A little tissue here, a little glitter there...

Inspiration often hits when you least expect it.

The other day, Jannique and I were working with a "craft in a box" kit that involved balling up square pieces of tissue paper and sticking them to a pre-glued template. It's a handy activity for little ones - especially when time is short.

We were happily scrunching bits of blue, pink and yellow tissue paper in our hands when Jannique requested some glitter.

I'm a big glitter fan so I never (ever) say no to the shiny stuff and I just love pulling out the little pots of shimmer glaze I found at a discount store this summer. They are fully washable and perfect for little hands. So, I obliged.

"Can I have some paper too mommy?"

I gave her a sheet of mat board left over from a framing project, and what happened next was magical. Jannique used the glitter glaze as glue as she took and pasted some tissue paper squares onto the mat board.

"There," she said. "I like that mommy."

And I did too.

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We've got lots of great tissue paper art lesson plans on KinderArt.com. Here are just a few of them...

Tissue Paper Sunflowers

http://www.kinderart.com/crafts/tissuepapersunflowers.shtml

Tissue Paper Painting

http://www.kinderart.com/sculpture/tissuepaperpainting.shtml

Two Layer Painting

http://www.kinderartlittles.com/color/twolayerpainting.shtml

Keep creating!

~Andrea

Draw the DC Universe, Stamp Art and Pom-Pom Monster Salon

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

A box of goodies arrived from Klutz the other day. So exciting! Inside were three activity book/kits: Draw the DC Universe, Stamp Art and Pom-Pom Monster Salon.

Draw the DC Universe is a book that teaches youngsters how to draw 27 of the "greatest super heroes and vilest villains". The kit comes with a set of pencil crayons (and drawing pencil, marker and eraser) and the idea is to draw right in the book. Simple ball and stick figures are pre-drawn on many of the pages, so kids can begin by tracing and then build up the image from there. Plenty of step-by-step instructions, stencils and and translucent overlays make learning how to draw, fun and easy. This is a terrific book for young boys who might otherwise shy away from drawing. I can even see classroom teachers finding the information inside very useful. 

 

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Stamp Art comes complete with a clear stamp block and an assortment of stamps (64 to be exact) that attach to the block. The idea here is that kids can create pictures using a variety of shapes. Simply stick the shapes onto the block, dab the block into the ink pad, and stamp it onto the pages. Then, use pencil crayons to complete the picture. As with Draw the DC Universe, kids are encouraged to stamp and draw right on the pages of the book. Plenty of instructions are provided and the colorful and inviting illustrations invite readers to dive right in. The beauty here is that kids don't necessarily need to follow the rules... they can create whatever and however they choose.

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Pom-Pom Monster Salon comes complete with a pom pom maker (no more fiddling with cardboard circles!). It also features a pile of colorful yarn and an assortment of embellishments (googly eyes, bows and such) to create wild and wonderful pom pom creatures. The instructions are simple and easy to follow, although, smaller hands might require a little help to wrap and cut the yarn. In addition, before you start, you need to cut the protective plastic packaging away from the book so you can get at the measuring tool. Highly irritating. Still, I absolutely love this book/kit and although it is recommended for older kids, I  had great fun creating pom pom monsters with Jannique.  

 

Keep creating!

Andrea

Pens, Pencils and Paper

You can draw wild designs using tools found in most kitchen drawers. 

To start creating, simply gather some pencil crayons (multi-coloured), pens or thin tip markers (black ink is best) and plain, white paper.

  

Ready, set go and start making lines on paper using a black pen. 

Make as many different types of lines as you can think of including lines that are wavy, jagged, dotted, dashed, thick, thin, curvy and curly.

Repeat each type of line many, many times, until you fill the entire paper with marks. Don't worry about the image and don't try to create a recognizable picture. The idea here is to make designs up as you go.

Next, use some colourful pencil crayons to fill in blank spaces, making sure to leave some white areas too. Then, sign your name and try another picture. 

There is no limit to what you can do!

Swiss artist Paul Klee once said, "A line is a dot, out for a walk." Lines are the basis of most every drawing and can vary in width, direction, and length. There are many different types of lines. Horizontal lines run parallel to the ground or ceiling while vertical lines run up and down, parallel to the wall or trees. Diagonal lines are slanting lines. Angled lines are made from combining diagonal lines and curved lines are curly and are often used to show movement.

Now you know.

Lesson: Andrea Mulder-Slater

Illustration: Geoff Slater

Find thousands of FREE art lesson plans at http://www.kinderart.com.

Keep creating!
~Andrea

Heart Poppies Art Lesson

Here's a wonderful way for creative kids to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom.

What You Need:

• Construction paper (red and green)
• Safety scissors
• Glue
• Optional: Heart Pattern

http://www.kinderart.com/seasons/poppy_heart.htm

What You Do:

1. Using the red construction paper, kinderartists create four small hearts for each poppy they will be making.
2. Once the hearts are cut out, they can be arranged to create a poppy shape.
3. Cut a small circle out of the green construction paper.
4. Fasten the hearts and circle together with glue to create a poppy.

Use the poppies as card decorations. Simply create a card by folding a piece of paper in two. Glue one or more poppies to the front of the card. Or, create a wreath made of paper poppies.

Find more great ideas at http://www.kinderart.com/.

Keep creating!
~Andrea

Leaves, Trees and Water Temperature

Looking for a creative way for you and your students or children to spend an Autumn afternoon? 

Instead of raking those leaves, pick a few up and create some magnificent works of art together. 

Simply gather fallen leaves, paints and brushes, crayons, markers (whatever you have is fine), some paper, glue, pencils and maybe even a scrapbook too.  

Ready, set, go and gather your leaves and art supplies. 

You and your young artists can make leaf prints by painting one side of a leaf (vein side up) and then pressing it onto paper. 

Or, you can create leaf stencil art by laying a leaf down on a piece of paper and painting over the edge of it onto the paper to create an outline. 

You can even try your hand at natural textures by placing paper over top of a leaf and rubbing nice and hard with a crayon. 

Finally, if you and your family have a few hours to spend on a cool Autumn night, create a wonderful work of art just ready for framing by first pressing a leaf between two heavy books and then painting it with the colours and designs of your choice. 

Go ahead and create Autumn memories by making leaf art. Your scrapbook is waiting. 

Did you know that trees along lakes, rivers and streams actually reduce water temperature and help to prevent soil erosion? Not only that, the roots of trees along the water's edge provide hiding places for fish.

Lesson: Andrea Mulder-Slater

Illustration: Geoff Slater

Leaves, Twigs and Glue

Are you wondering what to do with that big pile of leaves in your backyard? Do you have a few leaves and twigs that didn't make it into this year's leaf bags?


Well then simply gather some leaves (different shapes, colours and sizes), small twigs, glue, a piece of heavy paper or cardboard, safety scissors, paint, brushes, water and construction paper (optional).
 
Ready, set go and create a background by painting your cardboard in the colour (or colours) of your choice.
Instead of painting, you might choose to glue down construction paper. 

Great! 

When the background is prepared, start laying out your leaves and twigs in the shape of a person. Choose a larger leaf for the head and smaller leaves for the hands and feet. You may need to do some cutting and rearranging to come up with something you like. 

When you are happy with how your leaf person looks, glue all the pieces onto your background. 


Finally, you can use construction paper scraps, beads or paint to add details to your creation. 

Tip: If you have the leaves (and the time) you could create a giant leaf person by drawing or tracing a body shape onto paper and gluing leaves all over to fill in the space!

According to the fine folks at the US Environmental Protection Agency, mulched up leaves can provide valuable nutrients and improve soil in flower beds and gardens. The Agency also says that in any given year, approximately 30 million tons of yard trimmings (grass, leaves, tree and brush clippings) are created in the United States. Now that's a lot of raking!

Lesson: Andrea Mulder-Slater

Illustration: Geoff Slater