You don’t need to hunt down that special blue sun print paper to entertain your kids with this art project. This technique even allows you to skip developing the print under water. Chances are you have the supplies at home – ordinary construction paper and something to hold lightweight objects in place.
Materials for Crafts
You need construction paper that hasn’t already been exposed to the sun (by sitting on a tabletop, etc.).
You’ll also need different objects with interesting shapes. This project is a great way to get kids to focus on the shape or silhouette of an object. For preteens, they may recognize this concept as positive and negative space. (Learn what that means and get a couple of art project ideas at Positive and Negative Space Art Projects and Positive and Negative Space Cut Paper Designs.) This is an inexpensive project, so kids can experiment and discover the silhouettes that various objects will leave behind.
For lightweight objects that might blow away, you’ll need pebbles or pins
that will allow you to hold those items in place.
A sunny day
How to Make a Sun Print
You’ll need to work in an area that will get sunlight for two or three hours. Work on a flat surface – short grass is okay.
Set down the paper.
Place the item or items on the paper. If the items will blow away (as leaves will), weigh them down with small pebbles or use map pins or push pins to tack the item to the paper. Make certain that the pebble or pin is on the object and that it’s not sitting full on the paper or it will create its own shape.
Leave the items in the sun. Check after two hours by lifting the items just a bit. The dye in the paper is protected by the object. The paper that wasn’t covered will fade in the sun.
Ta dah! You’ve created a sun print of an object. Experiment with items that have a variety of shapes.
Showing posts with label crafts for kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crafts for kids. Show all posts
Friday, July 8, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Make a Flower Chain
A child wearing a headband or necklace of interlocked daisies just seems to symbolize carefree summer. Although it takes a bit to get used to interlocking the flowers, children with good fine motor skills (they can tie their own shoes with ease) can learn the process. Younger children can pick the flowers. Just be warned – you probably won’t be able to work fast enough if you have more than one child waiting!
You want a flower with a stem that you can easily slit with your thumbnail. The stem should also be flexible enough to bend without it crooking into a sharp angle. The shorter the stem, the more flowers you’ll need, setting the blossoms close together.
With your thumbnail, cut a slit through the stem. Next, slide the stem of another flower through the slit. The blossom of the second flower should stop at the slit of the first flower. Continue until the piece is as long as desired. To finish off the chain and bring it into a loop, make a larger slit in the last stem and fit it over the first flower. That’s it!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Nature Art for Kids – Word Art
Use rocks, twigs, and seashells to write messages to others who'll visit your location after you've left. You can do this art in nature project almost anywhere. This is a fun activity for children just learning their letters; but, it is even more enjoyable for children who can spell. For this kids’ craft, children use natural materials to write messages to others who will later discover their simple endeavors.
Children will need to gather a supply of twigs, pine cones, seashells, pebbles, acorns, etc. with which to write a letter or word. The location will determine the materials the children use. Kids might decide to write out each letter with a different object or use a mix of natural materials to create each letter. Encourage children to experiment and then judge the results.
When you select a location, you want it to be somewhere others will see the message without destroying it should a walker who isn’t paying attention accidentally scattering the letters with her feet. You should also be careful to avoid doing this on lawns – when a lawnmower comes on the scene, it could be dangerous for the operator and anyone in the area if pebbles or twigs start flying as the cutting blade runs over your project.
Children will also find it easier to work if they select a location where others don’t have to sidestep around a child to get to where they are going – so, no doorways, pathways, etc. It can be a challenge to find a spot where kids can work but where others will see their artistic messages.
With a work area and a supply of natural materials, children can write out words or messages to those who’ll come along at a later time and discover these expressions. This can be as simple as “Hello,” or can encourage an action, “Shhh,” or “Look up.” Letters six-to-twelve inches high work up quickly. You may want children to start with words containing approximately five letters.
Young children who are just learning their letters can use their gathered materials to form letters. Have a bit of fun by making a “T” next to a tree or an “S” from seashells. This is a casual way to reinforce what a child is learning in school. If your child is enjoying the process, you could help him write out simple words. When possible, scratch the letters in the sand or dirt and allow the children to form the letters with found objects.
