Art Ideas for early-childhood, toddlers, children of all ages and the aging or developmentally delayed adult

Fun and Easy Anyone Art

by Jean Warren
(C) 2001 – 2017 Warren Publications @ preschoolexpress.com

ZIPLOCK BAG ART

RAINBOW COLORS
• Give each artist a small zip lock bag.
• Place three colored balls (one red, one blue and one yellow) of play dough in each bag.
• Encourage your artist to squish and blend the colors.
• Have them describe the new colors they discover

COLORING PLAY DOUGH
• Give each artist a small zip lock bag with a white ball of play dough inside.
• Before zipping closed let each artist choose a color of food coloring.
• Sprinkle a couple of drops of the chosen color into bag each artist’s bag.
• Zip each bag securely.
• Encourage the artist to push and squeeze their play dough, allowing the food coloring to absorb into the dough.
• Discuss the interesting swirls and color shades their dough ends up with.

GLITTER BAGS
• Set out on a table, some zip lock bags, a bowl of water, a ½ cup measuring cup, a small bowl of glitter, small bowl of mini-foil cutouts, small bowl of cut up tinsel, other small plastic items.
• One at a time, hold a zip lock bag open for a artist.
• First, have her put ½ cup water into the bag.
• Then let her choose a number of small items to place into her bag.
• Securely zip her bag and add reinforcing tape to the top of the bag.
• Have each artist tip and turn their bags to create different glitter collages.

SELF-STICK PAPER ART –
Clear Contact Paper

Self-sticking paper is great for toddler art projects. No need to deal with messy glue that your artist might put into his mouth, or no need to make sure that there is sufficient glue on the paper surface for your project.
HEART COLLAGE
Give your artist an 8” x 8” piece of self-sticking paper and some small paper hearts.
Have your artist place the hearts all over the sticky side of her paper.
When done, cut the paper into a heart shape and hang up the hearts on a window.

HEART FRAMES
Cut out a large red construction paper heart.
Fold the heart in half, length-wise.
Then place your scissors in an inch and cut out another heart shape, leaving a solid heart shape and a 1” heart frame.
Place the heart frame over your artist’s college.
Cut off any part of the collage that sticks out of the frame.
Alternative: Place the heart frame over self-stick paper first. Then have your artist attach the paper hearts.
ADDITIONAL FRAMES TO USE WITH TODDLERS
Seasonal Frames, such as; Flower, Apple, Leaf, Pumpkin, etc.
Shape Frames, such as: Rectangle, Square, Circle, etc.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO USE WITH SELF-STICK PAPER
Feathers
Cotton balls
Leaves, small or crumbled larger leaves
Tissue squares – all one color or multi-colored for a mosaic look.


STICKY ART MURAL
• Tape a large piece of sticky paper on your wall.
• Give your artist small flower cut-outs to place on the wall.
• Then give them small butterfly cut-out to place around the flowers.
• This activity can be adapted to different seasons and different events.

Kitchen Art

Kitchens provide wonderful materials for creative projects for preschoolers. Flour for play dough, paper plates for puppets, and muffin cup liners for spring flowers are but a few of the many supplies found in almost every kitchen. Below are some of my favorite kitchen crafts for preschoolers.

Handprint Place Mats
Let your artist artist on a baking sheet. Encourage your artist to use palms, fingers, thumbs, and his or her whole hands to make designs in the artist. When your artist is finished, help him or her make handprints on several sheets of construction paper. When the paint is dry, cover the papers with clear self-stick paper (or have them laminated). Use your artist's Handprint Place Mats at meal times.

PAPER FLOWERS
Give each of your artist two paper baking cups and a sheet of paper.
Have them smash their cups flat and glue them on their paper.
Next, give each artist two more baking cups (don’t flatten) to glue to the top of the flattened ones.
The flowers will resemble daffodils.
To finish off the flowers, let your artist use green crayons or markers to draw on grass, stems, and leaves.

PUDDING PAINT
Make a batch of pudding.
Give each of your artist a spoonful of pudding on a large sheet of paper.
After, washing their hands, let them pretend the pudding is artist and spread it all over the paper.
Artist enjoy this immensely, and they love licking their fingers when they are through.

NAPKIN TIE-DYE
Give your artist white paper napkins.
Have them fold their napkins in half two or three times.
Set out four bowls of different colors of food coloring diluted slightly with a small amount of water.
Have your artist take turns dipping each corner of their napkins into a different color of dye.
Unfold the napkins and let them dry before displaying.

CEREAL NECKLACES
Artist love making these edible necklaces.
Give each of your artist an 18-inch length of yarn with a small piece of tape wrapped on one end to make a needle.
Have your artist thread round cereal pieces onto their yarn.
When they are finished, tie the ends together and let the artist wear (and eat) their cereal necklaces.

KITCHEN RUBBINGS
Look for flat objects in your kitchen that would be good for making rubbings.
Have each of your artist choose one of the objects and place a sheet of paper over it.
Give your artist unwrapped crayons to rub sideways across the paper, creating a rubbing.
Have the artist trade objects to make a new rubbing.
Display artist’s rubbings on the wall.


PASTA ART

HOLIDAY SHAPES
Cut out cardboard shapes.
Give your artist uncooked, uncolored pasta to glue onto the shapes.
When dry, have artist paint their pasta shapes and add glitter.
Punch a hole in the cardboard and hand the shapes up in your room.
Variations: Shapes could be hearts, shamrocks, flowers, trees, etc.

PASTA NAMES
Write artist’s names on a large sheet of construction paper.
Give them some cooked spaghetti noodles.
Have them lay the noodles along the lines of their name.
Supply small butter knieves for cutting pasta to desired lengths.

