscapes

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post about a similar lesson. This one includes a few visuals that you are welcome to use.  Check it out here:  Art Sub Lesson - Landscape with Pattern

Fully Formed Art Sub Lessons

If you would like to see art sub plans that are easy to use; fully scripted; and that your kids and subs will love, check out my TPT Shop: Art Sub Lessons.

Art Sub Plan for National Dress Up Your Pet Day

National Dress Up Your Pet Day

Ooooooh, another holiday is coming up! January 14 is "Dress Your Pet Day."

Here's a blog post about it from National Today: Dress Up Your Pet Day

This would be an easy idea to turn into a lesson for substitute teachers. Use a few good photos of dressed up animals and show some books with illustrations of dressed up animals. The school library is full of them!!!!

Here's a little drawing I did of dressed up pets that you may use for your lesson, if you like, but the internet is full of photos of dressed up animals.

drawing by ArtSubLessons.blogspot.com

There are so many photos of dressed up animals on Flickr. If you search on Flickr, you can add to your search that you want photos using Creative Commons, which gives you permission to use the photo. You can break down that search to your more specific needs. Artists who post their photos will set them for the level of sharing they wish to give.

Photo by Richard Masoner. https://tinyurl.com/2tjz74sy. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Crayons and paper would be all you need for this one. Encourage adding details and a background.

From My Shop

If you are interested in some art worksheets that you could use for "Dress Up Your Pet Day," here are some that I have in my TPT shop:

Create a Dragon in Disguise

Create a Silly Monkey in Disguise

Create a Turtle in Disguise

Create a Frog in Disguise

Create a Penguin in Disguise

Create a Bunny in Disguise

Create a Groundhog in Disguise

Create a Panda in Disguise

Create a Yeti in Disguise

Create a Reindeer in Disguise

Art Lesson Plan - Beyond the Gingerbread Man

Art Sub Plan - Beyond the Gingerbread Man 

No doubt about it. Kids love drawing gingerbread men, gingerbread houses, and all lessons related to candy and treats. After so many years though, that whole house and cookie person idea has run its course with them. 

I came up with an idea for the whole gingerbread and candy idea, but with a twist. "Beyond the Gingerbread Man" lets kids use all those fun yummy ideas they have, but let them apply them to an open ended art experience.

This was written as an art sub plan, but can be taught by anyone. It uses the most simple supplies: crayon and paper. You may, of course, use markers, Sharpies, and the like.  

Here are some of the art work kids have done with this lesson.

I have provided lots of examples of the gingerbread houses they are familiar with and a script for you to follow. 

It is such a fun lesson to do and easy to teach. Whether you teach it yourself or hand it to a sub, you will be happy to have given this lesson to your students.

Click here to find out more about this lesson: Beyond the Gingerbread Man - Art Sub Lesson Plan

Related Blogposts You Might Enjoy

If you are looking for some other Christmas/winter art lesson ideas, here are some other blog posts you might like:

This one is about the ever popular "ugly Christmas sweater." It includes both free and paid options from the web and TPT.

Art Worksheet - Ugly Christmas Sweater

The next blog post is about a free idea from NeoWhimsey that is an ornament or a card idea.  

The last one is a good idea for your special needs classes. You can find this blog post here:  Yarn Wrap Ornament for Special Needs Students

Valentine Art Sub Plans - STEM and STEAM

Valentine Art Activity for Centers, Subs and Early Finishers

Here are two Valentine art activities that can be used in a center; taught by a sub or teacher, or used as an activity for early finishers. 

One is by the TPT Shop: Cool Classroom Stuff.  Elementary and middle school both will enjoy this lesson. Templates are provided as a structure for original designs. Students will use simple materials which could include, pens, crayons, or markers. 

The second lesson is intended more for elementary than the first one, but middle school would enjoy doing it too. This one is from the TPT Shop: Centers and Early Finishers. It is more of a doodle art lesson and would be good for early finishers. 

There is a template for the kids to add pattern to or just color in. 

This one also uses simple materials: pens, crayons, or markers. 

15 Art Sub Lesson Ideas - Valentines and Winter

15 Art Sub Lesson Plan Ideas for Valentines Day and Early Winter

Here are lessons that would be great to use as sub lessons around Valentines Day.  Some have full directions and some could be easily adapted to use.

Halloween Art Sub Plan - Silly Monsters

Halloween Art Sub Plans - Creating Silly Monsters

Here is a complete, fun lesson to teach or to use as a center. All the visuals you need are included.  It could be printed out or projected.  Art subs and classroom teachers will appreciate how easy it is to use. You can find it here:  TPT Shop: Centers and Early Finishers

Fill This Jar-Art Worksheet Printables

Free Art Worksheet - How Would you Fill This Jar?

Teachers Pay Teachers has been very good to me. I put a lot of work into my shop and it has been a blessing. Now I am helping my daughter open her own shop.  I am telling you this because there is a good freebie in there for you right now. At some point, it will become a paid product, so go get it now! It would help her out a lot if you would follow her shop and leave feedback too. You would not believe how valuable that is for a shop owner!

Her shop features items to use in learning centers and also products for early finishers. As an art teacher, my contributions will be art-focused, and that's why you arty people might like them.

The item we opened the shop with is an oldy but a goody. You have seen it before, but now you have the visuals to go with it. It can be used as an art center; an early finisher activity; or a quick art lesson.

Whenever she swaps in her next freebie, I will let you know! Find it at Centers and Early Finishers

Halloween Art Sub Plan

Halloween Art Sub Plan for Elementary and Middle School

I always hated creating art sub lessons. It was always so much work.  Whenever I planned to take a day off from work, I wondered if it was worth the hassle. When I retired from full time teaching and decided to sub in art, I found that some teachers left good lesson plans, but many were too bare boned to be very helpful. That's why I decided to create my own shop to sell art sub plans.  All of my lessons are affordable and are full and rich for a sub to teach. They will save you HOURS!!!

This Halloween art lesson is fun for students and easy to teach. The prep for this is minimal. Students will need paper; one black crayon per student; and assorted other crayon colors.

 These are provided to help your sub teach with confidence:
-3 1/2 pages of script so all your sub has to do is read and follow the directions
-5 pages of visuals that accompany the script
-5 pages of supplemental visuals that your students can refer to for details

Here is a preview of what you would get.

 This is a Print and Go lesson so you do not need a projector. However, since it was created with PowerPoint, you could project it if you turn the slides in a different direction first. There is also a .pdf version in this file.