What do you do when a student enters the art classroom with big feelings they are struggling to regulate? Have them make art about it! This workshop explores three stories where elementary-aged students used artmaking techniques to work through their emotional state in the art classroom, including techniques such as ‘angry scribbles’ and ‘containment folding’. Participants will get to try out these artmaking techniques during this workshop and leave with a resource on how to implement this in their own classroom.
This session looks at the messy reality of elementary classroom management and shares real, field-tested strategies to quietly lower defenses, protect student dignity, and turn your classroom into a safe haven where students want to listen. We will walk through an outline that shows you how to project a calm baseline when a class goes chaotic, how to hit the emergency brake to fix a failing lesson in real time, and how to offer quick, low-stakes compromises that stop work refusal in its tracks. Ultimately, you'll leave with an actionable blueprint to reclaim your peace of mind and bring a predictable calm back to your day. (No fees)
Go beyond the classroom walls and discover how murals can transform school spaces into vibrant, student-centered learning environments. This session will share real-world experiences and practical strategies for creating impactful school murals, advocating for compensation for mural projects completed outside of contract time, and involving students in meaningful collaborative artwork. Learn how murals can strengthen school culture, celebrate community, and leave a lasting visual legacy that enriches the educational experience for all.
Ever wanted to have your students create a collaborative quilt? Come learn with someone who has taught it twice- with both hand sewing and machine sewing! Participants will learn hand sewing methods, access resources for machine sewing, receive a lesson plan, and create their own quilt block. Participants are encouraged to bring their own fabric scraps but many will also be provided.
Join a pre-service and mentor teacher team for an inspiring, hands-on fiber arts experience celebrating identity, culture, and belonging through needle felting and quilting! Through photos and stories, we will share a 5th-grade legacy project in which students representing 19 cultures and multiple languages created a companion tree quilt, each adding needle-felted personal symbols to leaves surrounding a central tree. Participants will create and sew their own personal symbol into a quilt square to take home and contribute to a shared group photomontage. Together, we will make our mark through fiber arts - we look forward to creating and connecting with you!
The Unexpected Community Built Through Yarn” explores how a small after-school crochet group for teachers unexpectedly became a space for creativity, connection, and restorative community. Participants will learn how fiber arts can foster belonging, mindfulness, patience, and cross-generational learning. The workshop will include a short presentation, group discussion, beginner crochet demonstration, and collaborative hands-on making experience. $10 per person to purchase hook and yarn
