Easy Art Activities For A Snow Day Or Any Day (Part 4)

This Part 4 in a multi-part series. Here are the previous posts you may have missed:

• Part 1: Setting Yourself Up For Success: Creating An Art Center in Your Home

• Part 2: Allowing Experimentation and Exploration in the Art Center

• Part 3: Gathering and Using Art Ideas (With Some Fun Projects To Do Now)

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Here's The final installment of this series on encouraging artsy times when you and your children have a day off. I've encouraged you to gather supplies and ideas and let your children play with and explore the art supplies. I also shared a couple of art projects we've been doing in our house during our down times. Now, the final piece to the puzzle: YOU!

4. Stop Cleaning The House and DO ART WITH YOUR KIDS! Specifically: Origami!

I constantly struggle with this one. I have a to-do list a mile long and when the kids are home, it seems as if I clean even more! When they are home on a snow day, I am mopping up puddles of melted snow, picking up four sets of snow boots (again and again!), hanging up snow pants to dry, making cocoa, getting snacks (again?!?), etc. etc. As the day goes on, I find myself getting more and more frustrated as I try to "get stuff done" while the children vie for my attention. So, my advice for you: stop cleaning and play.

Play dominoes, build a snow fort, make a yummy treat, sit and do a craft. The dishes will wait, the laundry will be there later. You'll be spending time with your kids and, let me tell you a secret, after you spend some time with them they MAY even run off and play and you'll have time to fold the laundry. Maybe. If not, you'll relax ad have a good time for a few minutes which is better than yelling "go play!" and fuming while you do the dishes.

One type of art that is great for mommy and me time (with Kinders on up) is origami. I have done origami with all three of my boys and it is fun and addicting! You don't have to have any special paper (you can use copy paper cut into a square) and you can look up directions online for all sorts of awesome ideas! If you are interested in books on origami, your local library will probably have a few and we like the "Origami Kit" with three books from Dover Publications that I featured in this post.

I've seen this kit at AC Moore and Michael's. It is seriously the best!
So great for a holiday or birthday gift!

Here's Number 1 Son creating a sailboat and fish mobile.
Check out the post for that here.

And here's a lovely wreath that will get you thinking "Spring!"
even if it is still 20 degrees and snowing in your area!
Check out the post for this here.

I also picked up this great flipbook by Toshie Takahama called, "Quick and Easy Origami" that is absolutely great! My six-year-old can make many of the projects in the book himself, and we've spent lots of time making dozens of pieces from this book. The kit on Amazon comes with paper so you are ready-to-go when it arrives. Another lovely gift idea!

Toshie Takahama's book called, "Quick and Easy Origami"

Some ideas to go beyond just making random pieces of origami:

• Make a scene with different pieces of origami glued to a background. Take the little doggie from Takahama's book and glue it to construction paper and add some grass, some origami flowers, an origami bird in the sky, an origami fish swimming in a paper pond--use your imagination to create an entire scene made from origami elements. How about making a spring scene? 
• Make tiny origami, or HUGE origami. Origami is created from a square of paper. Once you find a project you like, try using different size squares of paper. We made a samurai hat from a traditional piece of origami paper and then used all different sizes of squares to see how big we could make the samurai hats--could we make one to fit our teddy bear? Yes! We used a 24" square to start with. Could we make a samurai hat to fit us? Yes! We used a square cut from a double-wide sheet of newspaper. Use newspaper or wrapping paper to create the largest squares you can and fold away! And how small ca you go? Can you make a piece of origami from a 2" square? How about a 1" square of paper? Have fun experimenting.
• Make an origami gift. Some of your experiments from above, are great for gifts. Little origami creations make great decorations on cards (send one to grandma to let her know you are thinking about her) and super huge origami can be a gift in itself! Make a wearable samurai hat for your friend--just fold up a super-huge piece of paper into a hat and paint it with tempera paints. Awesome! For a more sophisticated gift, you can use beautifully patterned origami papers to make art that can be mounted on mat board and given to mom, dad, grandma, or a grad for a special occasion. How unique! Here are some great picts of how the samurai hats and shirts can be used to create great pieces of art. I'm planning on making the samurai hat one for my sister for her birthday--I think it looks just like a quilt and she's an avid quilter.
• Amaze your children and make origami from money! Yep, there's nothing like grabbing a dollar bill from dad, folding it into a tiny button-down shirt, and then giving it to your kid. Not only are they amazed at your coolness of being able to make origami from money, they think it's great they tricked dad out of a dollar bill--hee hee! This kept my kiddos busy while we waited for dinner to be served at a restaurant and they had me leave the waitress' tip that way. Just do a search online and you'll see all sorts of ideas for making little creations from money.

