February 16, 2012  by

Beading, Building, and Messy Fun

For our beading week, we started the 2s classes off with a simple bracelet making activity with large beads and pipe cleaners. The stiffness of the pipe cleaners make it easy for the little ones to practice their hand/eye coordination. Some kids were super into the beading and finished it off by twisting the pipe cleaners into a circle to make a bracelet. Other kids had absolutely no interest in beading and preferred to go straight into painting or gluing instead.
After their beading exploration, each child was given their watercolor paintings from last week to continue their work. With the watercolors dry, the kids could now add to their paintings with markers, glue and fun Valentine collage bits. Some kids decided to use the beads for the collage instead of the bracelets… great idea!

Our hope was that the kids would use glue sticks for their collages so that they could take them home in time for Valentines day. As it turns out, 1 and 2 yr olds would much prefer to to squeeze white or colored glue rather than rub an unfamiliar clear stick onto their paper- imagine that!

For the last part of class, the teachers brought out our super fun floor painting tools and a canvas for some gross motor painting. The toilet plungers made really cool circle prints, but the child-sized broom was probably the hottest commodity.

After each class, we added painters tape to the canvas to preserve some of their work before the next class got to the painting. Once all of the classes have had a chance to add to the 2 canvases, we’ll peel off the tape and see if we can find the contrast between the classes.

While some kids got messy on the floor, the table was full of various tools for more collaborative painting.

The 3s, 4s, and 5s classes worked on an entirely different type of beading project. They began with a block of wood, markers, paper shapes, nails, and mallets to make the base for beaded sculptures. Of course they loved the hammering part!

After drawing on the wood and hammering nails and paper shapes onto their blocks, the kids attached craft wire to the nails (we used Twisteez craft wire, which is super flexible and coated with colorful plastic). Finally the kids threaded the wire with beads before attaching the other end of the wire to another nail on the wood block.

 Some chose to embellish their sculptures with glue, glitter and more collage items.

 We even had a sibling pop in to help her older sister finish her sculpture!

Don’t you love how they turned out?! Once finished, kids can experiment with bending the wire to create all kinds of new sculpture forms.

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May 18, 2011  by

Clay: One Medium, Many Techniques

This week we explored clay in many different ways! Each class focused on a different clay technique, based on the ages of the kids. The youngest 1s class had their first clay experience- mostly poking, pinching, cutting, and getting to know the clay.

The older 1s/early 2s class started off learning about leaf prints. They used a rolling pin to press leaves into the clay to make a print. Later on, I offered them some “treasures” (buttons, rhinestones, and popsicle sticks) to decorate their leaf prints.

The 2s class started off making pinch pots. They shaped the pots by pinching with their thumbs and fingers, then they decorated their pots with buttons, rhinestones, and glitter.

They were so proud of their pinch pots!!

The older 2s/early 3s class worked on building sculptures with toothpicks and wooden skewers. I showed them how to shape the clay into balls and coils while they tinkered with connecting and stabilizing the shapes. We did this same activity a few months ago and it’s so great to see how their composition and ability to construct has evolved.

In the oldest class (3s/4s) we experimented with clay etching. This will be a three week process before the final product is ready to take home. First the children drew a design with a toothpick into a block of clay. Next week they will paint the clay and let it dry. Finally on the last week, they will sand down the top layer, leaving only the deep lines painted. I’ve never tried this before, so I’m super curious to see how it will turn out!

After each class worked on these very different techniques, they were all given new clay for the chance to play around and experiment in their own ways. Learning technique is important, but it’s not worth much if the kids don’t get a chance to mess around afterward and test all that they have learned.

 

And of course water is a very important addition to the clay free-play time!

If you ever are looking for an activity that is guaranteed to keep kids busy for at least an hour, just give them some silky modeling clay, and plenty of water. The sensory experience is addictive!

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March 31, 2011  by

Gluing for Collage and Construction

This week we focused on gluing. We started off using colored glue on wax paper and adding collage materials to the glue. The kids were encouraged to squeeze out as much glue as possible! Once dry, the design can be peeled off the wax paper and hung in the window (but that requires lots of glue). If there’s not enough glue, or the glue is scattered, the whole thing can be hung in a window- The glue and wax paper are transparent, so the light shines through the glue and creates silhouettes of the collage pieces.

For the 1s group, I added more paint to the glue so that it was easier to squeeze.

While some children were busy working at the table, others were learning how to operate a glue gun! (This was just for the 3 and the 4 year olds) I set out a large cardboard box and lots of found materials to glue to the box. Glue guns are such interesting tools because the glue dries instantly. They allow you to build in a way that wouldn’t be possible to do with regular glue.

I first used low temperature glue guns, but they were still a little hot, so I switched to “cold shot” glue guns that are perfect for little ones.

An instant sculpture to take home!

The 1s and 2s classes were given regular glue and paint to use on the collaborative sculpture.

Some of the children worked on painting projects when they were finished gluing. I’m loving our new roll of white paper for painting on the floor!

It was a rainy week, but the sun peeked out occasionally and we managed to get some creative time outside!

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March 22, 2011  by

Different Types of Collage and Action Painting

For the second week of the session, I decided to try a new form of collage with the 2, 3s, and 4s… hammer collage! First, I needed to find hammers that were small enough for toddlers, but still strong enough to drive a nail into foam. I searched three hardware stores and was unsuccessful. As I was leaving the third store, I began to eye the PVC pipe section, wondering if there was any way to use a plastic pipe as a hammer. The owner of the store, who was helping me in my search, saw my curious look and said, “How about this?!” He took a small PVC pipe, another one in the shape of a T, some rubber plugs and an end cap and began to assemble the perfect toddler hammer!
For the base of the collage, I glued together a few foam pieces to make it thick enough for the nail. We began by practicing our hammering skills with golf tees, to make sure everyone could safely drive a nail.

Once I was confident in the children’s hammering skills, I offered them a small cup of nails (with large heads and fairly blunt ends) and an assortment of collage materials. They put the items onto the foam and created a design by hammering them in place.



It was great to see kids helping each other when they had a hard time holding the nail in place.
With a new found love of scissors, many kids decided to cut their own materials for the collage. Then, when one child realized that she couldn’t nail a tube-shaped cardboard to her foam, she asked for tape. This lead the other kids to create tape collages with colored masking tape.

As the children began to finish their collages, I offered them paper and markers for “challenge” drawings, like the ones we painted last week. Just as I had predicted, the markers worked better than the paint to prompt circle drawings.



In the 1s class we worked on collages, but instead of using hammers we used clear contact paper. The children chose their collage items and placed them onto the sticky side of the contact paper.
We had some older siblings join us who were very helpful!

After working on sticky collages, I offered the children large finger paint paper, a plate of paint, rollers and a variety of tools from the shelf.

With most of the 1s class absent last week, I decided to bring back the watery squeeze paints. This time, I put a long absorbent paper on the ground and demonstrated “action painting,” which is what Jackson Pollock was known for. The paint was flying all over, mostly landing on the paper, but also making some pretty puddles on the floor!

When the paint was all squeezed out, the kids found some brushes on the shelf and used them to move the paint around the paper.
The bucket of soapy water offered a fun, easy clean-up!
Our collaborative action painting:
Contact paper collage, hung in the window:

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November 5, 2010  by

Building Sculptures with Wood and Recycled Items

This week the 2s and 3s classes worked on sculpture building with wood scraps and recycled objects. The children started off with a thick poster board base and white glue. On the table were two types of trays- one with wood scraps and another with recycled items such as old toy parts, containers, and CDs. We observed the shapes of the objects and how they can stand up in various ways and stack on top of each other.





Some of the children were not sure about stacking and building with the large items, so I brought out the colored glue and glitter to make it a little more interesting!




The children were very interested in easel painting this week, working alone as well as in pairs.





After moving to the easels and shelf, the kids brought back paint and various items to the table to use with their sculptures.


Towards the end of class, I brought out a new medium for the kids to experiment with… Bioputty. To make the putty, we used Biocolor paints and a Bioputty solution (both are non-toxic children’s art supplies) and mixed them together. We got to see how combining these two special liquids could create a solid.


Here is what the putty looked like in it’s gooey stage. It is a very sensory-based medium to work with, but can definitely get a little messy!
In the 3s class, rather than work with the putty, the kids experimented with body painting! They started off painting their nose, then moved on to painting their feet to make footprints.


Washing up in a tub of warm water on a chilly day!

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July 11, 2010  by

Our School

Last week, Liam (from the older group) brought a large piece of cardboard to class. I asked him what we should do with it, and he said we could cut it and make things out of it. We didn’t end up using it that day with our clay work, so I decided to bring it out this week to see what we could do. I also happened to have a few more large boxes lying around, so I created a simple (doorway-like) structure as a starting point for the kids.
Here, Karuna checks out the structure before the others arrive. I propped up more cardboard against the easel for additional construction and placed ribbon, yarn, tape, and recycled materials on the table.
When the kids arrived they immediately began adding more panels to the structure, as they discussed what they were building. They eventually agreed that it would be a school. I asked them if they wanted me to use my box cutter to make windows and they showed me where they should go.
They decided that the school needed things in it, so they began to bring materials from the shelf into the structure. When it got crowded with baskets and containers, they moved to the table to make decorations for the walls.


Anna found some cardboard rolls and decided to make binoculars. She wanted them to go in the window, so I helped her figure out how to hang them with yarn.

The spray bottles have been in high demand lately!

When the next group of kids arrived, they began to explore the school.
After a little bit of exploration, I offered them paint to help decorate the school.


To expand on our clay leaf printing from last week, I showed them how to make a similar leaf print with paint. The kids then experimented with this technique in their decorations for the school.


For the third class, I decided to put the yarn, tape, and other decorative items on a side table so it didn’t crowd their work. I also moved the “school” to the back of the studio to give the kids a little more space around the table. When the children came in to class, they sat right down to paint and didn’t even notice the structure. Instead they went to the shelf to get some of their favorite materials… cars and glue.


Once they began to take interest in the structure, I showed them what the other classes had made, and offered them a plate of paint and rollers to use on the walls.



Logan requested a spray bottle and used it to spray the plate as he mixed the paint with the roller.
Kirsten made a leaf print on the easel!
At the end of the week I moved the structure outside to the garden. Here is the finished school!
If you’re curious about the squash, the binoculars are perfectly situated to do some plant observation!

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