Haringkids.com: Keith Haring Art Lessons for Kids
(www.haringkids.com/lesson_plans/)
All grades, with parental supervision
This website, sponsored by the Keith Haring Foundation, is a tribute to the artist Keith Haring, whose bold, vibrant work appeals to kids of all ages. Haring loved children, and through this website the foundation continues to inspire and encourage the artist in everyone.
The site contains a wide array of Haring-inspired, free art lesson plans using different art mediums including crayons, paint, clay, photography, and much more. The lessons were submitted by teachers and students worldwide.
When you get to the site you’ll see an introduction to the lesson plans. Use the horizontal menu (in black) at the top of the page to search by age/grade range that includes:
- Early Childhood – One of the lessons is called “Colorful Dogs” and teaches students how to identify basic shapes and colors while assembling paper dogs.
- Elementary 1 – Use these lessons to make holiday ornaments or paint a mural.
- Elementary 2 – Learn to use oil pastels while creating spontaneous art similar to the subway paintings done by Keith Haring in New York.
- Elementary 3 – Try your hand at “Drawing with Wire” and discover how to use mixed media such as wire, paper, and markers to create silhouette drawings.
- Middle School – Haring’s artwork contains social commentary. One of his most famous murals was called “Crack is Wack.” This section contains an explanation of the meaning of it, and instructions for creating a Haring-inspired mural. You’ll find other lessons as well.
- Above 14 – This section for older students also explores the messages in Haring’s work while providing lesson ideas for learning how to make clay portraits, animations, and mobiles.
I’ve focused on the HaringKids Lesson Plans for this review. There are many more interesting things to explore at the website. Parents, as always, should preview the content to determine suitability for their own children.
