Inexpensive Headboards For Kids & Teens

I recently blogged about inexpensive kids/teen headboards here (all of them under $150).  This post is about headboards in the $200 - $299 range. I still think it's reasonable to purchase a headboard in the $200 range. The great thing about headboards is you can mount them to the wall like hanging a painting. Place the bed frame/mattress in front of headboard and there is no need for a foot board.

Loving this pink tufted headboard.  Here's a post about DIY headboards.



More headboard ideas...

               

 Nail Button Arc Headboard in Premier Full/Queen

 Tufted High Arch Headboard in Velvet Teal Size: Full/Queen

 Full Size Sports Upholstered Headboard 

 

 Kid Youth Soccer Twin Size Headboard w/Speaker 

                                                  

        Tufted  Headboard in Black Full/Queen       Slipcover Headboard in Gerber Surf Size: Full







                                                        

         Queen Tufted Headboard, White Twill                        Kids Fur Queen Headboard (Purple)  



                                                 

  Tufted High Arch Parchment Size: Full/Queen     Luxe Upholstered Headboard Panels (Set of 8)



                                

More art lesson plan ideas

I am always on the lookout for inspiration regarding lesson plans. Let's be real: sometimes I just straight up "jack" the idea and maybe tweak a few things here and there and make it my own. I guess jack wouldn't be a good term considering that when people are posting their ideas online, they have an understanding that other people will take and use their ideas.

There are some ideas that I wish I would have thought of, I will say that much.

That said, if you know of any amazing sites with really cool ideas, please link them in the comments so I can check them out. There are just some days when I can't bear to teach another Van Gogh Starry Night project, or cut another Henri Matisse collage without wanting to tear my hair out.

Whew.

And, scene.

The Gustav Klimt-inspired artwork above was created by a fifth grader.

Papier mache sculpture--giant cell phone

One of my students did an oral report on Claes Oldenburg, and part of his presentation was this large-scale sculpture of a cell phone.

It wasn't something we did in class, but it was so cool and amazing I thought I should share it with my readers!

They used the simple papier mache instructions from our last project and applied them to this creation, an old school cell phone. I wish I could show you how large the phone actually is--all of my students couldn't keep their hands off of it. This would be a really fun rainy day project to start with your kids. All you'd need is a hair dryer to make the papier mache dry faster, but the possibilities are endless.

If anyone ever creates something amazing and fabulous from the lesson plans on this blog, please feel free to share them with me. I'd love to see how you let your creativity flow!

The artwork above was created by a third grader.

Claes Oldenburg: Large Papier Mache Sculpture

Claes Oldenburg is the perfect artist to share with children. Who wouldn't love his giant ice cream cone leaning precariously over the edge of a building? Or his monumental swiss army knife? And what about his huge floor cake made out of soft fabrics?

My students loved it all! Drawing inspiration from Mr. Oldenburg himself, as well as a lesson from Art Projects for Kids, respectively, I thought we would create our own giant letters from papier mache. It was most definitely an ambitious project, especially when your class is only one hour long and you don't have a sink in your classroom.

But anyhoo, we overcame our obstacles and completed this papier mache project in four class sessions. The classroom was loud, a little chaotic and messy. This is definitely the day when you will need to find several mom helpers to assist you because you will need as many hands as an octopus to ensure you finish each step when you should.

Since you can easily find step by step instructions for papier mache here and here, I won't reinvent the wheel but I will share how I broke down this project into manageable stages.

• Collect as much cardboard, newspaper, computer paper and masking tape as you can haul with you.
• Day #1: This class should be dedicated to drawing, tracing and cutting out your letter from cardboard using scissors. Use your letter as a stencil and create a second letter. Cut it out. We decided to go with a bigger sized letter (around 11 X14 inches) so it could stand up to the papier mache process.
  
• Start constructing letters using styrofoam cups and masking tape. Wrap in computer paper and tape it with masking tape in preparation for papier mache.
• Day #2: Time to papier mache. Make sure your student takes special care to get into all the bends and folds of their letter. It will look neater in the end.
• Let dry.
  
• Day #3: Paint one coat of white primer paint or spray paint them with a white primer color.
• Let dry.
• Begin to add color by painting your letter. Base colors first, to ensure even coverage. Smart Craft paint is inexpensive craft paint that comes in a huge variety of colors. And it costs .99 cents, so what is there not to love?
  
