Art Teacher Guide Offers Ten Strategies for Keeping Painting Classrooms Clean
A guide published by The Art of Education outlines ten techniques for art educators to handle paint-related messes in school studios, categorized by countertops, tables, and sinks. For countertops, it suggests organizing paint bottles in color-coded tubs, offering individual brush tubes, and implementing a color-coding system for brushes. Regarding tables, it recommends laminating mats for easy cleaning, utilizing partially used paper towel rolls, lining palettes with aluminum foil, and encouraging students to reuse paper towels. For sinks, the guide proposes filtering contents from water cups, gathering used towels, and sorting watercolor, India ink, and oil paint separately from acrylics and tempera. The article highlights the importance of cleanup systems to enhance studio efficiency and invites teachers to contribute their strategies in The Art of Ed Community.
Key facts
- The guide is organized around three cleanup zones: countertops, tables, and sinks
- Laminated 24×36 inch cardstock serves as reusable "messy mats" for tables
- Coffee filters over buckets catch large paint blobs before water goes down drains
- Acrylic and tempera can share palettes and brushes, but watercolor, India ink, and oil paint need separate supplies
- Color-coded brushes let teachers request a "red brush" instead of a "one-inch flat brush"
- Partially used paper towel rolls can be requested from custodial staff for each table
- Foil sheets and plastic wrap let students line palettes and discard them after use
- The article invites teachers to discuss paint strategies in The Art of Ed Community
Entities
Institutions
- The Art of Education
- The Art of Ed Community