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art projects for middle school

Make a Mark Studios

My Favorite Middle School Art Projects

After a decade of teaching high school art, I’ve recently moved to teaching middle school art. It’s a blast and there is truly NEVER a dull moment. Through some trial and error, I’ve learned that some projects are more engaging than others. Below are some of my favorite middle school art projects that have yielded engagement and great visual end products! The ideas below use a variety of art media and include a range of 2d and 3d art projects. I hope you enjoy! Feel free to comment below if you’d like to share some of your personal idea for successful middle school art projects.

#1- 3D Shadowbox Collages

Student goal: Use found collage images to create layers of depth inside a 3D foam core shadowbox. Click here for the full lesson of this 3d shadowbox collage project.

#2- Colored Light Self Portraits

Student goal: Use colored pencils on toned paper to draw a self portrait of yourself photographed with a colored light source (we used 3 light sources- red, blue and green bulbs). Click here for more information about this lesson using colored light sources.

A variation with a cropped composition on expressive eyes.

#3- Vortex Drawings

Student goal: Use a media of your choice to draw a vortex that shows depth, rhythm and movement. Click here for a full lesson on how to draw a variety of vortexes.

#4- Alien Point of View Perspective Drawings

Student goal: Use paint stix, oil pastels, or colored pencils to render an exaggerated “alien’s point of view” space drawing. Click here for free lesson a guided worksheet of this fun, alien perspective drawing.

#5- 1/2 Cartoon Face Digital Portraits

Student goal: With a photographed portrait, creatively divide the face in half and use digital drawing methods to stylize one side as a cartoon. Click here for free guided steps on how to do the 1/2 cartoon face portrait.

*This project was inspired by a viral challenge called #cartoonme. Lots of cool inspiration photos online!

#6- Plaster Masks

Student goal: Using plaster strips upon a cardboard armature, create a wearable 3d mask. **In my class, we connected this to Hispanic heritage month and created Sugar Skull and Alebrije masks. We used this free template to create the armature for the mask.

#7- Elements of Art Project

Student goal: Divide one subject into seven sections. In each section, illustrate each of the elements of art using a variety of materials. For more information on this lesson including step by step directions, click here.

#8- Monochromatic Posterized Portrait Paintings

Student goal: Using a portrait of your choice, create a monochromatic, posterized portrait. **We used this method (with the free webpased program Pixlr) to digitally posterize our photo references prior to drawing and painting them on canvas.

#9 Limited Color Scheme Landscapes

Student goal: Using a random color scheme of only 5 colors, create a composition of a landscape that shows a sense of space with foreground, mid ground and background. ** Click here to check out how I randomly assign students their 5 colors and their landscape setting. There is also a free guided video to show students how to begin this project.

#10 Surreal Collage Perspective Rooms

Student goal: Draw a room with accurate 1 point perspective techniques and add color to all sides of the room. Then, creatively incorporate surreal collage images into the room. Click here to check out my FREE guided step by step instructions on how to draw a 1 point perspective room interior.

#11- Open ended art challenges

Student goal: Using a random art challenge prompt (such as the #blendartchallenge) , artists will use a style and medium of their choice to compose a solution.

#12-Monster Dolls (inspired by kid drawings)

Student goal: Using a drawing of a monster from a young child for inspiration, create a hand sewn stuffed animal. Use a variety of materials including felt, cloth, yarn, buttons, and more!

#13- Wire Stocking Sculptures

Student goal: Using a block of wood as your base and a nylon stocking stretched over a manipulated wire hanger, create an interesting 3d form. Use acrylic paint to create a gradient of at least 3 colors.

This is a really popular project, if you are looking for step by step directions a quick google search of ‘wire stocking sculptures’ should get ya there!

#14- Dictionary Page Drawings

Student goal: Given a random dictionary page, find at last one word on the page to illustrate visually. Use a variety of art media to contrast your drawn image with the busy background. ** For more info on this lesson, check out this link here.

#15- Geometric Creatures

Student goal : On a watercolor wash background, draw a silhouette of a creature. Break your creature into polygonal shapes and add color with marker.

#16- Collaborative School Logo “Quilt” Drawings

Student goal: Create a quilted tile section of the school logo. Use a material of your choice and a style of your choice to show your individual personality. **Note, the entire logo is visually connected by the black lines.

#17- Faux Lined Paper Illusion Drawings

Student goal: On a white piece of paper, create a “faux” lined piece of paper with bending blue lines over a shaded pencil drawing. **My students used this awesome website by Julianna Kunstler to aid in our drawings. It was very helpful.

#19 Linoleum block printing

Student goal: Create high contrast prints using a hand carved linoleum block.

#20-Oil Pastel Dragon Eyes

Student goal: Use oil pastels to create a colorful drawing of dragon eye. Imply the texture of the scales through use of blending gradients. **Note- I am definitely not the teacher who created this idea, it’s pretty popular and oh-so-fun! I would love to credit whoever originally got this going, so let me know! My students used t his resource by Art by Ro to help us draw the dragon eyes.

#21- Line Drawing Landscapes-in-a-shape

Student goal: Create a landscape in a shape that shows a sense of depth. Explore a variety of line drawing techniques such as hatching and stippling to add texture and value. **Note, this lesson comes from this post from Cassie Stephens who was inspired by an artist named Jen Aranyi.

#22- ANYTHING op art!

Student goal: Choose from a choice board (I gave them lots of choices!), create an original op art drawing! **If you are interested in a fun op art drawing from Make a Mark Studios, check it out here! 🙂

#23 Art History Reproductions

Student goal: Analyzing the brushstrokes, colors, and composition, recreate a famous artwork. **We created ours on our ceiling tiles as our 8th grade legacy works. C lick here for tips we learned along the way for painting on ceiling tiles.

#24 Non Objective Abstract Art

Student goal: Use sharpie to draw a non objective abstract artwork with a variety of lines and shapes. Using oil pastels, color in the composition fully.

#25 3D Creature Heads

Student goal: Use recyclables to build an armature of a 3d fictional creature head of your own imagination. Use paper mache or plaster strips to finalize your head . For full lesson on how to do this, check out my blog post here—

#26 Glowing Light Bulb Drawing

Student goal: Use colored pencils on black paper to create the illusion of a glowing light bulb. For step by step guided tutorial and video, check out my full post here.

#27 Watercolor Mosaic

Student goal: Create a mosaic using cut tiles from a painted watercolor background. Explore either random polygonal tile shapes or a geometric repeated shape. For full lesson, check out my blog post here.

#28 2 point perspective graffiti wall

Student goal: Create a personalized graffiti tag on an illustrated 2 point perspective brick wall. For a FREE full guided drawing lesson of how to do this, check out my blog post here.

#27 Bauhaus Geometric Shape Paper Collages

Student goal: Create an asymmetrically balanced, geometric Bauhaus-inspired paper collage. For more info on this creative shape challenge, check out my blog post here.

#28 Mixed Media Abstract Art with EMPHASIS

Student goal: Create a mixed media abstract artwork that employs the principle of design EMPHASIS to create a defined focal point. For more info on this lesson, c heck out my blog post here.

#29 Hand Sewn Pop Tart Plushies!!

Student goal: Hand sew a pop art plushie inspired by contemporary felt artist, Lucy Sparrow! Step by step tutorial for how to sew a pop tart can be found here!

#30- Primary color, Pop Art Inspired Onomatopoeia Compositions!

Student goal: Create a composition of an onomatopoeia inspired by the pop artists using techniques such as ben day dots, primary color schemes, bold outlines, and more! Click here for the lesson on how to complete this Pop art project..

#31- Color wheel in an Eye

Student goal: Using only 3 primary colors of paint, create a color of 12 analogous colors in an iris of an eye. Click here for a step by step tutorial of how to create a color wheel in an eye.

Thanks for checking out this blog post! Please  follow Make a Mark Studios on Facebook  to keep up with the latest posts! Thanks in advance!

-Stephanie Villiotis , creator of Make a Mark Studios

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35 Recycled Art Projects for Middle School

July 13, 2022 //  by  Brittney Hallmark

Middle school is a perfect time for adding an additional aspect to art! Bring in outside resources and recycle everyday items to create beautiful works of art.

This list of 35 ideas will help you use plastic bottles, paper towel rolls, paper pieces, and other recycled materials to embrace your middle schoolers’ inner artists to complete many creative projects.

1. Recycled Tins Wind Chimes

This is a great reduce reuse recycle activity. Students will enjoy working with the tins and metal cans, as they are able to repurpose objects to a new artistic level! Recycled items, like cans, lids, and other metal objects make for a fun recycled art materials project!

Learn More: Hands On As We Grow

2. Water Bottle Fish Craft

Recyclable materials, like plastic bottles, are perfect for this colorful fish creation. Middle school students will enjoy this activity because it will truly let their creativity run free. Let them twist and form the plastic to shape into what they prefer.

Learn More: Meaningful Mama

3. Nature Suncatchers

This beautiful suncatcher wind chime is a lovely project to let middle schoolers create. Using natural materials like flowers and recycled jar lids can end in a beautiful project option that middle schoolers will be proud to make!

4. Paper Mache Pots

Paper mache pots will be an engaging project for middle school students. Let them choose the patterns and prints of colored paper scraps for the pots. They will enjoy this recycling project and turning it into adorable pots that will be usable for other projects.

Learn More: Childhood 101

5. Tin Can Creatures

Fun and playful, these tin can creatures can be an entertaining and enjoyable art project for students. Challenge students to use everyday materials and see who can get the most creative!

Learn More: My Very Educated Mother

6. Nature Weaving

This nature weaving craft is a great way to forage natural and organic materials to create their own weaving project. Using nature-friendly materials is a fun way to incorporate science into this art activity. It will be a challenge to have students find different materials and distinguish their own projects from the rest.

Learn More:  Craftiments

7. Bottle Cap Mural

Bottle cap murals are a big hit for this age group! You don’t need any expensive materials for this! Instead, you only need recycled bottle tops from a variety of bottles, like lotion bottles, laundry bottles, and water bottles.

Learn More: Art-Actually

8. Plastic Spoon Dragonfly

This fun reduce reuse recycle activity is a great way to let students take their own creativity to the next level. Recycled spoons and craft items allow for a colorful and crafty end product.

Learn More: Pinterest

9. Water Bottle Bottom Flowers

Using the bottoms of beverage bottles, this cute little flower art activity is easy to make and good to use for allowing students freedom and choice in how they want their bouquet of recycled flowers to look. You could even have a recycling contest to encourage students to bring in what they recycle at home to use in art class.

Learn More: The Spruce Crafts

10. Dragonfly Egg Carton Craft

Another paper mache project, this recycled egg carton project is ideal for sparking creativity! Sixth through eighth-graders will enjoy creating their own versions of the recycled dragonfly. Students can choose colors and the way they construct their own dragonfly!

Learn More: All Free Kids Crafts

11. Spring CD Birds

This original idea is a great way to recycle old CDs! Let students choose the persona of their spring birds. They can add paper, feathers, and eyes, plus accessorize and decorate as they prefer!

12. Mini Lid Banjo

These adorable recycled projects are perfect for middle schoolers because they are a bit more tedious to put together! Let students choose their materials and allow them to use them to create their own banjo!

13. Egg Carton Flowers

Another egg carton project, this flower artwork is beautiful and creative! You can use egg cartons or layers of cardboard to create a 3D look to really make these flowers pop! This would be great to use in spring to add a splash of color to your walls!

14. Milk Jug Bird Feeders

This plastic bottle bird feeder is made from a milk jug and can be fun to create and decorate. You can talk about science topics that will also fit within this project theme. Students can take them home or hang them in trees at school.

Learn More: Great Stems

15. Wooden Sculptures

This wooden sculpture is a beautiful abstract piece of art. It allows for individual creativity but then piecing everything together to make one project of collaboration. This is great for encouraging social interaction among students as well.

Learn More: The Artful Parent

16. Cardboard Sculptures

Creating cardboard sculptures is a fun project as well. Recycle old toilet paper and paper towel rolls and let students decorate them with paint or markers. Let them jumble the pieces in their own ways to create unique and individualized works of art.

Learn More: ArtBar Blog

17. Recycled Colorful Photo Mats 

Creating colorful photo mats is fun and easy. These projects inspire creativity and uniqueness but also remain simple and easy to put together. These will add some pizzazz to any photo frame and let students see the value of recycling paper scraps.

18. Water Bottle Wind Spirals 

Recycling old water bottles can take on many forms. Using them to create these wind spirals is a great way to recycle and still create beautiful works of art. Students can choose the colors and create these outdoor decorations for their yards at home or to add some personality to the trees at school.

Learn More: CBC

19. Recycled Newspaper Ornament

Perfect for Christmas time, these recycled newspaper ornaments make great gifts! Use recycle newspapers, magazines, and other paper to create these adorable ornaments. Encourage students to take ownership of this project and choose different types of ornaments to make.

20. Magazine Strip Silhouette

A fun and engaging art project, this recycled magazine strip silhouette is a great activity for students. They will enjoy choosing their color palette or coordinating paper strips to create their silhouettes. They can choose different animal shapes to create.

Learn More: Nafeuse Magazine

21. Feather Wings Mural 

The feather wings mural is a fun project that all students can enjoy after it is completed! Let students create this mural with a variety of recycled items, color coordinating each section. These make a nice backdrop for student photos.

Learn More: Elementary Art Fun

22. Book Pages Artwork

Recycle old books by using their pages to create different pictures. Choose landscapes or other objects to create with the words from the pages. These make a beautiful picture and allow students the opportunity to create art with a unique medium!

23. Bottle Cap Garden Birds

Recycle different types of bottle caps. Place the bottle caps in an order to create a bird image. Use contrasting colors to add eyes and wings and a beak. Students can be creative in decorating their birds with whatever design and colors they choose.

24. Rolled Paper Garden

A bit more time-consuming but good for a long-term project, this rolled paper garden is a colorful burst of energy in your classroom. Have students recycle many types of paper and even bottle caps or other small items to add dimension to this art project.

Learn More: Art Ideas That Grow

25. Balloon Bowl

Students will really enjoy creating this balloon bowl. Using paper mache techniques, they can craft this bowl made of recycled paper and glue. Use a balloon to help it hold its form and then set it aside to dry and put it to good use!

Learn More: DIY Projects

26. Egg Carton Flower Garlands

Recycled egg cartons can make some adorable garland! Use these colored egg cartons to create flowers. Students can deconstruct egg cartons, color and decorate them, and then strong them together to form their own garlands.

Learn More: Amazing Interior Design

27. Cherry Blossom Branch

This beautiful cherry blossom craft recycles old sticks and paper to form these gorgeous cherry blossom trees. These are perfect for spring and add some cheer and brightness to your room and hallway.

28. Egg Carton Rose Mirror Frame 

Another great way to recycle egg cartons is this beautiful flower craft! These recycled flowers can line a mirror or bulletin board to give it some extra decoration!

29. DIY Paperweights 

Recycle old buttons to create paperweights. Encourage students to recycle old and unique buttons that are interesting and full of character. They could make themed designs or color coordinate them, or decide to make them totally random.

Learn More: Lil Blue Boo

30. Paper Mosaics 

Paper mosaics make beautiful art pieces! Students can use a photo or model picture to craft their work or they can be totally creative and create their own vision. Using a variety of recycled papers cut into small squares, students can form their own pictures.

Learn More: Discover Hub Pages

31. Recycled Fish

This art activity is super simple but full of possibilities for creativity! Students can create fish and make their own ponds, aquariums, and other ways to display a small school of interesting and decorated fish.

Learn More: I Heart Crafty Things

32. Bottle Cap Table Top or Mural

Invite students to try different types of art! Collecting bottle caps and recycling them by creating a tabletop is a big project but one that students can be proud to share with their families and their friends. This project is a large item and will add character and personality to a room.

Learn More: Instructables

33. Recycled Baskets 

Recycled baskets are nice works of art, but they are also useful. Students can decide which shapes and sizes they want to create and how they want to color them. They can actually be quite sturdy and could make nice gifts or additions to your classroom for storage.

Learn More: Momtastic

34. Paper Tube Sculptures

Paper tube sculptures are easy to build and don’t require many supplies. Aside from cardboard tubes and glue, all they need is their creative imagination. Students can even craft challenges for most tubes used, tallest structures, widest structures, and many more.

Learn More: Mrs. Jahnig Blogspot

35. Bottle Cap Self Portrait

When students are ready to advance to a challenge, this self-portrait bottle cap mural is a great option. While it does take a good bit of space, it can result in a beautiful work of art that will help motivate and encourage students to explore their natural artistic talents.

Learn More: Bitrebels

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Middle School Art Project Ideas

As we round the corner to back to school check out middle school art project ideas and how to handle the first days of school. Middle school art is all about building off the basics taught in elementary school and allowing students the space to explore subject matter and styles that interest them. They still need a lot of scaffolding and structure, but you can begin to give them some freedom to express themselves.

I love focusing on projects that teach important techniques while providing enough wiggle room for students to make unique works of art. This can be hard to do, they still need the structure to feel successful but you want to avoid cookie-cutter projects. I often use the elements of art and principles of design as a way to guide my curriculum while still including a wide range of materials and subjects.

Recent Middle School Art Projects

• Clay Bell Project
• 90 Sketchbook Prompts (Shop my TPT , shop my website )
• Tar Paper Painting (Shop my TPT , shop my website )
• Packaging Tape Transfer (Shop my TPT, shop my website )

Middle School Art Project Ideas-First Day of School

The first day of school can be chaotic. There are several administrative tasks that need to be completed, and it can be hard for wiggly middle schoolers to sit still and listen. I like to give them an activity, such as a get-to-know-you handout, to start on while I get everyone settled in their assigned seats. Once everyone is settled I go over the syllabus and we start a quick first-day activity.

The first day is all about keeping things moving and kids engaged. I don’t start longer projects until the second or third day of school. My go-to first-day projects are decorating portfolios (staple two pieces of posterboard together, and decorate with markers) or working on elements of art handouts.

First-Day Checklist

• Assign seats before students arrive.
• Pass out get-to-know-you handouts for students to fill out.
• Pass out and review the course syllabus and class rules.
• Decorate portfolios to use for the duration of the course.

Middle School Art Project Ideas-Popular Resources

Last summer I completed my first full year middle school curriculum. Over the course of the year, students are taught drawing, painting, and sculpting techniques. Each project focuses on an element of art or principles of design. This has become one of my most popular middle school items. Check out that pack as well as my other popular items below.

• Full Year Middle School Art Curriculum (Shop my TP T , shop my w ebsite )
• Zendoodle Activity Pack (Shop my TP T , shop my w ebsite )
• Graphic Design Movie Poster Project (Shop my TPT, shop my website )

Thanks for stopping by, don’t forget to follow me on  Instagram  and  TikTok  for weekly visual journal demos. Until next time!

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Summer Art Projects for Middle Schoolers

Keep older kids busy with these fun summer art projects for middle schoolers .

Whether you have a budding artist in the family or just want to keep your homeschool art lessons going over the break, there are plenty of fun projects to try. 

Summer is the perfect time to let your teens work with a variety of mediums, different materials, and a mix of techniques.

Make it even more fun by turning these activities into entire family art projects and creating something together!

Make art a part of your summer routine with these inspiring summer art activities for middle schoolers. There are a lot of ideas to choose from.

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These months are the perfect time for teens to be creative. They can work on some  summer craft projects  or go deeper with a summer-themed creative endeavor.

From chalk art to tape resist painting, there are plenty of fun projects to try. Just give your teen the freedom to experiment and create something uniquely their own.

While working on these, middle school students can explore different techniques, use a variety of materials, and express themselves.

Creating artwork over summer break can be a fun way for middle schoolers to explore their creative side and foster a lifelong love of art. 

What are the Benefits of Doing Arts Projects Over the Summer Break?

Summer is the perfect time for kids of all ages to explore their creative side and make some artwork. 

It’s a great opportunity to keep learning throughout the break. It promotes independent thinking and self-expression. 

Art can be messy, so being able to work on it outside in the warm weather is nice. Middle schoolers can do bigger and messier projects without having to worry about getting the house, or themselves, dirty.

With extra free time, summer break is the perfect time to introduce kids to art activities they may not have had the chance to explore during the school year. They can be creative without the pressures of lessons or deadlines looming.

It’s also the chance to get them out of their comfort zone while creating a new art project.

Art is a great way to keep older kids busy and engaged during long, hot summer months. It can be an excellent way to add some structure and planned activities to your summer break. 

So instead of taking a break from art during these months, take advantage of this time to let your kids get creative.

This post contains affiliate links .

What Art Projects are Best for Middle Schoolers over Summer Break?

There’s no limit to the artistic creations older kids can do over the summer. From drawing to painting, mixed media and chalk art, there are plenty of creative ideas to keep them busy.

Consider trying out a new medium that you don’t normally have time for during your normal art lessons. Or work on something that tends to be a bit messier since you can work outside.

Have some fun with different summer themes, like beach scenes, sunsets, summer treats, palm trees, and ocean animals.

Let your middle schoolers get creative and let their imaginations run wild. There’s no limit to what they can come up with.

No matter what kind of fun project you choose, make sure that it is age appropriate and that your teen has access to all the basic supplies they need.

Above all else, remember that summer should be enjoyable, so don’t forget to have fun!

Summer Art Supplies

Here are some of the supplies you’ll need to complete the artwork found below. This isn’t an exhaustive list, so make sure you check each project’s supply list.

• Acrylic Paint
• Plaster of Paris
• Watercolor Paint
• Painter’s Tape

More Summer Ideas

Here are some more fun ways to keep your tweens and teens busy during summer break.

• Summer Themed Drawing Challenge
• Summer Science Experiments
• Summer Photo Scavenger Hunt

Ready to get creative? Try out some of these fun art projects and let your middle schoolers explore their artistic side over the summer break.

Who knows, these fun ideas might be the start of a beautiful lifelong passion for art. 

Summer Art Projects

Middle schoolers can take advantage of summer break to explore a variety of simple projects, from drawing and painting to mixed media and chalk art.

These summer-themed art projects are easy peasy, making them perfect for older kids. Especially those who want to work independently.

Beach Themed Chalk Art

Bring the beach to your home with chalk art! Simple and perfect way for tweens to use chalk pastels to draw beach themes.

Summer Mixed Media Workshop

This summer, give your tweens the opportunity to explore their creative side with a mixed media workshop.

With a variety of projects that combine different mediums into one design, tweens will have fun making some unique summer-themed art.

Watercolor Flower Painting

Get your kids excited about watercolor painting with this beautiful watercolor flower. Using a simple wet paint technique, they can create stunning, colorful designs.

Chalk Pastel Sunsets

Try making these stunning chalk pastel sunsets together this summer.

With messy fingers and lots of creativity, your kids will enjoy learning how to draw a beautiful sunset using chalk pastels.

Wayne Thiebaud Inspired Art

Kids use watercolor paints to create these cute Wayne Thiebaud inspired ice cream cones.

Black Glue Watercolor Seashells

This black glue and watercolor seashell art project is so much fun.

Using the unique black paint and glue technique, kids can create stunning ocean-themed art.

Styrofoam Printing

This summer, let your older kids learn some different art techniques, like this one using Styrofoam.

It's an easy painting technique that can be used to create some unique designs.

DIY Marbled Paper

Marbled paper is so beautiful and you can use it for a variety of things.

Use this easy technique to teach your tweens how to create their own colorful marbled paper.

Creating a Fresco

Encourage tweens to use Leonardo DaVinci as their inspiration as they create and paint their own plaster fresco.

This fresco painting includes step-by-step directions, so it's an easy project for older kids to do.

Splatter Paint Art

Kids will have a blast using this splatter paint technique to create these colorful tape resist art pieces. It's a unique way to paint.

Tape Resist Canvas Painting

With some painter's tape and acrylic paint, teens can create a beautiful piece of artwork to hang in their room.

They can use their creativity and the process instructions to make a unique tape resist canvas.

Firework Salt Painting

Summer means fireworks, so have your kids make their own with this salt painting technique. It looks great on black paper.

Who knew painting with salt would be so awesome!

Starfish Texture Art

Learn how to make texture art with kids and create this cute starfish. It's a simple, yet impressive looking paper art.

Bubble Painting

Summer is the perfect time to work on messy art projects like bubble painting.

It's a simple technique, but even your older kids will have a blast creating art out of paint bubbles.

Scrape Painting

This is a fun technique for tweens to work on color mixing and color theory. They'll learn the process of how to mix a few paints to create an incredibly colorful project.

Weaving Paper - Joining Two Paintings

This art project combines a couple of processes - painting and weaving.

After they create two paintings, tweens will cut them into strips and then weave them together to create an entirely new piece of art.

Shadow Art Drawings

Take advantage of the sunny days to create some fun shadow drawings. Tweens can get quite detailed with this creative endeavor.

Yarn Painting

Older kids will use colorful yarn and glue to make artwork with this technique.

It's a simple activity - just swirl and attach yarn to the paper or canvas, but it's impressive when it is finished.

Sharpie & Foil Embossing

This is a simple art project that's loads of fun.

Tweens can use the foil embossing technique and colorful sharpie pens to create some summer-themed designs.

Floating Chalk Prints

Floating chalk printing is an amazing and simple technique that your older kids are going to love.

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‘This is an amazing impact’: The Clark Effect on student interest in school sports

Vernon middle school is thanking clark and the team with a fundraiser for the ui stead family children’s hospital.

MARION, Iowa (KCRG) - Her face is almost everywhere you look... from the court, to billboards and commercials.

Over the last four years, the success of Caitlin Clark and the Iowa women’s basketball team has put a spotlight on the state and women’s sports.

Now, Vernon Middle School in Marion is thanking the team with a fundraiser to benefit the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

“I just thought this is an amazing impact not just on women and men but just Iowa in general,” Jake Fishell, a social studies teacher at Vernon Middle School, said. “I was like, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do this for the hospital.’ Let’s give them a thank you and hopefully it’ll reach the Iowa basketball team.”

Fishell helped organize the fundraiser and said the school has raised over $1,000 so far.

“This last week we’ve had two students come in and give $120 just for a good cause for families that are struggling with cancer of their child,” Fishell said.

He said the grade that raises the most money gets a life-size cutout of Clark in their classroom.

But the effect in the school goes beyond the classroom. Elli Netolicky, a P.E. teacher at the middle school, said she’s seen just how much the Iowa women’s team has grown over the years and the impact its had on students.

“The Caitlin Clark effect is real,” Netolicky said. “We have students now who they are trying to get in the gym more. They want to start lifting weights earlier more than ever before.”

Seventh grader Bristol Beachler said Clark has inspired her own game as a basketball player and track runner.

“She brought interest to a lot of people in the school and her attitude and effort is great,” Beachler said. “I feel like that’s just important to me and her attitude on and off the court just as a person.”

She said she’s even gotten advice from the team — with Hannah Stuelke as her cousin.

Seventh grader Brody Merritt is a part of wrestling, basketball, football and track, and said he’s seen the sport of basketball grow more than he expected.

“Basketball I did not think we [were] gonna have a lot of kids out,” Merritt said. “But I think ever since Caitlin Clark really got in the game, everyone started wanting [to] just try basketball and try new sports and just try to get themselves better.”

Eighth grader Aria Pegump said she comes from a basketball family and that Clark has inspired her to work even harder.

As a fan, she said the difference at games has been night and day.

“When I went to games when I was younger, there was never really anyone there and now they’re sold out every single game,” Pegump said.

Fishell said he and other teachers have even made Clark part of their curriculum — and said the whole team has become role models for these students.

“It’s great to see because all it does is add to the classroom. It’s an easy segue way into whatever you want to do,” Fishell said. “She promotes education. She’s promoting health. She’s promoting the hospital and those in need.”

He said he hopes other schools across Iowa join the fundraiser, which runs through April 8th. Their goal is to raise $4,000.

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