Our Blog

Are you looking to further your artistic knowledge or become a better art teacher? Our blog posts are well researched and based on facts for students, teachers, parents or anyone looking to further their artistic knowledge. Put on the kettle and enjoy the reading...

Homeschool Art Activities Inspired by Famous Artists

Homeschooling provides a unique opportunity for parents and children to explore the world of art together. One exciting way to do this is by introducing your kids to the masterpieces created by famous artists and then encouraging them to create their own art inspired by these great works....

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Teaching Art Through Storytelling

Teaching Art Through Storytelling

Art and storytelling are two timeless forms of human expression, each with its unique power to captivate, inspire, and provoke thought. When combined, they create a dynamic and enriching experience that can ignite the creative spark in individuals of all ages....

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Portraiture for Kids

Unlocking Creativity: The Importance of Portraiture for Kids

Portraiture is a timeless art form that captures the essence of individuals, conveying their emotions, personalities, and stories through the strokes of a pencil or the splash of colors. In the world of artistic expression, the...

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Explore Cultures Through Art

Art has always been a powerful means of expression and a window into the diverse cultures that make up our world. Through art, we can delve into the traditions, histories, and stories of various societies. Exploring different cultures through art projects not only broadens our horizons but also...

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The value of learning to draw in an AI world

Learning to draw will continue to be valuable in a future with Artificial Intelligence (AI) because artistic creativity and expression are fundamentally human traits that technology can't fully replicate. While AI may revolutionise various aspects of our world, including problem-solving and data...

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Creative Christmas: Free and Fun Art Projects to Share with Kids

The holiday season is the perfect time to embrace creativity and spend quality time with your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or young person in your life. One fantastic way to do this is by engaging in art projects that celebrate the spirit of Christmas. Not only does it allow kids to...

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Dinosaurs, Art and Critical Thinking

How can dinosaurs and art lessons help develop critical thinking skills!?

Creating artworks of pre-history

How can we illustrate what we have learnt about our world before there were written records, before we humans even existed? Depicting dinosaurs is one example. Artists create impressions of...

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Creating Artworks of Cats

Drawing a cat is one of the first animals I do with kids. We start our drawing journey with circles and lines. These become faces of family. Then we move on to animals they know like cats, dogs and perhaps rabbits.

Many households have a pet cat. They are an animal that can live inside, sit on...

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Art and Happy Hormones

When our children feel sad, are hurt, maybe unwell or injured we want to help them feel happier. Art as therapy is a well-known strategy that helps release the happy hormones in our bodies. There are four of these that health practitioners refer to when considering why some experiences trigger...

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Drawing on the Devotion of Dogs

It’s said that a dog is man’s best friend - ‘man’ referring, of course, to all of us - mankind.  From an early age we draw those we love most, those closest to us - our pets and people. Circles, lines and squiggles become more recognisable as drawings are enhanced...

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The Gift of Artwork

How often do we see the artworks created by our teenagers and young adults displayed at home…? Fridges, walls, doors, classroom windows and display boards are adorned with the artwork of younger kids. Are the pieces created by older kids hidden in visual diaries or sketchbooks or art...

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Illustrating Insects

So, what IS an insect and what isn’t and how can we draw insects? The simplest and quickest way to identify an insect is by checking it has six legs, three body parts and probably wings - like bees, beetles and butterflies. Spiders are NOT insects because they have eight legs, two body...

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How to Draw Birds (Beautiful Birds!)

I watched flashes of yellow, white and black as nearly a dozen beautiful little New Holland Honeyeaters flapped and fluttered and frolicked amongst the lime green leaves of my young Port Wine Magnolia bushes. Their twittering was a delight to hear as they enjoyed the cooling sensations of the...

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Lessons to kickstart the school year

Here are some arty ideas to help engage children as they start school. These lessons can also help you as the educator, whether at school in a classroom or in a homeschooling environment, to learn more about your students.

We often start the year by asking children about what they have been doing...

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Drawing on Fantasy

From an early age we create imaginary creatures and friends. What we see in our mind’s eye is enhanced by the stories we hear and see as young children. This visual artistry plays a big part in how we deal with reality. As parents and educators, whether in the classroom or homeschooling, we...

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Holiday Break

Here in South Australia, the kids are excited to be on holidays, parents are frantically getting ready for Christmas and the weather is normally hot and dry. Or… the kids are already saying they are bored, parents are torn between finding activities for them and trying to ensure Christmas...

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What's with the Weather?

Floods. Droughts. And something called La Niña or is it El Niño? La Niña means Little Girl and El Niño, Little Boy (in Spanish). A couple of mischievous kids playing with our weather!

Just like pranksters, we don’t always know what they are getting up to but we...

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Patterns for Learning

As parents and educators, we help children develop skills and understandings through teaching about patterns. Patterns are repeated designs which may be manufactured or appear in nature. Observing patterns can help develop the ability to predict and hypothesise. Creating patterns improves our...

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Colour in Art

As children start to pick up pencils, crayons and paint brushes they delight in changing colours. Becoming more proficient with their artworks, increasing awareness of what colour is and how to manipulate it to suit their purposes and feelings is something we can help them with.

One of the first...

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Picturing Ourselves

How does the way we portray ourselves on the outside reflect who we are on the inside? Why do we so often ‘judge a book by its cover’? When do we take the time to open the pages and look inside - to get to know people? What shapes our identity? And how can drawing or painting a self...

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Snap Happy Holidays

Kids taking photos

Kids see grown-ups taking photos and want to copy. We can help them with the dangers and delights of becoming a cyber-savvy photographer creating clever digital imagery - and turning some into artworks!

All round the world, kids are taking a break from formal education, whether...

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Massive Marvels

The Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, the Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza… How and why were these huge structures built? 

I was thinking about these well-known but diverse icons as INDEPENDENCE DAY and...

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Our Connections to the Curriculum

Our website - online art lessons for teachers and parents to use with kids

Artventure has many sides to it, evolving over the years based on the needs of our members and feedback from the community. Starting as an online environment full of videos encouraging children to draw, this grew to...

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Wabi Sabi - Beauty in Imperfection

Hmmm...  Wabi Sabi and Wasabi? Just to clarify - both originate in Japan, both have a connection with nature. Wasabi is a plant from which a spicy condiment is made to add to foods. On the other hand, Wabi Sabi is a sensitive approach to aesthetics, a way of seeing beauty in things...

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