This is a fun and easy kids’ activity to do while you are resting alongside a natural trail or while you are picnicking or having a snack. Children may become inspired to write a series of words, which develop into a short phrase when read together as someone moves along a quarter-mile or even a mile section of trail.
Find more nature-inspired art and craft projects in Art in Nature/Nature in Art: Art Experiences for Kids Ages 8 – to – 14 and their Creative Adults.
Children will need to gather a supply of twigs, pine cones, seashells, pebbles, acorns, etc. with which to write a letter or word. The location will determine the materials the children use. Kids might decide to write out each letter with a different object or use a mix of natural materials to create each letter. Encourage children to experiment and then judge the results.
When you select a location, you want it to be somewhere others will see the message without destroying it should a walker who isn’t paying attention accidentally scattering the letters with her feet. You should also be careful to avoid doing this on lawns – when a lawnmower comes on the scene, it could be dangerous for the operator and anyone in the area if pebbles or twigs start flying as the cutting blade runs over your project.
Children will also find it easier to work if they select a location where others don’t have to sidestep around a child to get to where they are going – so, no doorways, pathways, etc. It can be a challenge to find a spot where kids can work but where others will see their artistic messages.
With a work area and a supply of natural materials, children can write out words or messages to those who’ll come along at a later time and discover these expressions. This can be as simple as “Hello,” or can encourage an action, “Shhh,” or “Look up.” Letters six-to-twelve inches high work up quickly. You may want children to start with words containing approximately five letters.
Young children who are just learning their letters can use their gathered materials to form letters. Have a bit of fun by making a “T” next to a tree or an “S” from seashells. This is a casual way to reinforce what a child is learning in school. If your child is enjoying the process, you could help him write out simple words. When possible, scratch the letters in the sand or dirt and allow the children to form the letters with found objects.
This is a fun and easy kids’ activity to do while you are resting alongside a natural trail or while you are picnicking or having a snack. Children may become inspired to write a series of words, which develop into a short phrase when read together as someone moves along a quarter-mile or even a mile section of trail.
Find more nature-inspired art and craft projects in Art in Nature/Nature in Art: Art Experiences for Kids Ages 8 – to – 14 and their Creative Adults.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Rainy Day Spring Art Projects
Rainy Day Sun Catcher
Run your hand over a coffee filter so to make it as flat as possible. Color the paper with washable marker. Bring the filter outside and set it on a deck or driveway. Once the paper is wet (which depends on how hard it is raining), bring the paper inside to dry. The water will encourage the ink to seep over the paper. When the paper is dry, tape these disks in a window that gets a lot of sun.
Tie Dye Wrapping Paper
You’ll need white paper towel and washable markers. Again color the paper (it isn’t necessary to cover the entire piece with marker) and set out in the rain for a couple of minutes. You can set the paper on trays (like a cookie sheet), but you want to use the back of the tray, particularly if it has sides, so you don’t trap a puddle of water. Hang or drape the paper so it dries. You can wrap small gifts in the paper, either taping
it closed or wrapping ribbon around it.
Painting with Watercolors
If you have a watercolor palette that has only hard bits of paint in the corners of each section, pop out the paint and break it into tiny pieces. Set the paper on the back of a tray or cookie sheet. Scatter the pieces over a sheet of watercolor paper in a random way or individually place the broken pieces of paint.
Bring outside and allow the rain to mix with the paint. This will take longer than the projects with the washable markers. When you bring the paper inside, you can either dab at the puddles of paint with a scrunched up piece of paper towel or you can sprinkle the paper with kosher salt – when the paint dries, you can brush off the salt leaving behind an interesting pattern.
Some kids fear getting wet (Do they have to change their clothes if they get damp? Will their mom become angry if there is mud on their shoes?). Some parents might view sending their kids out into the rain as a hassle. For these projects kids can run out and back in, with no need to change into boots and raincoat. Of course, while the kids are waiting for the paint and ink to do its thing, you can encourage the kids to run around in the rain, stomp in puddles, and look for earthworms on the surface soil. You could even join them.
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