The arts motivate and engage children in learning, stimulate memory and facilitate understanding, enhance symbolic communication, promote relationships, and provide an avenue for building competence. – Young Children and the Arts: Making Creative Connections, The Task Force on Children’s Learning and the Arts, 1998 We are playfully following the journey of very hungry caterpillars as they…
Printmaking
Christmas Potato Prints
Potato Printing is one of the most simple, open-ended and playful printing techniques perfect for little hands. You can make anything from Christmas stockings, wrapping paper or wall hangings with this fun printing activity. Materials Small potatoes and a knife Packing paper and cardboard Tempera paint Tray or paper plate Scissors Tissue paper Glue stick…
Print your own Christmas Stockings
One can never have enough socks. – J.K. Rowling Are you still looking for a meaningful Christmas activity for you and your family? How about making your own stockings? This is easy to set up and leaves more than enough open-ended possibilities to create and experiment with fun printing techniques. Materials: Stockings (or you can sew…
Leaf Imprints and Nature Necklaces
Nature crafts are great to encourage children to go outside and engage their senses. As we go on nature walks we observe the changing seasons and collect little treasures: Colorful leaves, pinecones, rocks – anything with beautiful colors, interesting shapes and patterns. Since the children were especially interested in investigating leaf veins and have been…
Leaf Banners
After observing and talking about the changes outside in nature and reading various books about autumn, the children started to notice how many different leaves there are and wondered more about leaf veins and why leaves fall off the trees. Their thoughts and questions about autumn are constantly present while playing and creating. Through art projects…
Sun Prints
Have you ever tried sun prints? They’re a easy and versatile art activity with young children, both for indoors and outdoors! You could go on nature walks, explore and collect different sizes, shapes and colors of leaves, sticks and flowers; you could portray your shadow, make patterns out of foam shapes or use pretty much…
Mountain Styrofoam Prints
Nature is one of the most underutilized treasures in life. It has the power to unburden hearts and reconnect to that inner place of peace. – Janice Anderson Printmaking is always fun with any age group. As older children grow increasingly critical of their drawing abilities they sometimes get frustrated and often end up reluctant…
Styrofoam Print Valentines
For many children printmaking is one of the most mysterious and magical art techniques. It’s results are often surprising as well as rewarding. One printing techniques that can be mastered easily is styrofoam printing. Smaller children enjoy manipulating the foam and especially seem to like the kinesthetic feedback they are getting from rolling paint with the…
Potato Print Valentines
One of the simplest and most playful, open-ended printmaking techniques is potato printing. A few potatoes will guarantee hours of exploration, encourage play with patterns and layering colors. There is lots of room for variation and you can create little works of art – perfect for a Valentines themed project. Materials Small potatoes and a…