Editor's note.

Editor's note. With the great lesson ideas inside this issue, Young Artist LucyManning's musicians--on our cover--could be playing "Grab aBrush and Paint the Town!" After all, painting is the theme thismonth and we have some fantastic projects to share. The fabulouslysuccessful and incredibly colonel lesson plans we've assembled comecourtesy of amazing a��maze?v. a��mazed, a��maz��ing, a��maz��esv.tr.1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise.2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex.v.intr. art educators front such far-flung places as Ottawa,Canada and League City, Texas--all the way to Crolles, France. With a bit of tweaking, many of this issue's lesson plans canbe applied to all grade levels. Yes, these projects have been writtenwith a particular grade in mind, but they certainly aren't limitedto that level. One such project is "Eeek! Insects Jumping From theCanvas" (page 28), where magic happens and students feel like"real artists" as they paint on canvas--most for the veryfirst time. Next, the vibrant watercolor project, "Psychedelic psychedelic/psy��che��del��ic/ (si?ki-del��ik)1. pertaining to or characterized by hallucinations, distortions of perception and awareness, and sometimes psychotic-like behavior.2. a drug that produces such effects. Sunflowers" (page 46), challenges students to learn and applyseveral painting techniques in a modern spin on the classic subjectVincent loved so much. And, "Gotcha (jargon, programming) gotcha - A misfeature of a system, especially a programming language or environment, that tends to breed bugs or mistakes because it both enticingly easy to invoke and completely unexpected and/or unreasonable in its outcome. Covered! FunctionalMini-Masterpieces" (page 50) describes how young artists can makeoriginal paintings on out-of-the-ordinary canvases: switch plates! Appropriate for but not limited to high school are "FriendlyRivals" (page 40) and "Making the Ordinary Special" (page44). In the former, students are asked to create art that reflects thepurpose of a school event: world peace. Indeed, by juxtaposingadversarial characters, these young artists create an aura of peaceamong rivals. (If only we all could get along so well.) And, in thelatter, art students are asked to "glorify" things taken forgranted Adj. 1. taken for granted - evident without proof or argument; "an axiomatic truth"; "we hold these truths to be self-evident"axiomatic, self-evidentobvious - easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind; "obvious errors" , turning them into viable subject matter for their paintings. And, among the other ideas presented in this issue, readers seekinga multi-grade elementary project appropriate for Earth Day (April 21)should find "Earth's Careful Gardeners: Uncovering, Connectingand Creating Meaning" (page 48) of interest. There's a wealth of inspiration this month, in the form ofstunning reproductions of great works of art. Not only do we featureWinslow Homer's "Shooting the Rapids" (page 34), but alsosix Impressionistic im��pres��sion��is��tic?adj.1. Of, relating to, or practicing impressionism.2. Of, relating to, or predicated on impression as opposed to reason or fact: impressionistic memories of early childhood. paintings--by Renoir, Degas DegasTo release and vent gases. New building materials often give off gases and odors and the air should be well circulated to remove them.Mentioned in: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity , Pissarro, Monet,Morisot and Manet--in "Learning from Exhibitions" (page 24)."Teaching Art with Art: The Invisible Power of Wind" (page 37)features three remarkable works and "Art Across the Curriculum:Modernist in Mexico" (page 30) provides a print of MarsdenHartley's "Earth Warming, Mexico." These reproductionswill help inspire you to new levels of teaching and your students to newlevels of art-making. These and other ideas presented this month are meant to inspire youand your students to "Grab a Brush and Paint the Town!" As inevery issue of Arts & Activities, our contributors have tested theseprojects in their own art rooms and are thrilled to share them with you. Maryellen Bridge, Editor in Chief