Children experiment with wire and threadable materials

I have a huge collection of pinecones because I cannot stop myself from collecting them whenever I see their perfect, symmetrical shapes lying on the ground. Big, small, and in between. I now have to sneak them into the house because nobody can know this collection is getting bigger, not smaller. The pinecone is such a wonderful, tactile, fragrant, versatile object that ignites the senses and pairs well with so many other materials. Paint, yarn, pom-poms, wire… all offering a beautiful contrast and sparking new ideas and ways of working. Today, I am sharing this process art experience I set up for 5 and 6-year-olds in their school’s art barn (yes, this school has an art barn!), where I offered a buffet of materials to inspire and explore.

First, let me give you my supply list. These materials are very fluid, you can use anything that is threadable or punch holes into any paper shapes. I usually leave hole punches out on the table, too, because they are so good for hand strengthening and they spark new ideas for children, often ones that we never even thought about.

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Supplies for exploring with wire:

~18-gauge wire

~ Scissors + hole punches

~ Fluorescent tempera cakes + brushes

~ Pinecones (you could also punch holes in some oak leaves)

~ Cupcake liners (here I used the mini ones)

~ A collection of recycled materials: brown paper bags, cardboard, corrugated cardboard, honeycomb packing paper, styrofoam packaging (I cut in strips)

~ Paper punches (I used some circles and hearts)

Notes on the experience:

At this particular school, I facilitated four 45-minute blocks back-to-back with kindergartners and first-graders. The first block gets the most organized setup with a clean table. I can’t say it makes any difference, though, in their experience. In fact, by the last block, when I’m just tossing whatever is left on the table and quickly getting clean water (I did have their wonderful art teacher to help me), the children may even be looser and jump in more quickly. I don’t normally introduce materials because I find that I start talking too much and inadvertently give directions, which is something I don’t want to do. I did, however, work on my introduction during this workshop and just held a piece of wire to bend and twist it to show what it could do. At my library events, I don’t have an opportunity to do this, and I do really believe that the materials are the best teacher. But here, with shorter blocks, I was asked to give an introduction. It’s something I definitely need to work on.

With wire, children instinctively thread, wrap, and twist it through and around the materials, often stringing things together but sometimes creating mini sculptures. I call wire an attaching supply, in the same category as tape, glue, rubber bands, toothpicks (when used with styrofoam), and yarn/string.

Some children used the paint, and some didn’t. It’s fun to explore the paint on different surfaces, and these fluorescent tempera cakes work well even on dark surfaces. The colors really pop when they dry.

I love this sculpture. The artist at first said it was just a design. But then, later told me it was a bird. The beauty of process art and offering open-ended experiences is that anything can be anything, and iteration is a key component. Children work like real artists as their ideas evolve and they try new things.

This artist made a decision to create the longest threaded string of materials he could in the time he had. Luckily, I brought an abundance of materials, so he was able to execute his vision. It’s so important to be prepared for a scenario like this — there is always one child who works fast and uses all the materials. I always want to create “yes” spaces so children can get into a state of flow.

This artist really enjoyed twisting the wire around the foam strips and twisting the foam strips around the wire. He grew his piece in all different directions.

I love this mobile that starts with a pinecone and ends with a collection of painted honeycomb paper. The colors are so yummy.

This artist made a look to hang hers!

This fashionista made a wearable! She was so proud and walked around to show it off. I just love wire as a material for this age group. It is the perfect, easy, mess-free connecting supply to play and create with. I hope you try!

xx Bar

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Did you like this post? Here are some more process art experiences for children:

Mixed Media Weaving Invitation

Mixed-Media Wood Exploration

Process Art Leaf & Fabric Collage