Jasper Johns Alphabet art lesson for k-1?

Is it just me, or do all art teachers struggle with finding successful kindergarten /first grade art projects !?  I love being able to find lessons that are not only developmentally appropriate but also are engaging and related to literacy.  I went on a search to find some art lessons that incorporate letters and found some really great ones that go along with books like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and also related to the contemporary artist Jasper Johns. 

So I threw together a google slide show with some facts about Jasper Johns.  Here 

  Then I found an example that I like the most to try for my own demo. I found a really great lesson from a blog that used only one letter. I still want to try that one but I wanted students to be able to practice the whole alphabet.  So I made a video of my attempt and it turned out great! 



I used oil pastels and acylic paint (because thats all i had on hand) but I would use tempera with  k-1 kiddos in the classroom.  I definitely think this would work great with tempera cake paints as it involves learning some techniques like dry brushing (which is pretty advanced for kindergarten!)

I made an art alphabet poem to go with it- so I could read it as we drew each letter together!

A is for ART the best class of the day

B is for black the color that will stay!

C is for Create – we’re creating all the time

D is draw- we draw every line!

E is for exciting- art always is

F is for FUN we never want to miss

G is for GREAT- our masterpiece will be

H is happy your work is always making me

I is for imagine- all the things we can make

J is for JOY from rules that we will break

K is for kind- we will treat ourselves and others

L is for love we have for our sisters and our brothers

M is for masterpiece- that’s what we make each day

N is for No- something we promise to never say

O is for outside- we can color outside the lines

P is for paint- we can do it all the time

Q is for QUESTION- why do we love to make our  art

R is for red- a primary color we’ll use to start

S is for second- the next color that we’ll use

T is for the tons- of colors we will fuse

U is for understand – understand how to mix

V is for violet that red and blue will fix

W is for which- what will we add now

X is for excitement- and we know how

Y is for yet- we haven’t finished yet

Z is for zero- we don’t worry what we get!

Here's the video: