Arts, Music & DIY
Try a new hobby or practice your craft with these creative art and music projects and lessons.
Resources for Grades 6–8

Website/App
grades 6–12
Canva
Create cool images and designs in minutes with this easy-to-use tool.

Worksheet
grades 4–6
Money-Making Movies
Use facts about these popular holiday movies to practice some math skills and graph your results.

Video
grades 6–12
A Tribute to Free Speech
Explore these art installations made from books that have been banned globally throughout various stages of history. Research the relationship between censorship and democracy.

Article/Ebook
grades 3–6
Telling Stories Without Words
Take a closer look at what it's like to be a photojournalist, and read what one photojournalist has to say about her job.

Video
grades 3–7
Sally Ride, American Astronaut
Learn about Sally Ride and her incredible journey to become the first American woman astronaut to fly in space.
Video
grades 4–8
5 Women Artists' Stories
Learn about Sonia Boyce, Barbara Hepworth, Yayoi Kusama, Georgia O’Keefe, and Dayanita Singh, five women artists who have changed the art world.
Video
grades 6–12
Shantell Martin: Follow the Pen
Take a glimpse at Shantell Martin's stream-of-consciousness drawings. With a marker, use words and lines to make your own creative expression.

Video
grades 7–12
Sissieretta Jones: The Sweetest Songs
Learn about the talented opera singer Sissieretta Jones, the first African American woman to headline at Carnegie Hall. Warning: Contains graphic content.

Video
grades 7–12
Trailblazing Sculptor Meta Warrick Fuller
Watch this video to learn why artist Meta Warrick Fuller was nicknamed "the sculptor of horrors" for her dark, expressive creations.

Website/App
grades 6–12
A Cultural Journey Across America
Choose an artist or area to explore and discover the rich diversity of cultures and folk traditions across the United States.

Video
grades 3–12
The Future Forest Is Made of Plastic!
Visit this inspiring garden made of plastic waste. How can you use old toys or plastics from the recycling bin to make your own sculpture garden?
Video
grades 3–12
Flip-Flop Sculptures
Watch how Ocean Sole is cleaning up the ocean by taking washed-up flip-flops and transforming them into beautiful sculptures.

Activity
grades 3–8
DIY Comic Book
Dream of writing your own graphic novel or zine to share with friends? Learn how to start with a single sheet of paper. Then start creating!

Activity
grades 6–12
Design It Yourself: Mini-Exhibit
Click through the introductory slides, and then design your own mini-exhibit using objects found in your home.

Activity
grades 6–12
Fun Fall Note Cards
Go through this multistep process to create a fun—but sophisticated—piece of fall-inspired art that you can keep or share as a note card.

Activity
grades K–6
Make Two Cool Collages
Grab some art supplies, then follow along with this video that'll help you create two types of collages.

Activity
grades 7–12
18 Story Sparks to Get You Writing
Create your own short story inspired by photographs and illustrations.

Activity
grades K–6
Create a Cutout Figure
Create along with this video that'll show you how to create a cutout, draw, and color a portrait of someone you know.
Activity
grades 6–12
Your Dream Vacation
Where would you go? Why? Research the details of a city or town and then create a travel brochure!

Activity
grades 3–6
Awesome Decoration
Gather some simple crafting materials, and then go step by step to make a piñata-shaped ornament.
Activity
grades 6–12
Visual Essay
Go out (or stay in) and take photos -- or make drawings -- of your world that you'd like to share with someone. Add short reflections to each photo or drawing and email your special person the essay.
Activity
grades 3–6
DIY Putt-Putt
Using items from around your home, create a mini-golf course. Find objects to use as a club and golf ball, and then put it to the test!

Activity
grades 2–6
Master Some Magic
Try out some of these magic tricks to mystify and entertain family and friends.
Activity
Preschool–grade 12
Guess the Animal
How does a penguin walk? A giraffe stand? A puppy behave? Choose an animal to mimic and walk around the room until the answer is guessed.

Article/Ebook
grades 3–6
Telling Stories Without Words
Take a closer look at what it's like to be a photojournalist, and read what one photojournalist has to say about her job.

Article/Ebook
grades 8–12
Video Game Pioneer Jerry Lawson
Read this article about inventor and engineer Jerry Lawson, who developed the first interchangeable, cartridge-based video game system—before Atari and Nintendo!

Article/Ebook
Preschool–grade 12
Best Apps and Websites for Learning Programming and Coding
Through coding, students build essential literacy skills, gain an understanding of logic and sequence, and learn the mechanics of iteration.

