3rd Grade Lesson Ideas

In 3rd grade students are learning more techniques with different materials and can use these to communicate ideas, feelings, experiences, and stories. All of these are just suggestions.

Aboriginal Dot Art

Activity: sketching, painting with tempera

See step by step instructions here and also here.

Raised Salt Paintings

Activity: glue, watercolor paints, salt (provided by parent)

See step by step instructions here.

3D Bubble Name

Activity: pencil, ruler, marker

See step by step instructions here.

Mixed Media Jellyfish

Activity: sketching, painting with tempera

See step by step instructions here.

Symmetrical Tiger

Activity: sketching, painting with tempera

See step by step instructions here.

Optical Illusion Hand

Activity: drawing, markers

See step by step instruction here

Bleeding Tissue Paper

Activity: cutting and collaging with tissue paper, white oil pastels

See step by step instructions here. As well as here.

Positive Negative Space

Activity: drawing, ruler, tempera painting

See step by step instructions here

Winter Woods

Activity: painting with tempera, cutting, glue

See step by step instruction here

Spooky House

Activity: Good one for October! Oil pastels, watercolors, pencils.

See instructions here.

Rex Ray Collage

Activity: Inspired by artist Rex Ray. Painting, cutting, glueing collages.

Many ways to do it. See some examples here and here.

Perspective Trees

Activity: Use one point perspective to paint trees. Pencil, ruler, paints.

See some examples here.

Starry Night

Activity: sketching, painting with tempera

Based on Art in Action Program 3 Lesson 3. See lesson plan, supply list and instructions in the Art in Action binders in Exploratorium.

Perspective Oils Pastels

Activity: sketching, painting with oil pastels

Based on Art in Action Program 3 Lesson 8. See lesson plan, supply list and instructions in the Art in Action binders in Exploratorium


Watercolor Landscape

Activity: sketching, painting with watercolors

Based on Art in Action Program 3 Lesson 7. See lesson plan, supply list and instructions in the Art in Action binders in Exploratorium


Framed Portrait

Activity: sketching, drawing faces with chalk pastels

Based on Art in Action Program 3 Lesson 6. See lesson plan, supply list and instructions in the Art in Action binders in Exploratorium


Animal Landscape

Activity: sketching, painting with watercolors and oil pastel

Based on Art in Action Program 3 Lesson 4. See lesson plan, supply list and instructions in the Art in Action binders in Exploratorium


Atmospheric Layers

Activity: cutting, layering, glueing tissue paper

Based on Art in Action Program 3 Lesson 10. See lesson plan, supply list and instructions in the Art in Action binders in Exploratorium


Miro Collage

Activity: cutting, arranging, glueing paper shapes

Based on Art in Action Program 3 Lesson 5. See lesson plan, supply list and instructions in the Art in Action binders in Exploratorium

Color Wheels Mixing

Activity: mixing tempera paints

Based on Art in Action Program 3 Lesson 1. See lesson plan, supply list and instructions in the Art in Action binders in Exploratorium

Watercolor Landscape

Activity: sketching, painting with watercolors and oil pastel

Based on Art in Action Program 3 Lesson 11. See lesson plan, supply list and instructions in the Art in Action binders in Exploratorium