Summer is in full swing over here! As some parts of the world are in the middle of winter (which I can’t fathom), I know this list of ideas will come in handy for indoor creativity as well. I teach art camp at my house all summer. I make long lists of crafts and activities to do with…
Process Art
Collaborative Painting with Kids
This project is one that I do over and over again with the 4yr olds in art class. I think all of the paintings they make could hang in a museum, but especially these large collaborative ones! It’s such a simple yet deeply fulfilling process-art experience for them. This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your…
Creativity is Messy // Let Them Explore!
Creativity is messy, but oh so important for the exploration of self. A little about me As I child, I was always making. My mom taught me to sew when I was six, on an old Singer that had a hand crank. I would sew pillows and bags and, eventually, my Halloween costumes. I also…
Art Assemblage with Kids // Pinecones & Pasta
Assemblage is the art of assembling bits and pieces together to make 3-dimensional art. It can, and often does, involve collage. We’ve tackled assemblage before when the kids made these gorgeous trees. This time, however, we didn’t do much gluing. These latest pieces became more like sculptures than collages. The kids painted, beaded, and wrapped, enjoying…
Toothbrush Easter Eggs
Have you ever tried painting eggs with a toothbrush? When I set out this egg painting invitation, I knew the kids would be excited! When they got to art class, I clicked the camera to video mode and was able to capture this project in action. The kids were in such flow, so engaged with…
Mini Canvas Paintings with Kids
I’m so in love with these mini paintings my four-year olds made. Aren’t they beautiful? I found a roll of canvas in my attic. The same roll that I had been lugging around since college!! Yes, it’s true. For more than 20 years that roll has been moving from apartment to apartment and house to…
Potato Print Garland
There is something about potato stamps that makes me think of my childhood. I’m not even sure I ever did potato stamping, but it’s more the look that the stamping provokes: imperfect, smudgy, and just authentically kid-like. I was hoping my art class students would be into it. And to my eternal relief…they were! How…
Build It! Wooden Towers with Kids
Kids LOVE building wooden towers! Woodworking is such an incredibly satisfying art experience for kids. They don’t often get to work with wood, so when my 4-yr olds came in to art class and saw wood pieces and glue scattered around the table, their faces just lit up. This is actually quite a simple activity with…
The Best of Art Bar 2014
A walk down memory lane. A year of hard work, new beginnings and new friends, a growing family, and dinner on the run! Here we go… DIY 1. painted leaves // 2. good morning chart // 3. bird nests // 4. snowflake garland // 5. cake topper // 6. mother’s day card GARLAND 7. mini felt…
Holiday Art // Christmas Tree Assemblage
These beautiful and original Christmas trees were made by the four-year olds in art class! Aren’t they amazing? They loved learning the word “assemblage”, which is basically like collage except you you do more than just glueing. You can do anything to hold pieces together, like wrapping or weaving or cutting. It involves picking up…