Have fun and enjoy this time with your children! I hear this time goes by quickly--it's time to make memories...

Easy Art Activities For A Snow Day Or Any Day (Part 2)

OK, so now you have an Art Center full of inspiring art supplies and you are raring to go! But what are you going to do with all of that stuff? Some children don't need any encouragement--they see the art supplies and they know exactly what they are going to do with them. That's great! 

Free play and exploration of supplies is so important to a child's creative, cognitive, and motor development...BUT, I have to advise you...you are going to have to be flexible. Many children go through a phase where, to a grown-up, it looks as though they are "wasting" supplies. If you haven't experienced it--just wait! I'm talking about puddles of goopy glue, sticking every sticker they can find on their paper, whole rolls of tape shmooshed into a sticky, tangled ball, cutting and cutting until there is confetti everywhere! It's the way it goes--not all artsy activity is going to produce a masterpiece.

My youngest is just getting into the
"cutting and cutting until nothing is left" phase...

Here are my tips for allowing your child to explore the Art Center during this stage of development:

1. Relax. You've set yourself up for success by actually having art materials and tools available to your child, now you have to let them go (a bit). I'm not advocating letting them be truly wasteful on purpose, but they are going to want to "draw" with the Elmer's glue and then float scrap paper bits in it. They just are. Think about how you react to your child exploring, taking creative risks and creating. Is getting stressed and yelling really going to create good feelings about art?

2. Don't buy expensive stuff. If your child is in the "experimenting" phase, this is not the time for artist-quality supplies. Buy washable, inexpensive products when they are on sale (ie. back-to-school time) and keep the "extras" away. Buy a cheap ream of copy paper, an inexpensive sketch book, reuse scrap paper, keep those bits of construction paper and reuse them, buy some things at the dollar store...you get the idea. You won't stress out so much of your child goes through a entire roll of dollar store tape or breaks a box of inexpensive crayons into bits--again--if you are buying kid-friendly products. There will be time for special, fancy art supplies and those fancy supplies will be even more special when your child receives them when s/he is ready.

3. Monitor what you put out. If the scissors are not being used properly (cutting the air, cutting someone's hair, running with scissors, etc.), then they go away. Crayons being broken (or eaten) even though you've explained it is against the rules? They go away too. If too much is being removed, you may need to rethink the free-spirited art center at this time. Perhaps you set aside time to sit with your child to show him/her the proper way to use the supplies. Danger = Not Good, Not Respecting Supplies = Not Good. You will have to determine what your child can understand with regards to rules and expectations for "proper use" of supplies.

4. Meter what you put out. You don't keep all four bottles of Elmer's in the Art Center when your child is going through the "painting with glue" phase. But, you can keep a 1/2 full bottle in there. I can wipe up a half bottle of glue, if necessary. Same with construction paper. If your child is going through the "cut with scissors until there is nothing left" phase, keep just a couple pieces of construction paper in the Center or teach him/her to choose the recycled paper to shred.

5. Have an open mind. What we think of as "art" is not what a 3-year-old thinks of when creating. Sure, you can do projects together, but be flexible. I have seen parents so focused on the finished product that they take over the project while their child looks on. I've also seen people literally hold a child's hand and guide them to place the elements of a project. This is not assembly-line work. This is fun, this is exploring, this is creativity.

