Last Class of Spring Session

For the last class of the session, we worked on finishing our projects to get ready for the art show. The children began class by adding to their sculptures with more scrap materials, paint, and glitter.


When they were ready to move around the studio, the children worked more on the large group painting to get it finished for the art show.

I recently found a low bench (a friend was giving away) and thought the kids would have fun painting it. I asked them to help me paint it so that we can put it in the garden when it’s finished. Soon, I’ll coat it with an exterior sealer and add it to the kids area outside.

Hard at work to prepare for the show!

Sculpture Building

This week, for a 3-D experience, we worked on sculpture building using re-purposed items. I offered the children a base for their work, glue, and various 3-D materials that I got from SCRAP (Scrounger’s Center for Reusable Art Parts) in San Francisco. This is a great project to do when you have a bunch of random items around the house that you would otherwise throw away (wood scraps, broken jewelry, old keys, bottle caps, etc.)
The toddlers work is more flat like a collage, but as they get older they will begin to experiment more with stacking and building.



For most children, the gluing is the most exciting part! In these early stages of art class, I try not to limit their use of glue because it is part of their creative learning experience. As they continue to use and learn about glue they will eventually learn how to self-regulate as well.


After most of the building was done, I offered the children smaller collage parts and glitter to add to their work.



In two different classes the children discovered the scissors and became very interested in cutting.



The older class missed out last week on the floor mural, so I brought it outside towards the end of class for them to work on.
For the next two classes, I hung the mural on the wall and offered the kids rollers and scrub brushes to paint with.


With each class, the canvas gets more and more interesting!
I hope to see you next week at the spring art show!

Floor Mural and Mother’s Day Gifts

Finally… a full week of warmth and sunshine! I took advantage of this beautiful weather and held our classes outside this week. We began class with a group floor mural, which we painted using some exciting new techniques. I first demonstrated the “bouncy nylon brushes” (hosiery filled with dried beans and rice) that make interesting prints when bounced on the canvas.The children dipped the bouncy nylons onto the plates of paint, then bounced them like a yo-yo to paint the canvas. This was a little tricky for the toddlers, but still a lot of fun!



After introducing the bouncy nylons, I offered the children other tools to use with the paint: Large scrub brushes, whiskers, paint rollers, balls- and trucks of course!



Along with the mural, I placed an easel outside for a different painting experience.




Being outside meant that the sand and water tables were accessible- and therefore very enticing!
To finish our Mother’s day projects from last week, I brought out a tub of organic potting soil, the finished pots, and a selection of flowers. Each child retrieved a shovel from the sand box and got started planting their flowers.

After potting, I gave the children a squeeze bottle to water their flowers.



Squeezing the bottles became an extended activity!
Some of the finished flower pots…


Happy Mother’s Day to all you mamas out there!

New Painting Projects

Mother’s day is coming up so we began class this week with a spring themed gift-making project for all the moms. If you weren’t in class… don’t look! It’s a surprise!The first step of the project is painting a clay pot (which I got from the local garden store). When they dry, I’ll coat them with a sealer and then they’ll be ready for planting our flowers.


In the toddler classes, the children painted their pot little by little, as they looked for other objects to paint. I decided to bring out the next activity (potato prints!) to work on simultaneously. To prepare the potatoes, I cut each one in half and carved a simple shape into the top to create a stamp. An easy way to do this is to use a metal cookie cutter to push down on the potato. This cuts the shape for you, then all you have to do is carve out around the cut. As the children get older, they can learn to do this step themselves.
Along with their paper, I gave each child a plate of paint to use with the potato stamps.
The fun part is pounding the potato onto the paper to create colorful shapes (and the potato is the perfect chunky size for their little hands).

This week I also introduced marble painting to the children. I offered each child a tray with paper inside, a cup of paint and marbles, and a spoon for scooping the marbles. They put painted marbles into their trays and shook them around to create a new kind of painting.
Some of the finished paintings…
The toddlers are still too young to be working with marbles (many of them try to eat our materials) so I gave each child a golf ball to use in the same way.


After experimenting with the new activities, the kids began to move around the studio to find more familiar materials.



A sweet moment of sharing!
Our third activity for the older children was to continue working on the spray mural that they made a few weeks ago. I taped it down to the floor and set out markers for them to use. Jordan and Anna first began drawing clouds and rain. It had been a strange day of off and on rain and sun. Here is a bit of thier conversation as they drew:
Anna: “Where do the clouds come from?”
Jordan: “I think they come for the rain.”
Anna: “I think the sun is stronger than the rain.”
Jordan: “I think the wind is stronger.”
When Jason and Jessica joined them, they began drawing bridges. Jordan first drew the bridge she crosses to get to school, then Anna drew the Golden Gate Bridge. Then Jason said: “This is the Bay Bridge because it’s so long.”


With the new warm weather, the children began to ask to go outside earlier than usual.
I brought some activities outside for them to work on as we wrapped up class.
Rock painting…
Mural spraying…
But the water play is always the most fun!
Even siblings get in on the action at pick-up time!

Cake-Making with Clay

After last week, when our paper mache project quickly turned into an afternoon of cake-making, I realized that this was the perfect opportunity to explore the use of an emergent curriculum in my art classes. For this group, I reflected on the children’s interest in cake-making and decided to steer the curriculum in that direction for the following week.
So rather than making suncatchers, as the other groups did, I chose to offer this group a clay medium to expand on the idea of cake-making.
I gave each child a lump of clay (and a few smaller pieces that were easier to work with) and set out a tray of various clay tools on the table. I also offered each child a bowl of water and a sponge to use for moistening their clay. We initially talked about their previous cakes that they made and how that inspired me to collect new cake-making items for this class. I showed the kids a few techniques, but they mostly experimented on their own, learning about the tools and the different properties of the clay.


After I gave the kids a chance to get to know the clay, I brought out some more cake-making items: paper baking cups, glue, glitter, sand, and little “treasures” (rhinestones, buttons and sequins).




Towards the end of class the kids began to move around the studio, working on some new easel projects. For this easel, I cut up a variety of colored tape and placed them onto the tray under a piece of paper to make a tape collage.
Another sticky collage, this easel is set up with clear contact paper and collage materials. Just press and stick- A fun way to end the day!