Blog - The Art Pantry

November 9, 2010 by Megan Schiller

Tissue Paper Sculptures and Various Painting Projects

As daylight begins to shorten this time of year, I thought about offering projects that can incorporate the darkness of winter. This week I decided to focus on tissue paper collage sculptures that are fun to play with in the dark! (thanks to The Artful Parent for this great idea) First I created a circlular frame out of wire, then placed it on a sheet of clear contact paper (sticky side up). The children were offered bits of colored tissue paper to create a collage.

The children also decided to add glitter and sequins to their collage!

When the collages were finished, I helped the kids fold over the sides of the contact paper to seal it up, then showed them how they can bend and sculpt the wire into various shapes. I happen to have a flashlight handy in one class, so I showed the kids how to illuminate the sculpture by shining the flashlight through- which is especially fun in the dark!

For the rest of class, the children re-visited their scrap sculptures from the previous week to add paint and more details.

As the children finished up their sculptures, they worked on various projects around the studio.

We even took advantage of the warm weather to finish up class outside.

While we were outside, I introduced “splat paintings.” First we soaked pom-poms in watered down paint on a tray…

then we threw them at the easel to create a “splat!”

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November 7, 2010 by Megan Schiller

Veggie Prints and Collage

This week the 1s class experimented with veggie print making. I cut a variety of vegetables (and an apple) in half to create a flat surface. The children were each given a plate of paint and a large paper to stamp out their veggie prints. The veggies were an interesting addition to tempera painting for the kids, but they were soon looking for something else to work with. I decided to try out the colored glue to give them a chance at squeezing. This proved to be very exciting, especially when I added bits of collage materials to the table!

Mia’s older sister, Sasha, joined us for class and worked on her sculpture project from the 3s class.

Electra and Mia worked with the glue and collage materials for a while. Scooping the small collage bits out of the large bin was very exciting.

Towards the end of class I brought out some trays and golf balls to paint with. The kids each smothered a golf ball in paint, scooped it into their tray, then rolled it around by moving the tray side to side.

The kids are really starting to collaborate more, sharing materials and working together!

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November 5, 2010 by Megan Schiller

Building Sculptures with Wood and Recycled Items

This week the 2s and 3s classes worked on sculpture building with wood scraps and recycled objects. The children started off with a thick poster board base and white glue. On the table were two types of trays- one with wood scraps and another with recycled items such as old toy parts, containers, and CDs. We observed the shapes of the objects and how they can stand up in various ways and stack on top of each other.

Some of the children were not sure about stacking and building with the large items, so I brought out the colored glue and glitter to make it a little more interesting!

The children were very interested in easel painting this week, working alone as well as in pairs.

After moving to the easels and shelf, the kids brought back paint and various items to the table to use with their sculptures.

Towards the end of class, I brought out a new medium for the kids to experiment with… Bioputty. To make the putty, we used Biocolor paints and a Bioputty solution (both are non-toxic children’s art supplies) and mixed them together. We got to see how combining these two special liquids could create a solid.

Here is what the putty looked like in it’s gooey stage. It is a very sensory-based medium to work with, but can definitely get a little messy!
In the 3s class, rather than work with the putty, the kids experimented with body painting! They started off painting their nose, then moved on to painting their feet to make footprints.

Washing up in a tub of warm water on a chilly day!

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November 1, 2010 by Megan Schiller

Watercolors and Foam Paint

For the 1s class this week we explored painting with liquid watercolors. Each child started off with two colors of paint, a brush, and watercolor paper. They curiously dipped their brushes in the jars and then watched how the paint ran and swirled around the paper (unlike the tempera paint they have been using).

After a bit of exploration, I began to slowly introduce new materials such as coffee filters, glitter, and new colors of paint. Coffee filters are fun to paint on with watercolor because they soak up the paint and create a tie-dye effect. Once the children realized that they could pour the paints, they were quite content focusing on pouring and didn’t care much about the filters! This is why the trays come in handy :)

After a while of pouring and painting, I brought out a new medium to use with the watercolors… foam paint! I usually use whipped cream for this project, but it is pretty greasy so I decided to experiment with Colorations foam paint this time (it has the same texture and properties as shaving cream without the toxic fumes). Mia was really into this sensory activity, while Aly and Electra preferred to stick with the watercolors.

As the kids moved around and explored the studio, I brought out a bucket of warm water for washing up (and more pouring of course!).

Towards the end of class Karuna (who hangs with Grandma during this class) came to the window to check out the scene.

She was welcomed by the kids and came in to help them pour.

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October 28, 2010 by Megan Schiller

Collage and Marbles

This week the newer 2s class explored colored glue and collage bits. I offered the children their clay work from last week as well as a large piece of tag board to use as a base. Although the collage materials are intriguing, the act of squeezing glue is always the best part! And when you add color to the glue… even better!

The children remained focused for a while on their collages- sometimes moving to the easels for a break and then returning to the table to continue their work.

Towards the end of class, I brought out trays, paint, and marbles to expand on the ball paintings (golf and large balls) from last week. After doing this project in other classes, I noticed that the children really enjoy the difference of having lots of small balls rather than one or two large balls. Or maybe it’s the clanking noise that the glass marbles make! Scooping and pouring the marbles is also very exciting!