6. Think of this as a "teachable moment." Be involved. Saying things like, "This is how we use scissors safely," "Oh, see how goopy this gets when there is so much glue?" and, "How about we use the scrap paper if you are going to cut, cut, cut it up?" It's a process, but children eventually learn how to use art and craft supplies safely and properly.

7. Be OK with throwing it away. If your child is attached to an "experimental" piece and proud of it, hang it on the wall and have him or her show it to visitors. But some of these pieces in this experimental phase get forgotten the minute your child is done with them. You'll be hanging some strange stuff on the wall during this phase, but if your child is loving the work than you should too.

None of this is rocket science, but how your respond to your child in these beginning phases of art-making and exploration is really important. Exploration of tools and media in a healthy, encouraging way creates confidence, increases fine motor control and problem-solving skills and this time will be remembered fondly by you and your child for years to come!

Here's an easy project to do with your child that will remind you to relax during this phase of your child's development. Print this little poem on card stock, add some little handprints, a photo and hang this in the Art Center to help when you are picking up paper confetti and goopy glue. The kit for this piece was given to me when I was pregnant with my first child, so I'm not able to track down the original source.

 Enjoy!

Sorry I couldn't show you the entire piece--it has my kids' names on it.
This is a lovely Mother's Day or any day project!

When I'm big you won't remember

the mud I tracked on the stairs.

Instead I hope you'll hear

my laugh that eased your cares.

The smudges that I leave on walls

will someday fade away.

But the memories of my first steps

will be cherished every day.

As for these two handprints,

Someday you'll be glad

We took the time to make a mess

That didn't make you mad.

Easy Art Activities For A Snow Day Or Any Day (Part 1)

I had originally wanted to call this post "Artsy Ways To Survive (Yet Another Snow Day) With Children" but it seemed a bit desperate-sounding...

We just came off of our Winter Break and then this past Friday the kids had a snow day. I'm a homebody (as are many of my kids) so when we have days off we hang around the house. But I'm trying to discourage the amount of screen time they have and I found out that yelling, "Go Play!" over and over at them doesn't usually work to encourage them to find something to do...so in this series of posts, I'll share some tips for days at home with kiddos, be it a snow day, a lazy weekend or a school break.

1. ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY (Also known as "Set Yourself Up For Success")

All of my children are creative, but in different ways. One of them MUST do art every day. I used to keep all of my personal art supplies, my classroom art supplies and my children's art supplies together in my office. Problem? Well, I was constantly running back and forth grabbing supplies for my children, they were always getting into my classroom supplies and using things I had set aside for an upcoming class, and after a creative binge, the cabinets looked like a tornado went through...so I finally figured it out. If I want my kids to be creative, they need access to supplies and they need to be able to put them away themselves. I want this to be 100% access all the time. So, where do they work? The dining room. Where are their art supplies? The dining room.

Our house is small and this set-up isn't going to earn us a spot in Better Homes & Gardens, but this works right now for us. I suggest setting up a temporary art center in a corner of your home and trying it out and making adjustments before buying fancy organization "stuff." See how your children work and do what works for your family.

Here's a tour of our ART CENTER:

LEFT DOOR: Restickable hooks hold regular scissors ad decorative scissors, the red thing is a apron.
TOP SHELF: Elmer's glue, glue sticks and tape such as masking, electrical, duct, and clear tape,
there's a bin for watercolors with brushes, watercolor paper and a water cup, old yogurt bins hold colored pencils and markers.
BOTTOM SHELF: a bin of assorted punches, Twistables, a sketchbook for each child, and a slot filled
construction paper, a bin of crayons with a crayon sharpener.
RIGHT DOOR: rulers hanging on restickable hooks

My kids usually prefer to work at our dining room table, but we're
trying out this table-turned-desk. There is a roll of IKEA paper on there
(which they actually never use)

This ain't pretty, but it is a repurposed bookcase with a place
for "How-to" books o drawing and origami and coloring books,  along with
bins for clay, recycling and interesting bits for sculptures, etc.
along with our scrap paper bins organized by color
(I know that seems a bit weird, but it actually works well so you
can find the paper color you need fast).

