https://tamaragontarek.com/blog daily 0.75 2026-05-12 https://tamaragontarek.com/blog/blog-post-title-one-sjbew monthly 0.5 2026-05-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68b84a40ba3661408e2cd1fc/0355bdd1-0673-481b-b392-5703cf0800d2/Diorama.jpg Blog - Diorama! Students Dream Big! - Get the students involved in the prep. Yes, we know kids are kids and we should always be prepared for students to forget to bring “found objects.” With a little preplanning and prep, this can be a great way to get students excited about making art. Those Costco runs can turn into a great resource for boxes and flat cardboards. Talk to your local thrift stores and ask for a bag of all the small odd things they get and have to toss out. Buttons, fabric scraps, etc. This project is perfect to scale for students of any level. My inner graphic designer LOVES teaching design with art! Good planning is something that is usually lacking in elementary art education which is a big missed opportunity. The first art session includes presenting examples from grandiose to simple and modest. You can work with core teachers to see what brainstorming methods they are teaching, to use that in art class! Brainstorming in small groups can be really helpful for those reluctant to dream big about the coolest/most legit bedroom ever… (are we still saying that now?) Begin the design process. ALL good art starts with planning. This is a prefect opportunity to teach thumbnails! The great thing about this, you can let the students take home a second prepared thumbnail sheet to continue their planning until the next class. While they are planning, they can also begin hunting for recyclable items and raiding he junk drawer (with parental permission of course). A basketball court in a bed room? Why not! A floating cloud as a bed? A whole wall as a TV for playing video games in bed? 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