Article/Ebook
Preschool–grade 12
Best Arts Education Apps and Websites
Empower your students to move from consumption to creation and to make their voices and perspectives heard.

Article/Ebook
grades K–12
Best Tech-Creation Tools
Find a new tool for students to learn through making as they build meaning, work through problems, and acquire new knowledge and skills.

Article/Ebook
grades 5–6
8 Questions for Jerry Craft
Read about how graphic novelist Jerry Craft discovered comics and why he wrote his Newbery Award-winning book New Kid.

Audio
grades 6–12
99% Invisible
Learn how architecture and design shape our everyday world with the stories and history behind things we rarely think about.

Audio
grades 4–12
Listen to Some Shakespeare
Find a comfy chair, get out your headphones, and listen to a Shakespeare play performed by actors from the Folger Theatre.

Interactive
grades 6–12
Visual Crosswords
Think creatively and conceptually about art with this inventive painting- and picture-based crossword game.

Interactive
grades 6–8
World's Zaniest Buildings
Take a virtual tour of some of the world's most unconventional buildings. Then, using materials from home (or just pen and paper), try designing your own.

Interactive
grades 6–12
Virtual Van Gogh
Take a virtual walk-through tour of this Amsterdam monument to Van Gogh's work. Then, browse over 150 high-res images of his most important works.

Interactive
grades 3–8
Visit the Vatican
Wander the richly decorated halls of this unique holy city-state—completely free of crowds!

Interactive
Preschool–grade 12
Art Coloring Book
Reimagine and re-color famous paintings with the click of a mouse.

Interactive
grades 3–8
Family Fun: Music and Dance
Explore this vast and vibrant collection of virtual tours all about how music and dance shape our world.

Interactive
grades 6–12
Scream Trivia
Ever wonder about Edvard Munch's famous expressionist painting? This short interactive answers the awesome questions you didn't even know you had.

Interactive
grades 3–8
Museum Magic
Explore the exhibit "Harry Potter: A History of Magic" from the British Library. Look for everything from real "magical" artifacts to J.K. Rowling's original sketches.

Interactive
grades 1–6
Meet the Met
Get ready to explore over 5,000 years of art from across the globe.

Interactive
grades 6–12
Step into Shakespeare
Watch modern interpretations of classic plays and dive into the Bard's lasting legacy with this virtual exhibit on performing Shakespeare.

Interactive
grades 6–12
Explore Threatened Landmarks
Tour gorgeous cultural and historical sites being threatened by climate change in this virtual exhibit. Learn about ways architects are working to preserve them.

Interactive
grades 6–12
Nature as Art
Discover the beauty of the wild with this virtual exhibit on natural history. Get up-close looks at sea creatures, dangerous wildlife, and dinosaur bones.

Lesson
grades 6–12
The Shape of Stories
Explore this exhibition focused on quilt-maker and artist Rosie Lee Tompkins, whose "put-togethers," as she puts it, experiment with color, shape, and texture.

Lesson
grades 5–8
Drawing to Music
Learn about synesthesia and how it influences musicians and artists. Then put some music on, get inspired, and draw.

Lesson
grades 1–6
A Truly Creative Curriculum
Move and create along with these high-energy video lessons that are sure to tap into your inner artist, writer, and performer.

Lesson
Preschool–grade 12
Hour of Code
Try these engaging, one-hour introductory computer science tutorials, appropriate for all ages. There are hundreds of activities and tutorials in over 45 languages.

Lesson
grades 3–12
Quick Coding Course
Learn the fundamentals of computer science with drag-and-drop blocks. Create your own drawings and games.

Lesson
grades 6–12
Design a Distortion Pedal
Discover the history of the distortion pedal, a little box that changed rock music. Then learn about what distortion is and design your own pedal.

Lesson
grades 6–12
The Great Depression, Ken Burns in the Classroom
Examine this gallery of photos taken during the Great Depression. Use the Photo Analysis Worksheet to guide your thinking.

Lesson
grades 8–12
Meme Maker Tutorial
Play through Vidcode's super-simple but fun tutorial that focuses on creating custom social media-style filters.

Lesson
grades 6–12
Imagineering in a Box
Perfect for Disney lovers, this incredible course covers the renowned Disney Imagineering method for storytelling and gets kids designing their own theme park attractions.