Other things that are not shown here but are available to them, on an as-needed (mom-involved) basis:

Tempera paints
Acrylic Paints
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Higher quality watercolors and paper
Higher quality paint brushes
Craft stuff such as beads, pipe cleaners, craft sticks

I keep the above items high up on a shelf in another room. Every once in a while I take a handfull of crafty supplies and leave them in their art center as an invitation to create, but I wouldn't leave the whole box of craft stick or pom poms out--they'd be gone in a day (or more accurately strewn all over the house)...if they decide they need 100 craft sticks I can always bring the bin out and they can use however many they need.

I must say that I've tried MANY versions of an art center with my kids over the years and usually I have to pack most of it away once I have a new baby and they start walking (and putting the art supplies in their mouths), but at this moment, we are out of the baby phase so I can keep this stuff available all the time.

The addition of an art center to our home has increased creativity for all and I see the children choosing to "do art" more often and it is a cinch to clean up (for both the children and me) because everything has a place.

So, take the plunge and create an art center for your home today!

Art/Nature Camp: Scheduling Play With 2nd & 3rd Graders

The second week of art camp, I taught a group of 7- and 8-year-old boys. Since the camp was art and nature, I designed our days (9:00 am to noon, Monday-Friday) to include exploration and instruction as well as having the boys create a major art project and a minor art project every day. The prior week, I had taught 5- and 6-year-olds and had used centers VERY successfully, but I didn't think the older kids would go for them (I could see them looking at me with raised eyebrows as I dinged the bell!). But I soon found that the boys enjoyed having some structured down time as well.

What a beautiful setting at PMEC!
Here are some of the boys doing what they LOVE the most--throwing rocks!

Revising the Schedule:

The schedule for these older boys was tweaked slightly. We started off outside with a hike or scavenger hunt. This time outside allowed for more extensive exploration (and much rock-throwing into the pond). I tried hard no to rush them. They were, after all, at camp and camp is supposed to be FUN! There were plenty of opportunities to point out things related to the day's theme and I carried magnifying glasses and their sketchbooks with me constantly throughout the week so they could draw the critters we observed out in the field. Many of the boys used their sketchbooks every day, some multiple times a day.

We then moved inside for a discussion as they ate a snack. After snack we did our big art project as a group. Once that was done, they could sit on the carpet and choose an activity to play with while I cleaned up and prepared for the next thing. Since the boys were a bit older, I didn't use the bell or make them switch center activities. The activities I kept on hand that were popular were:

• Legos
• Blocks
• Matchbox Cars
• Nature-related Books
• Sketchbooks (they could free draw or use the magnifying glasses to observe and draw specimens)
• Bubbles

I had the kids make their own sketchbooks (super-easy) and then we carried them
with us constantly to write observations, draw critters we found, do leaf rubbings, etc.
These are great because other pages can easily slipped in as needed.

The Second Art Activity of the Day:

While the boys played quietly, I would set up the second art activity of the day. One day the boys seemed to be playing well and not interested in doing more art (we had also done some sketching in the field), so I let them stay playing with their chosen activity. But, I found that the boys were happy to do a second project if they were allowed to play on their own for a while. This second activity was small and quick (lasting about 15 minutes) and wasn't as technical. One day it was making owls from clay, another it was making bug-themed bookmarks. This way, I was able to reinforce some ideas from the day, have them do a bit more art, but keep it relaxed.

Throwing Rocks (Lots of them!)

After the boys completed their second art activity of the day, we picked up and headed back outside! These boys were very interested in throwing rocks into the pond and streams onsite and looking for frogs and the resident snapping turtle, Bob, so I made time for that before they went home everyday--about the last half hour of each day. That way, they could leave on a high note and get some wiggles out before their parents arrived. The week went wonderfully and I think it was a nice balance of art, nature, exploration and play!