During one of our art classes my daughter noticed a young artist sitting at the back of the room making a profile portrait of a school owner’s daughter from a phone pic. With practiced movements she drew free hand steady beautiful lines and curves directly with acrylic paint on canvas. The lines were black and background…
Category: Art
Science of Sunsets: painting watercolor sunsets with kids
Did you take time to watch a sunset this summer? For most people with small kids the answer is probably no, unless they just went on vacation. And it’s a pity considering that sunsets are not only beautiful, but also very educational. Educational, you ask? That’s right, the colors in sunsets are the realm of…
Symmetry for Little Kids Art Project with Free Printables
For the past two weeks we were doing a unit study on Symmetry for Little Kids. I found that I could talk all I want about symmetry, but until kids got a chance to do a hands-on project there wasn’t a fire of understanding in their eyes. This project was super fun for all ages…
Teach Symmetry with Backyard Nature Collage
It was once believed that mathematics belonged to a rational, “left-brain” and art was in the realm of emotional, “right-brain” activity. The latest research, however, shows that brain is not nearly as dichotomous as once thought. The pathways in the brain connect and overlap in complicated ways and there are many activities that integrate both…
Audubon Inspired Bird Study and Cardinal Drawing Tutorial
On our recent trip to the library we stumbled upon The Boy who Drew Birds: a story of John James Audubon. We enjoyed reading the book very much and decided that we wanted to learn more about this inspiring painter and ornithologist. Imagine my surprise when the following week my friend, and creator of popular…
Ten Uses for Dollar Store Flat Marbles
Dollar Stores are great places to discover unexpected items that become my kids favorite toys. Last year I bought a bag of flat marbles for $2.99 and they’ve been getting a great amount of use. From budget math manipulatives, to fine motor play, from art tool, to game pieces, I want to share with you…
Surprising Art with Flat Marbles
I was working on Ten Uses for Dollar Store Flat Marbles when we accidentally stumbled upon this surprising art activity. As my 3-year was throwing flat marbles in a cup of water, while the older two kids were painting at a dinner table, there was a suggestion to combine these two activities. Water + Paint + Flat Marbles? Why…
Marvelous Textured Paint Collage: Shapes, Colors, and Fine Motor Practice
Our best projects are usually the result of experimentation. We started with a lesson on shapes for the benefit of my preschooler and ended with a marvelous textured paint collage that even my second-grader calls “the best art ever” (until the next best art ever that is). It’s fun for kids of all ages to play…
Ooey-Gooey Fun
If you are looking for a quick, fun activity with relatively little clean up then try our Ooey-Gooey art. My kids love to play with stuff they can moosh (is it even a word?) and squash with their bare hands, but if your kids are squeamish about having to touch stuff that is sticky,…
