To celebrate Earth Day this year, which falls on April 22nd, I decided to do this very process-oriented solar system mixed-media art project with my campers! It is truly perfect for every age, from preschoolers to middle schoolers. It is a two day process and an exploration of circular shapes, painting with droppers, and deep…
Process Art
Process Art with Plasticine Clay
Shannon Merenstein from Hatch Art Studio in Pittsburgh is back to share with us her very favorite kitchen tools to use with plasticine, and why plasticine has become her favorite go-to material for process art at home with her two young boys. I invited Shannon to write a quick post for me when I saw…
Smash Painting
If you are looking for a really simple, exploratory, physical, colorful, messy, highly engaging, and FUN creative experience for outdoors, this smash painting is it! It will make your kids so happy that they will squeal with joy. And when all is said and done, you’ll have a collection of really cool and unique little…
Creative Invitation: Adventure Boxes
Are you familiar with the phrase Creative Invitation? It’s when you set out some interesting materials on a table which are so enticing, they beckon or invite children to come over and make a creation. Typically, this is a simple set-up with no set instructions and is child-led and open-ended, where there is no right…
“Pinecone Forests” Invitation with Drip Painting
These “pinecone forests” were made with a drip painting technique that every child, no matter the age, loves!! The little ones get a really good hand workout, and the older ones take time to layer their colors and watch them blend. This painting invitation cost very little but has so much going on that it…
Contact Paper Collage
If you have never used sticky paper with your kids, let me tell you that it is a sure thing. This contact paper collage art invitation is a favorite that we go back to again and again. They never tire of these materials and this prompt because it’s completely open-ended which kicks their imaginations into…
Mixed-Media Wooden Structures
I remember the day my art students made these mixed-media wooden structures two summers ago. My husband came home from work and saw them all on the table (reference the last photo in this post) and said, “Are these Game of Thrones inspired?” and I was like WAIT A MINUTE!!! No, but now that you…
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…
