Unique to LASD, Los Altos Art Docents teach every elementary school student to explore Art through appreciation and participation. TK-6th grade students have even more art opportunities than ever before — drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, sculpture, multimedia, digital media, and more. Art helps children strengthen creative problem-solving skills, develop respect and understanding of other cultures, and learn how to communicate ideas. 

"Art education in the LASD elementary schools is exceptional in quality, range, and care."  — Mira Sharma, mother of twin third graders at Loyola

Overview of the Art Docent Program 

Art Docents are back in the classroom teaching students in person again this year. Art lessons tie into the curriculum and are continually updated to match current standards, teaching methods, and learning styles.   

For each grade level, students explore a variety of media:

• Transitional Kindergarten: color mixing, clay texture, and abstract art.
• Kindergarten: clay pots, drawing shape-based animals, symmetrical cut paper, and watercolor sea life.
• 1st grade: clay fish, drawing families with shapes, paper flower layering, portrait printmaking, and watercolor fantasy animals. 
• 2nd grade: watercolor gardens, games then and now, clay building tiles and penguins, cut-paper collage, and reflections.
• 3rd grade: 3-D clay wickiups, finding balance in sculptures, painting tints, and shades, observational nature drawing, positive and negative space, colorful printmaking, and watercolor seascapes. 

• 4th grade: Asian brush painting, painting with light and shadow, architectural collage, clay bear and quail sculptures, mixed media collage, drawing humans in proportion, and watercolor shells.
• 5th grade: self-expression collage, clay masks, oil pastel landscapes, drawing heads and faces and one-point perspective, photography, radial printing, and watercolor trees.
• 6th grade: clay heads, cut paper masks with layering and overlapping techniques, the illusion of three-dimensional space with two-point perspective, still life paintings, and relief printing.

7th grade & 8th grade students can continue to pursue their interests by taking LAEF-funded art electives in junior high.

Video Lessons 

Metal Art, Roller Coaster Art, Gratitude Tags

Short videos about specific artists, styles, or cultures are provided each month along with a project that teachers can do with their students to create their own work of art.

“My first graders LOVED the Roller Coaster lesson!” - 1st-grade teacher 

Digital Design       

6th graders also have the opportunity to explore digital design and vector graphics using Scratch in the Digital Portrait video lesson developed by Art Docents in collaboration with the computer science teachers. 

Donations to LAEF help make Art a reality in our schools by funding the Los Altos Art Docent Program.
Thank you to all who've contributed this school year!

Spring Art Shows

The Art Docent Program’s biennial Art Shows are back on campus this year. 

Springer:  April 7, 5:30-7:30 pm at the Open House 
Gardner Bullis: May 24, 2:30-5:00 pm
Oak:  May 26, 5:30-7:30 pm at the Open House
Santa Rita:  May 26, 5:30-7:30 pm at the Open House

Learn More and Get Involved

Check out this video overview of the Los Altos Art Docent Program.

To learn more about the Art Docent Program and how you can get involved, come to their Volunteer Open House.
Thursday, May 12, 2022, from 9:00 - 10:30 am
iLearn Studio at the District Office
201 Covington Road, Los Altos
(650) 947-1195

A Strong Team

Let’s thank our Art Docents for bringing Art education to every LASD student!

Find out what's happening in other LAEF funded programs this school year.