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Writer's pictureSarah Buckner
Oct 9, 20182 min read

Sand Mandalas

Updated: Dec 8, 2018

Last week was my second time teaching. And this time, I remembered the pictures.




Lesson Connections and Applications

For these lessons, I am focusing on projects that can help teach students about different cultures and ways of thinking. This first week the focus was on Sand Mandalas and Tibetan Buddhism.


This lesson was really fun (but also kind of hard) to create because there are so many ideas that I could talk about in this lesson. It was important that I teach the kids about a new culture, Tibet, and religion, Buddhism. It seems to me like Eastern traditions and cultures aren't emphasized as much as Western ones. So I try to introduce them when I can. Particularly Buddhism, because it is the 4th largest religion in the world.



This lesson was also a chance to discuss what art is and why it is made. Sand mandalas are swept away once they are completed, which goes against more traditional understandings of art. Sand mandalas expose students to art as meditation and art as an action or process.


My favorite part of this lesson is that it lets the kids go outside and run wild, while still doing something productive.



Besides those, there are many other ideas to tie into this lesson, depending on the student’s grade level, including radial symmetry, living and non-living matter, natural processes like wind and rain, the damage of littering, how to cooperate and communicate, etc.


Teaching the Lesson

The kids were definitely surprised when I told them that monks spend days making beautiful art but then they just sweep it away when done. But they picked up on it really quickly. We had a great discussion about art.


They loved going outside and making the mandalas. They did a great job!




Writer's pictureSarah Buckner
Oct 9, 20182 min read

Arts Bridge- Lesson 1

I had my first opportunity to teach a couple of weeks ago, and I had so much fun. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take pictures of the students.


One of the reasons that I decided to become an art teacher was because I saw that many people have misconceptions that lead them to think that they can’t make art or be an artist. I want to help correct those ideas and empower my students so that they know that they can make art. I also want to show my students making art can help them develop skills that are useful in other areas in life. I created this lesson with those two goals in mind.


The lesson is called “What is an artist?” It has three parts. First, we read The Dot by Peter Reynolds and we talk about all of the great things that Vashiti (the main character) does to become an artist, such as perseverance and experimentation. I wasn’t sure how much I would have to help the kids to find answers, but they did really well! They picked up on a lot of the same ideas that I saw. This list is a great way to begin tying together art skills and more general life skills.


The second part is meant to help the kids practice being good artists. We did 4 drawing exercises. For each exercise, I gave them a picture to draw but with a time limit and a random restriction. One time, they could draw with only their non-dominant hand. Another time, they couldn’t look down at their paper while they were drawing.

The kids had a lot of fun. The drawing prompts really helped them loosen up and experiment with different ideas.


In the last part, they were given a sheet of paper that a different classmate had drawn lines on. The challenge was to turn those lines into a complete picture. All of the kids did amazing.


When we with the second and third parts, the students were given an opportunity to look at each others work. I always try to do this in the first few lessons. Most importantly, it is a chance to teach students the important skill of talking about other student's work kindly and respectfully. It also allows students to support and encourage their peers, and to get inspiration for themselves. Mrs. Brotherson said that this was the part that she liked the most.



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