By Art Sphere

After a lot of hard work and generous help, we are excited to share “Creating Legacies through Art,” a book of free art lesson plans for anyone serving curious kids.

The book is designed to provide teachers and families with free, approachable art projects that stimulate creative thinking and self-expression. Each lesson has easy-to-follow instructions, can be completed in less than an hour, and uses affordable materials. All of them have been tested by our teachers here at Art Sphere, where we offer what we call “artistic first aid” to help fill the gap left by underfunded programs in Philadelphia’s schools and community centers.

Trail maps, road signs, travel kits, group tours, and extended journeys

Because the path to engaged learning is unique for every person, we want to encourage children to find their own creative voice and individual paths to success. When you read the book, you will notice that each lesson is conceptualized as a “Trail Map.” At the top of each page, you will find symbols depicted within a “road sign,” each of which indicate the learning styles the project caters to. For example, the sign to the right indicates that the Snowflakes project utilizes Technology/Logical-Mathematical, Multicultural/Interpersonal and Health/Intra-personal approaches to learning.  Teachers and parents can customize lessons to complement how each child learns best, or adapt it for a group setting.

One lesson featured in our book is the Healthy Pizza Project, which uses collage to encourage creative expression and healthy eating. Watch our video tutorial.

Additional resources

Our book also includes links to additional free lesson plans and well-researched educational materials. We strive to promote access to arts and educational resources in order to fulfill our mission to engage the creative in communities, empower neighborhoods to explore the positives in peoples’ lives, and heal the mind, body and spirit through art.

Check out our educational links and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more creative project ideas.

Thank you for joining us at Art Sphere.