Tag: art

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Spring Activities

Spring in the Pacific Northwest doesn’t always mean great outdoor time. If you are looking for some good indoor activities to do with your little ones, here are a few suggestions.

Coloring Pages

Coloring is always more fun when you have new and interesting pictures to color. Check out these printable coloring pages for some fun.

Coffee Filter Flowers

Feeling crafty? Give these coffee filter flowers a try.

Hand Print Daffodils

Hand print daffodils are a great way to preserve your little one’s hand print with a festive twist.

Fingerprint Sheep

While you’ve got the paint out, why not make a cute sheep with your child’s fingerprints?

Coffee Ground Fossils

For your budding archeologist, give these coffee ground fossils a try.

Bean Bag Buddy

You just need some old socks, beans or peas, yarn and maybe some googly eyes to make these fun bean bag buddies.

Baby Food Jar Gardens

These miniature gardens are so cute and easy to make with little ones.

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Fun with Dyed Pasta

Dyed Pasta

Dyed PastaHas your child come home recently with a necklace made from lovely, bright pasta? That’s because we dyed some for the kids to use to help them practice their stringing, which is great for honing those fine motor skills. But, lest you think the only thing they can do with beautifully died pasta is put it on a string, here are some other ideas for fun pasta crafts.

For all of these crafts, you’ll want some nicely died pasta. For an excellent tutorial, check out this one by Julie Finn at Crafting a Green World.

Jewelry

Jewelry is the old pasta stand by, but you can do some pretty great things with the number of types of pasta you can find. Wagon wheels glued together can make really pretty tiaras when glued to a plain plastic headband, and bow ties make great center pendants on bracelets and necklaces. All you need is pasta and string! You can even decorate hair clips by gluing the pasta to plain barrettes. And, you can find some fun pastas like peace signs (made by Annie’s Organics – check the natural food section at Fred Meyer).

Transportation

Lasagna noodles make great bases for train cars, and rigatoni makes some pretty cool lumber to tote in those train cars. You can of, course, use wagon wheels for tires on all sorts of vehicles. If you want some inspiration, this pasta train from Parents is pretty cool.

Art

Gluing pasta on poster board or card stock is a great way for kids to create their own designs. And, you can always let them paint the pasta after it’s on the paper, instead of dying it ahead of time. Also, if your little one is learning their ABCs, alphabet pasta can be a fun way to reinforce those letters.

Garland

Just like stringing cranberries for tree garland, you can string pasta for pretty garlands to hang on your Christmas tree or around the house anywhere.

Picture Frames

Pasta can add fun texture to a picture frame. Glue pieces of pasta on a basic frame and paint over them, or used the dyed pasta for a different look.

If you’re the type that prefers to learn by watching, Parents has a video about pasta crafts with some other fun ideas too.

No matter which activity you do with pasta, your child is sure to love it!

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Displaying Your Child’s Artwork

Paint

PaintAt In a Child’s Path, we spend a lot of time creating art. So, what do you do with all the art that gets sent home with your child?

Here are some ideas for using your child’s art work in creative ways.

Wrapping Paper

Much of the painting that occurs at our preschool happens on large sheets of butcher paper. This is perfect for using for wrapping gifts. And, for family and friends who love and appreciate your children, it’s like two gifts in one!

Table Covering

All of that butcher paper painting makes for great table coverings as well. You can put them over kids’ art tables so that they have a pretty covering for future creations. You can use them as table runners for your holiday table. You can even laminate them and make really cool placemats. And, how excited would your child be to see their art on your table every morning at breakfast?

Gallery Style

If you’re more into preserving your child’s art and displaying it on the wall, check out some of these ideas for attractive ways to display them:

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Building Skills – Clear Easel Painting

Paint Brushes

Paint BrushesClear easel painting is a great activity to do with your child to help them develop a range of skills.

Language Skills
A discussion of colors, shapes, and objects can be described by you and your child

Emotional Skills
Children express their emotions through paint

Cognitive Skills
Paint of clear plastic, wipe it off. Children can see through the easel.

Fine Motor Skills
Small details of painting with a small brush

Large Motor Skills
Large arm movements reaching high above the head

When you’re looking for an excellent activity to do with your child, consider clear easel painting.

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Building Skills – Crayon Melt

Crayons

CrayonsIf you’re looking for fun activities for you to do with your kids, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got a ton of good ideas for building skills in your child. One great craft to do with your children is crayon melts.

Cognitive Skills
The heat causes the solids to transform into liquid.

Fine Motor Skills
Breaking small pieces of crayon with fingers

Sensory Skills

  • Warmth of the hot plate
  • Crayons feel silky and smooth
  • Wax is sticky
  • Noticeable smell when the wax melts

Language Skills
Discuss the changes of a solid to a liquid

Cooperative Skills

  • Share one hot pan
  • Take urns
  • Share space
  • Watch each other

Your child can learn a number of excellent skills by doing crayon melts.

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Building Skills – Art Lathe

Art Lathe

If you’re looking for an excellent way to build skills in your child, consider an art lathe.

Art Lathe
Social/Language Skills

  • Watching and interacting with each other
  • Children share their excitement and emotions verbally

Cognitive Skills

  • Seeing the patterns and designs gives children an opportunity for matching and counting
  • Children learn cause and effect placing the paint on the spinning lathe, then watch the design that it makes
  • Dropping paint causes a unique design to take shape

Fine Motor Skills
Children use the pincer grasp when holding the pen, pencil, or small paint

Cooperative Skills

  • Share the art lathe
  • Take turns
  • Watch and learn from each other
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Building Skills – Paper Mache

Paper Mache

Paper MachePaper mache is yet another excellent activity you can do with your child. Paper Mache can teach your child a number of skills.

Large Motor Skills

  • Tearing paper
  • Stirring glue
  • Applying paper to base

Social Skills
Children talk about the progress of the sculpture, taking pride in their work through conversations

Emotional Skills
The labors that such a project take will connect child with finished project

Cooperative Skills
Children share materials. This is a group effort where children construct together.

Language Skills
Books and illustrations about final outcome promote language.

Sensory Skills
The texture of the glue, cold, wet, sticky. The roughness of the dry paper.

Cognitive Skills
The process of paper mache: The glue changes from a liquid to a solid state.

Paper Mache is a great way to work with your child on completing an interesting project.