• Day #4: Finish painting fully constructed letter with acrylic paint.
  
• You can use an old hairdryer to speed the drying process. Once its dry to the touch, you can add patterns, multiple colors, you can design on it with markers, or in the case of my art student, you can splash paint all over it.

The sculpture above was created by a fourth grader.

New artwork, new banner

I decided to make a new banner for Modern Art 4 Kids. You could say I sort of have a prejudice against computer-generated art. Sure, Photoshop and Illustrator and all those programs are fine and dandy and yes, it takes a great deal of skill and talent to create magic with them but....there is something to be said about art that you make with your hands.

I always encourage my children to draw instead of just making something up on the computer. I feel if they cultivate their drawing skills, then it will only add to their technical skill on the computer.

I was working with some paper the other night and so I decided to make my own Modern Art 4 Kids banner out of cut paper--a collage. It was fun. I love that you can still get the tactile sense of the paper cut and glued onto paper. This is what happens when you buy a huge box of scrapbooking squares on clearance at Michael's for $5.99. Yay, me! It's been screaming at me to open it.

The original artwork is fairly small, around 8 X 11. I wanted to make it small enough to fit on my scanner. So, what do you think of it?

Art Workshop: Dissecting a mural

Modern Art 4 Kids recently worked with Today's Urban Renewal Network for their annual Parent's Night Out at Christmastime.

We even got a little mention in our local newspaper, which was really cool.

During this art workshop, we offered two stations: the children could create collages (with glitter pens, which were a huge hit), as well as draw with markers. On the outside patio, Michael offered a paint workshop, which was the second station.

Needless to say, the kids made a beeline for the patio so they could paint with actual spray paint. I have no hard feelings. I don't blame the kids for wanting to experiment with spray paint!

We laid out a large square of canvas material. The children had the opportunity to paint with acrylics and brushes and/or spray paint. This is an activity that requires adequate ventilation as well as face masks. For this particular event, the word "Hope" was drawn on the canvas, so the children could have a starting point. There is nothing more defeating than staring at a blank canvas.

After so many eager hands touched it, the painting took on a life of its own, as all really good art projects tend to do. They added black at the end, to define the shapes and give the piece a finished look. Once the painting was done and it dried, Michael cut it up into large squares. He then stapled each panel onto its own individual frame. Several of the kids who worked on this project from beginning to end were rewarded for their efforts and got to take a painting home. They were extremely proud and happy with their accomplishment.

When you work with middle school aged children and up, you have to be prepared for a certain amount of attitude. Lots of times, they are perfectly happy to bypass whatever it is you have planned to teach them. They would much rather text or talk to their friends. But what I noticed was, the minute some of these kids became invested in their project, their attitude just vanished. They were really into their artwork, they were quiet, at peace, and focused. And that is quite a breakthrough. It also displays the power of art and creative expression in a person's life.

Filling in the canvas with shapes and color.

Painting with aerosol cans is much more challenging than you'd think.

Hope.

Adding the black really defined the shapes.

After the paint dried, Michael cut the canvas into squares. Then they stretched each panel onto its own individual frame. In this pic, they are attaching the canvas to the frame with a staple gun.

The final result. Michael, with several children who participated on this project. They were extremely happy and proud to be a part of this event.

Open House art display

The fall semester at my homeschool co-op is just about over (one more class--wooo hooo!) We've had a great semester thus far. I had a whole new crop of students this time around. I'll admit, not seeing all the little familiar faces that I've grown accustomed to made me a little wistful. But by the end of this semester, I grew to love my entire class. They are an awesome group of little artists. They made my job easy.

Displays are always a challenge because there is always so much stuff. What I decided to do was pare down to the most interesting projects and display those.

Overall, an awesome night and an even more awesome fall semester.

I took the best projects from each lesson we covered. Klimt, O'Keefe, Oldenburg, and Van Gogh were a few of the artists we studied this semester.

My students were also assigned a presentation on their favorite artists. I plan on featuring that really cool cell phone sculpture soon. Also, I totally loved the Bob Ross report. Completely unexpected but so much fun. "Happy little trees..."

My son decided to do his report on Frida Kahlo. Okay, okay, I have to admit I had a little bit of influence on his decision-making, but it turned out really well.

A few of the papier mache letters that took us nearly a month to complete!

Amazing collages, sculptures and drawings.

Brotherly love and fun on open house.

My two sons and budding artists, Sol and Cyan, who took my class this semester.