January 4, 2012  by

Exploring Circles- Welcoming the Cycle of a New Year

For our last class of the session, we explored a circular theme to represent the end of one year and the beginning of a new year. The 1s and 2s classes began with different types of ball painting. We used golf balls for children who aren’t accustomed to marbles yet, and introduced marble painting to kids whose parents felt comfortable with such small objects.

The kids used spoons to roll the balls in paint and scoop them into their trays. Next, they began to shake and tip the trays to make tracks on their paper.

Stirring the balls around and shaking glitter onto them was also a major part of the experience.

As the children began to collect new tools off of the shelf, the teachers brought out large paper to continue their exploration.

We even tried the ball painting on a large scale, where the kids collaborated to get the balls rolling.

As the kids began to move around the studio, we had some more exciting circular activities to investigate.

We tried out our new “spinner art” machine that spins the paper around really fast while the children added drops of paint to the moving paper. The machine came with squeeze bottles, but we first tried using our eye droppers with watered down tempera paint to help develop fine motor skills.

Here is an example of a finished spin art design!

While some of the children focused on the spin art, others were drawn to the pendulum painting, set up over the floor. We hung a string and plastic cup (with a small hole at the bottom) from the ceiling to act as a pendulum. The kids squirted watered down tempera paint into the cup and swung the cup around in circles to create circular and oval drip designs. The floor was covered with a painting that had been previously sprayed with watercolors, so the design overlapped the blotchy watercolor effect. One group of kids began to pass the cup back and forth, creating a cooperative painting game!

Before getting messy with the ball painting, the 3s/4s classes worked on a more crafty project for the new year… a “wish catcher.” They began by drawing a design onto a pre-cut poster board with holes punched into it. While they were drawing, the teachers asked them about what types of wishes they had for the new year and helped them write down their wishes. Some kids wished for snow, or to play with friends, and one even wished for a chainsaw (which it turns out he actually got for Christmas!)

After drawing on the poster board, the kids practiced their fine motor skills by “sewing” yarn in and out of the holes.

After sewing, the teachers helped the kids apply clear contact paper to the middle of the hoops so they could create a “stained glass” collage (they also made sure to stick their wishes into their collages).

Here is one of the finished “wish catchers” hanging in the window. Maybe they will help to manifest all of the children’s hopes and dreams for the new year. Happy New Year!!!

in Art Projects / Creative Projects / Holiday 4 comments
November 17, 2011  by

Watercolor Exploration

For the second week of art class, we focused on liquid watercolors. We began with an oil pastel/watercolor resist technique where the combination of an oil pastel drawing and watercolor painting creates a resist effect. The oil pastel resists the watercolor and shows through the painting!

The 2s classes practiced making marks and drawing shapes. Then painted over their drawing with liquid watercolors.

Of course glitter was involved and some children chose items from the shelf to incorporate into their paintings.

We also practiced more fine motor skills by using droppers to suck up the paint and drop it onto coffee filters. This type of paper soaks up the watercolor to make an interesting tie-die effect.

Finally, the 2s classes, had a super sensory exploration with white foam paint (which feels like shaving cream, but is non-toxic), watercolors, and fun tools!

For the drawing portion of the 3s/4s classes, we focused on self-portraits. Each child was given a hand mirror to study their faces before using oil pastels to try to draw themselves.

After a fun attempt at self-portraits, the kids began to explore the watercolors with droppers, toy cars, and glitter.

After class, the kids continued the fun outside- playing at the water table and spraying liquid watercolors onto a large drop cloth.

The evolving garden at GROW also proved to be a source of non-stop entertainment. The chickens and bunny were enticing the younger ones, while the older boys were engaged in some hard work… filling up a wheelbarrow with logs and straw! 
in Art Projects / Creative Projects 0 comments
July 28, 2011  by

Watercolor & Texture

For our final class of the summer, the 2s/3s group explored liquid watercolors in all sorts of fun ways. We began by using droppers to form droplets of the watercolor onto our paper. With a lot of practice, these kids have become really skilled with the droppers (which is great preparation for pre-writers!)

With small pools of watercolor to work with, I offered the children straws to try to blow the paint around their paper. This required a little bit of work and concentration, but a few of the kids really got the hang of it!

After lots of dropping, blowing, and pouring the watercolors, I offered the kids a few items (bubble wrap, a sponge wand, and a paper towel) to add texture to their work. I showed them how the different materials can be dabbed onto the watercolor to create texture and interesting designs.

With all this experimenting the children’s papers began to get very saturated, so we switched them out for new paper and moved on to yet another form of watercolor… ice paints. These paints were made by freezing liquid watercolor in an ice try with craft sticks for handles. The kids loved moving the ice paints back and forth and noticing how it made a rubbing of the textured tray beneath their paper.

As our final texture experiment, I offered the kids scoops of salt to add to their paints. When wet, the salt soaks up the paint and is fun to move around. When dry, some of the salt falls off the paper and creates a blotchy texture underneath.

Towards the end of class we moved to the easels where the kids made oil pastel/watercolor resists. They first drew a design with oil pastels, then used spray bottles filled with liquid watercolor to add to their work.

Thanks for a wonderful summer session! In August, I’ll be posting some projects you can do at home… I hope you give them a try!

0 comments
July 6, 2011  by

Two Types Of Collage

This week the 1s and 2s classes worked on two different types of collages. The 2s class tried out the Summer Inspired Upcycled Collage project from a few weeks ago. I used paper shape-punchers on old group paintings to create fun, interesting collage materials again- but this time I added the step of drawing with oil pastels before doing the collage. After drawing, I offered the children glue and collage materials to create their collage.

The 1s/early 2s class created collage frames by mixing their own paste, applying it to cardboard, then adding collage materials. First each child mixed together flour, salt (as a preservative), and watered down tempera paint. They stirred and stirred until they created a thick paste to use as an adhesive for their collage.

After scooping the paste onto their cardboard, the children used various scraping tools to spread it around.

While working on their collage, some kids chose to add glue to make the materials stick better. They also wanted to add more flour just because it is fun to scoop and dump!

After working on the collages, both classes had some time left to paint at the easels (and on the windows!) and to get into some messy painting projects.

See you soon!

0 comments
July 2, 2011  by

Watercolor & Oil Pastel Batik

For our watercolor week in the 1s/2s class I was planning for an ice painting and oil pastel resist project like we did in the mixed age class. Before class began I came across some extra fabric lying around and decided to experiment with an oil pastel and watercolor batik instead. I taped the fabric to a tray so that it wouldn’t move around when the kids tried to draw on it. I first offered them white oil pastels to use on white cotton fabric, which is not at all exciting to toddlers (even when I tried to explain that they would magically see their drawing appear when they painted it). Here, a big sister demonstrates the first step.

 After a very brief drawing experience, I offered the kids liquid watercolor to paint onto their work.

 Even with the light pressure of a toddler, the oil pastel still showed up and resisted the watercolor, creating a batik effect.

After trying out the batiks, I finally brought out the ice painting project-  offering them colorful oil pastels, watercolor ice paints and paper.

Eventually the kids began to collect items from the shelf to use in their paintings.

 A fun day of watercolor experiments!

4 comments
June 28, 2011  by

Watercolor Ice Painting Resists

This week the mixed-age art class worked on oil pastel and watercolor resists. The children began by drawing pictures with oil pastels.

When they were ready to start painting, I brought out a special surprise… watercolor ice paints! Now that the weather is warm, it’s the perfect time to paint with ice. The night before, I froze liquid watercolor and craft sticks in an ice tray. By class time the next day, I had an exciting new medium to paint with.

Our outside activities included golf ball, car, dot, and roller painting- and of course lots of water play!

2 comments
June 1, 2011  by

Leaf Rubbings and Exploring Pastels

For our final week of the session, we focused on leaf rubbings and pastels. The children first learned how to create an imprint of a leaf by placing it under the paper then rubbing on top of the paper with the side of a crayon.

After trying out the leaf rubbings, I offered the children chalk pastels to explore.

They experimented with rubbing, drawing, and blending this soft, dusty medium.

Then I offered them water and a brush to see what would happen if the pastel got wet. As they painted their drawings with water, the chalk dust mixed with the water and turned it into a colorful paint.

After wetting their papers, they drew again with the pastel and noticed how the colors became darker against the water.

Being our first drawing project for the youngest 1s class, we focused on making marks with oil pastels, then trying out liquid watercolor over the drawings.

No matter what age, all the classes love to paint, mix, and pour watercolors. Especially when glitter is involved!

The 1s classes also got to do some major sensory painting with foam paint.

Foam paint on the acrylic easel adds a twist to this sensory experience!

Remember the clay etching experiment in the 3s/4s class? The clay was dry and finally ready for the 3rd step to complete the process. In order to try to rub off some of the top paint, the children moved sand paper around in circles on top of their clay. The hope was that this would roughen up the top, leaving mostly the paint inside the scratches, so their design would stand out.

It was a little hard to sand off the top layer of paint, but they did manage to achieve a cool effect!

Thanks everyone for a great school year and final session. I had a blast!

0 comments
April 27, 2011  by

1s Oil Pastels, Bleeding Tissue… and Messy fun!

For the last week of the 1s class, we began with oil pastel drawing on watercolor paper. Drawing is still fairly new to these kids, they’re still learning how to scribble and press down at the same time. Oil pastels are great for little ones because they are rich in color and will show up even with the lightest touch.

After using the oil pastels, I offered the children small squares of bleeding tissue paper to place over their drawings.  Then they soaked the tissue paper with water (trying hard to squeeze the spray bottle triggers). As the color from the tissues began to bleed onto the paper, the kids added glitter and found some tools to move the tissues around. Once the tissues dry, they will fall off and leave a beautiful painting in their place.

Soon, the kids were moving around the studio, painting at the easels and trying out the splat painting that the older classes were working on.

The 1s group wasn’t so interested in throwing the cotton balls for the splat painting, but they enjoyed working with the materials in other ways!

Towards the end of class a couple of kids saw a plate of paint on the floor and began to take off their shoes. I grabbed some paper and let them go at it!

Making footprints is really slippery, so I made sure to hold them steady as they squished their toes in the paint.

I can’t wait for hot summer days when we can do body painting outside on the grass!

0 comments
April 23, 2011  by

Shrinky Dink Beading and Splat Painting!

As I mentioned last week, we began our final class of the session making “Shrinky Dinks”. The 2s classes drew with colored Sharpies on large sheets of shrinking plastic. Then I punched a hole in the top before baking them so the kids could make them into window hangings.

 

 

For the rest of the window hanging, the children beaded a string that will be tied to the finished Srinky Dink.

 

 

 

 

 

The 3s/4s kids made small Shrinky Dinks the week before to make jewelry. Once they had strung half of the beads for the necklace, I showed them how to add the Shrinky Dink on as a pendant.

Then they helped each other!

After Shrinky Dinks and beading, I brought out some materials to try a super fun throwing “splat” painting. The kids first began to do their own thing, excited to use the spray bottles and paint, but soon got really into the splat painting!

First they covered some cotton balls in watery paint…
 
Then grabbed a soaked cotton ball from the plate…


and threw it to make a splat!

The kids got really creative with it too!

So much Fun!

 

in Uncategorized 11 comments
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:

3 comments