1. The Museum of Natural History Every child will be excited to visit The Museum of Natural History! Upon entering the Museum, even I wanted to head straight for the dinosaurs. As an art teacher, I easily connected everything I saw to various art-making projects. The mammal wing of the museum connects to the first grade non-fiction literacy curriculum. Some of the vocabulary words the students will be able to demonstrate when visiting this exhibit are: mammals, tusk, trunk, bull (male elephant), cow (female elephant) and Asia. Students will also be able to discuss the environment, explain and create the landscape as well as describe the texture of the elephant’s skin. Students can connect to this unit through art by experimenting with line, shape, and color as well as different mediums to create mammals and landscapes. First grade students can also connect to their unit of study on needs and wants. The Tribes of Northern Siberia exhibit demonstrates the needs people have in different climates. Heavy furs can help students to realize what the climate might be in that region. Students can return to the classroom and use recycled material to create items people need to survive. Weaving and sewing can be taught to students in order to connect to this exhibit. When walking through the Asian Masks section, students can engage in a discussion in order to figure out what the masks might have been used for. Upon returning to school, students can create their own masks and write their own story to coordinate with their project. Fourth grade students can connect to the Masks Exhibit through their Native American studies. Through the Blueprints for the Arts teachers help students gain knowledge of the art process through creating art as well as literacy, culture and community and art careers. Patterns and shapes are basic elements of art that can be found throughout the Museum. Children can use a sketchbook to draw the different patterns they see. Students can play Eye Spy Shapes as they walk through the different exhibits. Various skins and furs demonstrate texture, another element of art. In the Dinosaur Wing there was a huge rhinoceros. This rhinoceros was in an outline form, a contour line. This would be the perfect exhibit to teach students not only contour line but positive and negative space. Space and line are two more elements of art. At the Museum of Natural History, the possibilities for students to make connections to their curriculum and art are unlimited. These connections create enthusiastic learners that make teaching so rewarding. 2. The Jewish Museum My first thought was that the Jewish Museum wasn't really an appropriate site for my students since they are mostly Hispanic. That thought quickly changed as I made my way through the galleries of the pristine and beautiful building. There was a collection of Menorahs that any child would be excited to study. The different holidays that are celebrated during the winter can be discussed. Following the discussion, students can create the different objects that represent the various holidays. All of these holidays create an academic reason for children to learn about and connect to history. The next item to catch my eye was a platter created with the technique known as repoussé. This technique is an art process where a design is pressed into the back of a metal sheet. By studying this process, fifth graders will be exposed to their unit of study Ancient Civilizations, which will introduce to them in middle school. How motivating and inspiring is that, to study a sixth grade topic in fifth grade with an amazing art project and technique. When exploring the craftsmanship of the Ancient Civilization of Israeli students will also be exposed to the different jobs of the arts. Beautiful mosaics were on display at the Jewish Museum. Students can create their own mosaics in art class. By incorporating shape, color and pattern, students of all ages will be able to connect to the mosaics on display at the museum. When creating mosaics, students will connect to several elements of art as well as to the Blueprints by creating art, developing literacy through the arts, understanding historical contexts, different cultures and careers in the arts. Older students can create mosaics in a radial pattern and connect to geometry by using a tool such as a compass. Finally, I was able to see the magnificent work of Marc Chagall. Chagall’s work incorporates a great variety of art movements. Students will be able to discover the different influences within Chagall’s work by observation and discussion. This discussion will help students connect to contemporary art that changed the world of art forever. Picasso and Cubism, the bright color palette of Fauvism and the style of Post-Expressionism has influenced the work by Chagall. This is an extraordinary way to excite and introduce students to contemporary art. 3. The Asian Society The Asian Society was a very small