Archive for the ‘Free Art Friday’ Category

We were on vacation all last week and my in laws bought this massive bubble set for my son, which he loves. He’s already used up all the bubble solution and if you know my feelings about bubble solution you probably aren’t surprised when I found something else to do with the wands. I know I am a Scrooge but bubble solution skeeves me out. So if you are done with bubbles but the wands are hanging around grab them and make some art!

1. Gather your materials. You will need some construction or other heavier paper, a plate , paint in fun colors and some bubble wands.
2. Put the paint on the paint and dip your wand in.
3. Create!  This is an opened ended art project there are not complicated steps to follow or anyway to mess it up. If your child wants to make clear prints cool, if they want to spread the paint with the wands like a brush awesome. Just let them play.

Using unconventional tools to paint with has long been a favorite activity for me as a teacher and mom, it revives plain old painting as well as forces your child to think in a creative way. It doesn’t take many of these projects before your child will see a unconventional tool and suggest you try painting with it! Creative thinking at it’s best!

Taking old standards and finding ways to make them fresh and new is something I have always relied on in classrooms and at home with my son. This activity was a big hit, simple and allowed him to make whatever he wanted. I kid you not when he started painting he said ” It’s just abstract.”  I have been lounging  in bed with my art books a lot and someone likes to cuddle and look at the pictures with me , glad to know he’s listening.

1. Gather your materials. You will need some paints, a dish, paper and an exfoliating glove or mitt.
2. Put the paint on the dish.
3. Get your glove on , this took some time but try not to offer help unless they ask.  I step in too early and need to work on that or my son will be 12 and I will still be putting his shoes on.
4. Dip into the paint.
5. Go for it.  My son decided that smacking the paper hard was his technique , there is no wrong way. The glove did get stuck to the paper a few times but no biggie. Also the glove made really cool sounds when he scrapped it against the paper. I loved all the different senses that came into play during this activity.

Books About Colors

Hello, Red Fox by Eric Carle is a fun interactive book about colors and the color wheel. Kids will love the “trick” on each page. The trick being that if you stare at a color for long enough then stare at a blank page the complimentary color will appear! This book is great, but not for a group, a class will disintegrate into “Let me!!” and “My turn!” quickly so this is really is best read one on one!

Little Blue and Little Yellow is a profound book with underlying commentary about race relations while the surface story is about little blobs of color who when squished together turn into one green blob! You’ll be surprised by how easily your preschooler will pick up on the connection between the two. In my PreK class I had more than a few kids make the connection all on their own.

Lemons Are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a clever book each page offers a sneak peek at what it next, which my son thought was genius and I have to agree. Soon my son was making his own predictions about what object would be revealed when we turned the page. The book offered so many chances for me to step in and ask my son questions about what we were reading without stalling the momentum of the book.

Scrap Paper Creations

Here at No Time For Flash Cards we call open ended art , Free Art Friday. I stole that from another preschool teacher because every Friday she would let the kids direct theor own art with all the supplies. Which is awesome in so many ways.  Today’s project has been the most true to form free art yet.  As I answer emails my son will often play with playdough, draw or cut scrap paper. Well  a few days ago that is exactly what he was doing when I hear from his chair ” I need glue to make my fish!”  So I handed him a glue stick and sure enough he’d cut an outline of a snowman in two to make a fish, and was now gluing on scales. Pride was overflowing. I grabbed the camera quickly and for those of you who ask if I keep projects , yes this one will be kept- forever!!

So grab some scrap paper, scisssors and glue and create! Whatever they make will be perfect !

Today’s guest post is perfect for what I often call “Free Art Friday” .  As often as we do crafts in my house I also offer plenty of “free” or “open ended” art for my son. It’s so important and should outweigh the structured crafts by far. My son has open access to a bunch of materials but if you are unsure how to start here is a great post by Shannon of Mommies Little Artist .

What is Open Ended Art?

In our house we do Open Ended Art and some have never heard of it or are not sure what it is or where to begin. Open Ended Art is simple and every kid can do it. Set up a art center in your house whether it is big or small just designate an area in your home (one that you don’t mind a mess; ours is in the kitchen so i can mop the floor if needed). Set out the supplies and keep the supplies replenished so they create when ever they want.

So how can you have Open Ended Art in your home:

1. Provide New materials weekly

2. Its ideal to leave them out so they can go to it and create whenever they want (with puffy paint that isn’t possible! but with our other themes it will be)

3. Do Not Alter or Fix your child’s artwork (so it should look like a child did it)

4. Don’t Ask what is this? or say Is this?

5. Is about the Process NOT the Product

6. There is no Right or Wrong way

7. Never Tell them what to create

8. Do not have a sample or model of what you want them to create

9. Let them be as independent as possible

10. Let them come up with their own ideas on how to create with the art materials provided.

Thank you Shannon and all the readers who have sent in guest post. I am so pleased by the community that No Time For Flash Cards has become and am amazed by how well you have stepped in when I needed you!  Thank you !

Free Art Friday !

Free Art or Open Ended Art is crucial! Kids need to be able to have no boundaries and simply create. I get asked often how I schedule my son’s learning and really I don’t have a strict schedule.  We play and the learning comes from that most of the time- I throw in crafts every second day or so and we read all the time. Crayons, markers, paper and stickers are always available for easy creations. Today we didn’t make a craft we made the materials,  recycled crayons. It’s easy and fun. You may notice a change in my son from the making to the using, we popped out and got a hair cut, and sucker !

1. Gather your materials. You need orange crayons, a single black crayon, muffin tin and non stick spray.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 300.
3. Peel the paper off your crayons.
4. Break your orange crayons into little pieces, easily the favorite step for my son.
5. Pop them into the greased muffin tin.
6. Into the oven it took about 10 minutes to melt. While it melts, peel and break the black crayon into small bits.
7. Add small bits of the black crayons to the orange. I tried to make a face but it didn’t work- you could use shavings and place them as the crayons are cooling.
8. Pop back into the oven for a few minutes.
9. Swirl the wax and let cool.
10. Tip if the crayons aren’t releasing from the muffin tin , put them in the freezer for a few minutes and they will pop right off.
11. Now it’s time for fun – use the crayons for some free art! My son was excited to use the crayons HE made !
12. If you can’t tell that is a pumpkin and goblin eating a string cheese.  As per my son’s explanation! Have fun !