It’s almost Earth Day! We made these Earth Day signs with repurposed materials just in the nick of time. I’m hoping my art students will do a little march around their neighborhood on Monday 🙂 I save many of our old clothes that have ripped or are just worn out and I cut them up into…
Beaded Wire Maze Sculptures
Bending wire is one of those things that all kids love, so I’m always trying to think of new ways to work with this versatile and pliable material. The inspiration for these beaded wire maze sculptures were really twofold… Our first inspiration was Alexander Calder, and all his work with wire, especially his circus series….
Printmaking with Cardboard
Printmaking with cardboard introduces children to the magic of “pulling prints” and creating mirror images. Also called collagraphy, it’s a basic a method of printmaking where collage material is glued onto a board to create a relief surface. As with any form of printing, kids stay engaged because they are producing images which is unlike any…
Washi Tape Butterflies
If you’re like me, you’ll agree that easy art ideas for groups that use very few supplies and have almost no instructions are GOLD! Enter these washi tape butterflies. I mean, you can get this ready in under 10 minutes and a group of kids could be busy for 45 minutes! Or longer if they…
Stacked Cardboard Sculptures with Kids
Shannon from Hatch is back with a wonderful, open-ended art invitation for kids: stacked cardboard sculptures! Also known as threaded sculptures. Aren’t these FABULOUS? What I love most about Shannon’s idea is that it can even be done with toddlers. It’s very process-art oriented and works those small motor and hand-eye skills. Here is Shannon…
Cupcake Liner Flowers Easy Art Station
During my weekly art classes, I always set up one main project and then one art station. An art station is a table where early finishers can work independently. It’s usually something very open-ended and simple so that they don’t need any help or guidance. These cupcake liner flowers make a wonderful, easy art station…
Clay 101: Clay Exploration with Young Children
There are six art forms that I strive to introduce my art students to while they are in my classes: drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, construction, and clay. Of all these six, I think children get the most excited about clay. Their response is so visceral, they instinctively jump and clap with joy! Clay exploration with young…
Embroidery and Stitching with Kids
Have you ever wanted to try embroidery and stitching with your kids? I have! I’ve always been drawn to textiles. In art school I was passionate about fabric design, and in my 20s I used to make children’s clothing and sell them to Barneys in NYC. With my passion for fabrics and yarns, it’s actually…
24 Homemade Valentines
I’m so excited to share these 24 AMAZING ideas for homemade Valentines cards. Make them with your kids, or just by yourself. Making cards is such a wonderful family tradition in our home, and one that is fairly easy to keep up. All you really need is a bunch of art supplies on a big table…
Plastic Jar Lanterns with Kids
My dear friend runs a coffee shop, so I asked her if she had any big containers I could recycle into something cool for my art class. When she dropped off some giant mayonnaise jars, my mind immediately thought LANTERNS! After a little soaking and slicing, the base for these plastic jar lanterns were ready…