Lesson
grades 6–12
Letters, Undelivered
Write a letter to someone important that you'll never actually send. Afterward, reflect on the experience.

Video
grades 6–12
A Tribute to Free Speech
Explore these art installations made from books that have been banned globally throughout various stages of history. Research the relationship between censorship and democracy.

Video
grades 3–7
Sally Ride, American Astronaut
Learn about Sally Ride and her incredible journey to become the first American woman astronaut to fly in space.
Video
grades 4–8
5 Women Artists' Stories
Learn about Sonia Boyce, Barbara Hepworth, Yayoi Kusama, Georgia O’Keefe, and Dayanita Singh, five women artists who have changed the art world.
Video
grades 6–12
Shantell Martin: Follow the Pen
Take a glimpse at Shantell Martin's stream-of-consciousness drawings. With a marker, use words and lines to make your own creative expression.

Video
grades 7–12
Sissieretta Jones: The Sweetest Songs
Learn about the talented opera singer Sissieretta Jones, the first African American woman to headline at Carnegie Hall. Warning: Contains graphic content.

Video
grades 7–12
Trailblazing Sculptor Meta Warrick Fuller
Watch this video to learn why artist Meta Warrick Fuller was nicknamed "the sculptor of horrors" for her dark, expressive creations.

Video
grades 3–12
The Future Forest Is Made of Plastic!
Visit this inspiring garden made of plastic waste. How can you use old toys or plastics from the recycling bin to make your own sculpture garden?
Video
grades 3–12
Flip-Flop Sculptures
Watch how Ocean Sole is cleaning up the ocean by taking washed-up flip-flops and transforming them into beautiful sculptures.
Video
grades 6–12
Dance as Protest
Be moved by the 400-year-old history of bomba, a style of music and dance created by enslaved people that resisted colonial culture.
Video
grades 6–12
The Obliteration Room
Watch as Tate Gallery visitors take part in Yayoi Kusama's interactive art exhibit. Visitors transform the white room by covering it with dot stickers in different colors.

Video
grades 3–12
Jazz: The Mother of Hip-Hop
Sit down with jazz musician Robert Glasper, as he shows the jazz origins of famous hip-hop samples and tracks.

Video
grades 3–12
A New Republic
Discover how artist Kehinde WIley redefines traditional portraits with his paintings of Black men and women. What do his paintings communicate? What questions do they raise?

Website/App
grades 6–12
Canva
Create cool images and designs in minutes with this easy-to-use tool.

Website/App
grades 6–12
A Cultural Journey Across America
Choose an artist or area to explore and discover the rich diversity of cultures and folk traditions across the United States.

Website/App
grades 6–12
Google Arts and Culture
Get free access to art collections and virtual field trips from around the world with 360-degree image tours of museums, famous sites, landmarks, and more.

Website/App
grades 1–8
Scratch
Website teaches kids to program while they create games and animations. Lessons available in over 40 languages.

Website/App
grades 3–12
GarageBand
Turn your iOS device into a powerful multitrack recording studio complete with awesome loops, impressive editing and production features, and more.

Website/App
grades 6–12
Autodesk Design Academy
Teach and learn digital design with clear and well-thought-out tutorials for teachers and students, plus high-quality digital materials.

Website/App
grades 7–12
Anchor
Record and publish your own podcast, then share it with the world.

Website/App
Preschool–grade 12
Code.org
Learn computer science from home with lessons for all grades and abilities, from pre-readers to AP-level programming students.

Website/App
grades 1–6
MetKids
Get ready to explore over 5,000 years of art from across the globe with this whimsical, kid-friendly intro to the wide world of art.

Website/App
grades 6–12
The Kennedy Center Classroom Resources
Browse hundreds of free, high-quality digital learning resources to incorporate the arts into any classroom.

Website/App
Preschool–grade 12
Asian Art Museum
Take an in-depth look at Asia's influence on art and history with inventive lessons, activities, videos, and images.

Worksheet
grades 4–6
Money-Making Movies
Use facts about these popular holiday movies to practice some math skills and graph your results.

Worksheet
grades 3–8
Recipe Zine
With a little folding and loads of creativity, use this template to make a recipe for yourself, a family member or friend, or anything!

Worksheet
grades 4–6
Ancient Art
Color the Incan textile pattern and then try to create your own version. What patterns do you see? What shapes will you include?

Worksheet
Preschool–grade 8
Daily Art Challenges
Print or save these calendars and use them as inspiration for daily creative activities. They're open-ended and don't require any specific supplies.