Fine Art
I packed up my monster yesterday and we went into the city and to the Seattle Art Museum. I’ve taken him to galleries and to kids museums before but this was his first time checking out a museum with diverse and masterful works . I was giddy with the thought of him seeing a real Warhol, I was in my 20s before I got to. After our art project I have tips below on how to make field trips like this work for toddlers. Of all the awesome art we saw yesterday the one that he enjoyed and was the easiest to adapt to our needs was Sea Change by Jackson Pollock .
- Gather your materials. You will need some paper, canvas or cardboard. We used cardboard because you need to have a fairly large piece and it’s all we had. You will need paint( I thinned ours just a tiny bit with a few drops of water) , a plate and some paint brushes.
- Start by laying your canvas down with some extra paper or cardboard , this is messy.
- Pour your paint onto a plate – we just used one plate but you can do different ones for each color.
- Dip your brush in and fling it on. To get my son to use the right flinging action I told him to put a spell on the canvas, and it was perfect. We both flung the paint on.
- He took my brush and put a double spell on it too!
- Then we reached for the paint jars.
- Let Dry.
This is a true lesson, while doing this we talked about the painting we saw and how Jackson Pollock made it. I asked him if this was as big as the painting we saw and other little questions to make connections to the field trip and this activity. Most of all though we had fun putting spells on the canvas.
Tips for Successful
Museum Field TripsFeed them right before you go , hungry = cranky.
Have realistic expectations. We lasted almost an hour.
Don’t linger , accept that you may not have time to read the info for the works, at least I didn’t. After getting home and my son was napping I went on the museum’s website and caught up on what I missed.
If they really like a specific work of art go back to it, many times if need be. For me today was a chance to teach my son that art isn’t just in books . That people can experience it collectively, and it’s not static. That sounds lofty but it’s absolutely attainable if you break it down. By returning to a painting he liked ( Target by Jasper Johns) three times I was trying to foster a desire and love of seeing art in person. I want him to like art and museums and so following his lead was helping attain that.
When they say loudly that they are done, head for the elevators. This was the only time I shushed him today but it was clear to me and the 4 others looking at the alter pieces it was time to pack it in.
Have fun !
Teaching children art appreciation doesn’t take a magical formula, it takes exposure. My son loves paintings and part of it comes from looking at my big coffee table books,part children’s books, part Little Einsteins ( yes I do allow some tv and we love that show!) and part is understanding that he can make art as well. When ever he sees a wave he announces it’s Kanagawa! I wanted to do a project with chalk and this seems like a great fit. Also there is no reason this can’t simply be a fun project for an ocean or water theme.
- Before starting show your child the painting if they haven’t seen it, or as a reminder if they have. I find image searches on Google to be the easiest.
- Gather your materials. You will need 2 pieces of construction paper, one black or dark blue and one light brown. Some chalk , glue and scissors.
- Start by drawing a wave on your black paper. If your child can do this they should!
- Fill your wave in with white chalk. This makes the wave look foamy and like it’s crashing.
- Have your child rub the chalk with their hands to smudge it.
This lasted a long time, he loved exploring how he could “fuzzy” the lines of chalk.
- Cut out.
- Add glue to the brown paper.
To minimize glue all over the place and at least at our house lately a major meltdown, I put small a few small marks to guide my son’s gluing. 
This is just a trick to keep him happy- but thought I’d share it , in case your independent minded gluer needs a hand as well.
- Glue the wave on and you are done! I tried to get him to do some drawing on the brown paper but he wanted nothing to do with it. I think what he made was perfect for him and showed it off with much pride. Don’t hesitate to add more detail though.
Books!
“Museum ABC” by the Metropolitan Museum Of Art is a book that was first loved at our house because of the “C is for Cat” page , an early interest of my sons. I loved it because for each letter there are 4 usually very cropped pieces of paintings, showing only that part that fits the subject of each letter. In my nerdy love of identifying paintings I play a game with myself trying to figure out which are which as my son is identifying the letter, and finding the subject matter in each. The book is so beautiful, it’s hard to do it justice in a simple review. A wonderful concept and a great intro to art books for even the tiniest patrons.
