Tips for Art With Tots (ages 2 and up): Inside/Outside sculpture

Inside/Outside sculpture

Using an empty box begin talking with your child about different buildings or structures they are familiar with. See if they relate the box to a familiar object like a house or a boat. If there is a lid for the box start by glueing the lid to some part of the box to make a new shape. 
Help your child sort the wood and cardboard scraps into piles. An example would be a pile of large pieces and small pieces, long pieces and short pieces, etc.

Now it's time to add more structure to the box. Begin with the larger wood pieces. When glueing the pieces to the box talk about what's inside and what's outside. Help them to think about what is the top and what is the bottom. Next add the smaller wood pieces, cardboard shapes, and paper towel rings. Hold up the sculpture and have them look at it from all sides (including top, bottom, and inside too!). 
Lastly add the decorative pieces. When the glue dries you can add Tempera or Activity paint to the sculpture for the finishing touch. 
Try to avoid making decisions for your child about the sculpture. Ask them questions and let them tell you their "story".


Materials:
An empty box (no bigger than a shoe box) with or without a lid.
Tacky glue- use a Popsicle stick to apply glue (I mix it with 1/3 Elmer's Glue)
Wood scraps
Cardboard scraps (cut large pieces in to thin strips, triangles, rectangles, squares)
Paper towel tubes cut in to small rings
misc. textures and decorative pieces (feathers, buttons, beads, fabric, fancy papers, etc.)
Tempera paint/Activity paint
*Please be mindful of potential choking hazards when choosing your materials and never let the child play with their completed sculpture un-attended.


What The Experts Say
"The best creative environment encourages children to be playful or silly, to be alone or bored sometimes, to explore or even fail sometimes ... Children may not choose to `go on with art' as they grow older, but it will always be a part of their life. The most valuable things they get from art---the flexibility, the decision making abilities, the confidence in their intuition, the feeling of celebration they bring to any creative endeavor." 
--Sally Warner, Encouraging The Artist in Your Child, (St. Martins Press, 1989)

Tips for Art With Tots (ages 2 and up): Tissue Paper Prints

Tissue Paper Prints


Using bleeding tissue paper, cut out several shapes in a variety of colors. Have the kids lay out the shapes on a white piece of paper and arrange them until they are happy with the look. Next, use a wet brush or eye dropper to drip water on to each piece of tissue. It's best not to touch the tissue directly because it tends to stick. Let the water do the work. The dye from the tissue will bleed and mix with other colors. The more water they add the more the colors will run. Let the kids experiment with the amount of water they add. Don't be discouraged when you see a lot of brown puddles. It's all part of the process. Let the artwork dry and remove the tissue paper to see the finished design.
Note: The dye from the tissue paper will stain the hands. Have the kids use gloves if this is a concern.


Materials:
Bleeding tissue paper
Scissors
Eye dropper or paint brush
Water container
Paper towels

Tips for Art With Tots (ages 2 and up): Crazy brushes

Crazy Brushes


Painting is always a hit, but make it even more creative by using alternative brushes. Any painting surface will do. Start out by using one "brush" at a time and help them focus on the marks by only offering one or two colors of paint (preferably primary colors) at a time. As you rotate through the "brushes" point out how each mark is different. After you have explored each "brush" individually, begin a new painting and allow your child to chose their favorite "brushes" and use multiple colors of paint. This project is fun to try over and over again with new brush creations and on different surfaces. Art is about process first. Explore and create!


Materials:
Tempera paint or activity paint
Water container
Paper towels
Paint shirt
Painting surfaces (paper, canvas, card board, etc.)
optional "brushes":
Comb, doll brush, sticks, sponges, wire whisks, string, beaded necklace, plastic flower parts, pine needles, chenille stems, card board scraps, small rubber ball, toy car, the possibilities are endless!

Tip: To help paint wash off easily, put lotion on your child's hands before painting. This will also help to prevent the paint from being too harsh and drying on sensitive skin.

What The Experts Say
"The relationship between high self-esteem and unfettered creativity is extremely strong. By its very nature, creativity is a deviant act. It says, `I see things my way and I am willing to let you into my private, perceptual world.'... Studies show that the freely creative youngster is high in self-confidence, emotional maturity, calmness, and independence. He has the capacity for sustained concentration and involved absorption in his projects. Education must concern itself with children's emotions and self attitude or it does not deal with the whole child. It is only as a child's total uniqueness is respected that he can permit his individuality to unfold."
--Dorothy Corkille Briggs, Your Child's Self Esteem, (Doubleday, 1970)

Tips for Art With Tots (ages 2 and up): Paint with Pastels

Add a little water fun to your everyday pastels!
Paint with Pastels


Begin by dipping the pastels in water. Make a few marks on a chalkboard with the wet pastels. Blow on the marks to see them magically brighten!
Next use a sponge to add a layer of water to the chalkboard. Start swirling the pastels in the water until it forms a paint like consistency(rubbing them on their side works best). Now dig in and use your fingers to swirl and mix colors like finger paint!


Materials:
small chalkboard
a few brightly colored pastels (sidewalk chalk works too but the colors won't be as bright)
container of water
small sponge

When they are all done playing, make a print!

Tips for Art With Tots (ages 2 and up): Rubbing Resists

Rubbing Resists


Take the paper off the crayons, rub the side of the crayon on paper over textures of all kinds. Sand paper, plastic lace and/or mesh screening material work well.  For a little extra fun paint watercolor or watered down tempera paint over the rubbings and "see what happens!"

Materials:

Crayons

Paper

Paint

Paintbrush

Water

Misc. Textures