A few years ago, I taught at a wonderful school called Adrienne Clarkson ES in Barhaven, Ontario. I was the teacher in charge of the environment club. Students in grade 2-4 came together and studied endangered animals. Each one chose an animal to focus on. We held an Endangered Animal Fair. Students showcased their research and classes came to see their projects. This was all voluntary. It was fantastic to hear club members discussing why we should save their particular animal.
It was also that year, the students decided to fundraise to help Asian elephants in Thailand. It began with this book Elephants Can Paint too by Katya Arnold. This was our inspiration. Elephants were taught to paint as an alternative to roaming the streets looking for handouts. Elephants were very useful in the logging industry but since Thailand has cleared the majority of their forests, elephants and their handlers have little work to do.
To raise funds, we held a used book sale. Each club member encouraged their classmates to each bring a book to school to donate to the sale. We had hundrends of books. We raised over $500 and as a club, we purchased a painting created by an elephant.
The painting hangs in the school as a reminder of the potential hidden talents of animals and humans. If elephants can be taught to paint "realistically" so can humans. For more information on elephant paintings, check out
Asian Elephant Art & Conservation Project
artwork and here is the ornament. You will need two brass fasteners. Print image as a 5x7. On the back of the image, use a pencil to make strips (1.5-2 cm). Punch holes on the top on bottom of each strip. Then cut the image keeping them in order. Use brass fasteners to hold together. 
I found the coolest website. Its called Fold Play. You upload 4 pictures and the website gives you a print out to make a photo kaleidocycle-an endless moving paper sculpture. Its a little tricky at first. The website provides a slideshow tutorial. I made one using artwork and another with pictures of my family. Put them in a goodie bag or make them for a place setting. The ideas are endless. 
Shakespeare’s Storybook was my first book from this amazing publishing company Barefoot Books. I loved it so much, I was telling my stay- at- home friends to become booksellers. Then, when I relocated to London and found myself unemployed I decided to take the plunge. Barefoot Books complements well with Budding Artists. The books are top quality-beautifully illustrated and the short story collections are fantastic. Shakespeare’s Stories is a collection of 7 folk tales popular during Shakespeare’s time. These are the folktales that inspired him to write his plays. I have read this book to junior students and have had excellent discussions on the themes. You can also purchase this book with accompanying CDs for long car rides.
Alfie’s Long Winter is written by Greg McElvoy. It’s a fantastic book about a leaf named Alfie who is too scared to jump off the tree when autumn comes. It’s a wonderful book to make connections on children’s fears and ways they have conquered their fears. 
One of my most favourite books is called The Dot by Peter Reynolds. It is about a girl who believes she cannot paint. Her art teacher encourages her to sign her name and the process of creativity begins. Its a great story to make the point that if you are frustrated, take a small step and it can lead you to success. Check out this link for classroom ideas. I begin a lesson with this book then the art activity is to create our own dot(s). I discuss Wassily Kandisnky and then we proceed with the art project. I like to use different “canvases” to create art. I have done this lesson using light switches and coloured Sharpies. Light switches are cheap and kids love the uniqueness of designing something useful.