“Seen Art?” by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith is one of those books that makes me squeal with delight. The story is funny, and clever and the art included is diverse and some is probably new to most readers. The story is about a little guy who is looking for his friend Art and people keep misunderstanding him and directing him to the MOMA where he is shown art as well as the debate of “But is it art?” plays on as he passes well recognized masterpieces and provocative modern art alike . I was turning the pages too fast for my son I was so excited to see what was next while he wanted to look at the art. I loved the page where he comes to a Monet , you see the little guy from behind and he is very small and despite not seeing his face you can imagine his face frozen with wonder. the book is fantastic and I love the levels of meaning and the sheer amount of art packed into this book. Well Done!
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I love museums, specifically art museums. My son has been really into the Mona Lisa and Birth of Venus since I bought him the first book in the reviews at the Vancouver Art Gallery. He also keeps asking to go to the Louvre after seeing an episode of Little Einsteins, don’t I wish! So while he was napping on Sunday I made him a museum, kids could be a part of this for sure – instead of using masterpiece stickers you could make your own art! It’s been played with multiple times since making it .
- Gather your materials. You will need a shallow card board box, some foam or construction paper in 2 colors, some markers, glue, scissors, art stickers, little people blocks and little people.
- Start by cutting your foam into rugs.
- Draw some fun squiggles to make the foam look like oriental rugs.
- Cut out a door.
- Cut a runner from the other color of foam.
- Add glue for the rugs and runner
- Pop them down.
- Time to add stickers- here is a close up of the stickers we are using. I found them at the St. Louis Art Museum ages ago but have seen them at the Vancouver Art Gallery .
- Add them to your box. The Mona Lisa is from the cover, I’d already used the sticker, I just taped it on.
- Add the furniture- I used a few blocks.
- Add your doorway. My son has been saying “Please pay for museum here” when he plays. If you have time you could make a little desk!
- Time to play.
Books!
“Babar’s Museum of Art” by Laurent de Brunhoff is one of my favorite art books for kids. My son has recently decided he hates it because he doesn’t want to see the elephant versions of the art. All the art in the museum are masterpieces that you will recognize redone with elephants. He slams the page in the way only toddlers with a definite sense of justice can and says ” No elephant paintings Mama, real ones!” Trust me though this book is awesome and he loved it a few months ago. The story is about how Queen Celeste wants to change the abandoned railway station into a museum to house all their collected art . The museum itself looks just like the Musee D’Orsay in Paris and the story also explains art for children.
“In The Garden With Van Gogh“ by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober is a little board book filled with easy rhymes and great art. The book doesn’t really have a story so much as a theme but it works. My son enjoyed it and asked to read it again after we were done. I like that books likes all these bring art into little hands for them to explore.
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When choosing activities for older kids I try to link it to fine art where I can. Exposing children to art appreciation doesn’t have to be on a field trip to a museum, although I recommend that too. This would make a beautiful gift for a mom or grandma for Mother’s Day, especially if you made a group of 3 or 4 and put it in a nice box.
- Gather your materials. You will need glass beads, magnets, rubber cement, a pencil, pictures of your choice and scissors. * I just want to say that I am not ruining a perfectly good book, I was gifted a duplicate and have been saving it for art projects.
- Start by choosing your pictures, if you are using an art book this will give your child a chance to look through many choices, and gives you a chance to ask them what they like and why, or why not.
- Trace your bead over the picture with a pencil.
- Cut out
- Cover the bottom of the bead with rubber cement, not too thick but it should have a nice layer of it.
- Add your picture
- Glue your magnet on and let dry.
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I love art, I specifically love Henri Matisse. My love affair with his work started many years ago now my son has a Matisse print in his room and I look at it every night as I snuggle him to bed. I think exposing our kids to fine art at a young age is a great idea, if they can find Dora in a busy toy store, why not appreciate Matisse, Klimt or Picasso? Matisse is a great artist to try to copy because in his final years he didn’t paint, instead he used painted cut outs. It’s easy to collage in his style for a great tribute. We made our version of Matisse’s masterpiece
“The Snail”.
- Gather your materials. You will need multicolor scrap paper, plain white paper, scissors and glue.
- Look at the masterpiece you want to pay homage to. I love this painting and when I showed my son a few different ones he liked this the best.
- Cut the paper needed. I tried to copy the shapes and colors best I could but there really is no need to be exact. If your child is able to cut let them cut it out.
- Add glue to the edges.
- Add the frame pieces.
- Have your child ad some glue and start placing pieces.
At first I was directing it and things were fine, but then I heard ” I do it!” so I conceded. If I am going to preach allowing your child to do it, I best practice that too. - Add the rest.
- Let dry .
