FREE Digital Art Website for Your Class (or at home!)

 I was subbing in a 2nd Grade classroom the other day that had a technology teacher push in for a weekly STEAM class. The kids use 1:1 Chromebooks and personal headphones for this, and I was interested to see how the lesson went as I hadn't seen STEAM done this way in other schools. 

(It's really, nerdily cool to get to see how many amazing, creative ways there are to do things when you're subbing all over the district like I am!)

He told the kids that they'd be doing something a little different - a little creative, a little silly, a little relaxing. He led them to a website, and showed them how to use it by making a ridiculous piece of toast that he covered in graphics of fried eggs, jelly, and candies before drawing goofy faces in the yolks of the eggs. It was perfect - it tickled their funny bones and ignited their imaginations. They couldn't wait to try it for themselves.

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When the kids got their hands on their own screens, I saw so many options - cool backgrounds, graphics, and drawing styles. I was taking a back seat to this lesson, so armed with my own Chromebook I did a quick search for the website they were using - and it appeared as though all of the features were just out there on the world wide web! 

As the kids didn't get their hands dirty, considering all of the art was digital, I asked the tech teacher if this was really a free website. He confirmed that it was, and that they considered it a gem of a find because it allowed the kids to utilize the touch screen aspect of their Chromebooks. You can use a mouse or trackpad as well, but it really gives kids the hands-on nature that they'd get from a drawing tablet or an iPad. I'm all for incorporating technology in learning while still preserving a kinesthetic experience for kids!

The website is called Tate Paint - you have to check it out!!

When I saw this being demonstrated and all of the options and detail available for the kids to play with, I was so sure this had to be a paid-for software that the school had invested in! It's such a score that it's free for anyone!

Here are just a few spit-balled ideas for using this in a classroom or for some form of educational enrichment for your kiddos:

• An approved time-filler activity for fast finishers
• Using the plate or toast canvases for a health lesson on nutrition or the food pyramid
• Using the weather canvases for an arts-incorporated science lesson
• Using the blank face canvas for beginning of the year or star student "About Me" posters
• Using the blank face canvas to create a character for a student to write about, or to make a visual for a character they read about and how they pictured them while reading
• Using the word prompt or memory draw features to play a fun class game
• Using the graffiti drawing game for a lesson on Banksy or to create fun classroom art
• Fun Friday activity or as this class used it - a STEAM activity

There are also tons of lessons on art and artists to explore - there's so much to see and do on this awesome website!

Give it a try - let me know if you find some other way to make use of this great resource that I didn't think of! There are so many possibilities!!