CUTTING SPAGETTI
Cook up some spaghetti noodles for your artist.
Add some oil to the water, so that the noodles will not stick together.
Give your artist a pair of artist scissors and have her cut the noodles into small pieces.
These small pieces could be glued to construction paper to make objects or designs.

COLORING PASTA
Here are a few different ways to color uncooked pasta.
The most common way, is to mix some food coloring with rubbing alcohol.
Another way is to add ½ cup water with 1 Tbs. cider vinegar and some food coloring.
Or you can mix 1 tbs. water with 1 tsp. tempera.
And finally you can just use food coloring.
Place in a plastic container or zip-lock bag with 1 cup uncooked pasta and shake. Then spread the pasta out on waxed paper to dry.

PASTA FRAMES
Cut out cardboard frames for your artist.
Give them colored pasta shapes and some glue.
Have artist glue the shapes around their frame.
Frames can be given to others as gifts, with a picture of the artist attached to the back.

PASTA NECKLACES
Rigatoni pasta works great for this activity.
Set out some colored pasta.
Give your artist a 12 – 14 inch length of yarn.
Wrap tape around one end of the yarn for a needle and tape the other end of the yarn onto the table (to keep pasta from falling off).
Have artist thread the yarn through the pasta pieces.
Help artist finish their necklace by tying the yarn ends together.
CAUTION: Do not let artist play with long pieces of yarn unsupervised.


PASTA BRACELETS
You will need an empty paper towel roll for this project.
Using a steak knife, cut the paper towel roll into small one inch rings.
Give your artist a ring and first have him paint the ring.
When the ring is dry, have him glue colored macaroni onto his ring.
When the macaroni is dry, cut the ring, so that it will stretch a little and your artist can slip it onto his wrist.

PASTA PLATES
You may want to use a variety of different kinds of pasta for this activity.
Give your artist a paper plate some glue and some uncooked pasta.
Have her glue a picture or design on her plate using the pasta.
When the pasta is dry, let your artist color her pasta plate using marking pens.

SPAGHETTI DESIGNS
Cook spaghetti and add some oil to the water so that the noodles do not stick together.
Drain and place in a small container for your artist.
Set out 2-3 plates filled with different colors of tempera paint and some white paper.
Show your artist how to drag a piece of spaghetti through the paint to create interesting designs on his paper.


SPAGHETTI ART
Purchase some letter stamps or sponges at the craft store.
Give your artist an ink pad or paint pad and some paper.
Let your artist stamp any letter he wishes on the paper or a specific one you would like him to concentrate on.
TO COLOR COOKED SPAGHETTI – just put some food coloring into the water when cooking. The colors will be light or dark depending on the amount of coloring you use.

SHAPE ART

Circle Prints
Pour a small amount of paint on a paper plate. Collect several different round objects such as an empty yogurt container, a plastic cup, and a cardboard tube. Give your artist a construction-paper circle. Show your artist how to press the objects into the paint and then onto the paper circle to make Circle Prints.
Circle Flowers
Give your artist a sheet of paper with several flower stems drawn on it and a sheet of circle stickers. Help your artist place the circle stickers around the top of each stem to make a flower.

Ladybug Spots
Cut a large circle out of red construction paper and smaller circles out of black construction paper. Let your artist glue the black spots onto the red circle to make Ladybug Spots.

PAINTING SHAPES
Cut paper into a large geometric shape (circle, square, triangle or rectangle) and pin paper on painting easel.
Have your artist wear a painting shirt and encourage him to paint the shape.

PAINTING SHAPES (2)
Place a large sheet of paper on a painting easel and let your artist paint as she wishes on the paper.
When the paint is dry, cut the paper into a large shape.

SHAPE STICKS
Set out some small craft sticks for your artist to arrange in different ways.
Show your artist how to make squares and triangles from the sticks.

BEGINNING CUTTING SKILLS

DEVELOPING HAND MUSCLES
Before artist can cut properly, they need to first build up the muscles in their hands.

Do simple finger plays with your artist, especially ones that include opening and closing their fingers.
Let your artist practice squeezing water out of sponges.
Give your artist some squeeze type clothespins. Have him snap them onto a paper plate or piece of cardboard.
Encourage your artist to tear pieces of paper. Use old magazine pages or old newspapers.

FIRST SNIPS
Hold a piece of paper rigid for your artist and have her cut in the middle.
Hold a piece of paper so that your artist can snip off the corners. This can go on for a long time, because with each cut, two more corners are created.
Give your artist strips of paper 1” wide. Have her cut off sections of paper.
Let your artist roll play dough into long tubes and cut it in sections.
Let your artist cut plastic drinking straws.
Give your artist pieces of light weight sandpaper to cut.
Let your artist cut index cards in half.
Give your artist thin ropes of playdough to cut.

ADVANCED BEGINNERS
Give your artist a 2” x 8” piece of paper and show him how to fringe along one side.
Let your artist practice cutting out toys in an old toy catalog, or pictures in magazines.
When artist are learning to cut across a wide piece of paper, you can show them how to keep their cutting arm still while they move the paper through the scissors.
When your artist wants to cut at angles, you will need to show him how to stop part way through a cut and move his paper.
When your artist wants to cut out simple shapes, you can make the process easier for him by folding the paper and drawing on a half shape. This way your artist only has to cut half of the shape.

KEEP IN MIND
Provide your artist with small, easy to hold scissors with edges that cut easily.
Provide slightly heavy paper for your artist to practice beginning cutting.
Don’t continue if your artist is not interested in cutting.
Don’t use worksheet pages with beginning cutters.
Have scissors and scraps of paper readily available for your artist to use at any time.

CUTTING GRASS
Give your artist a 3” strip of green paper.
Show her how cut small straight lines along the top edge (fringing).
Have her glue the fringed strip along the bottom of a piece of paper.
Set out some marking pens and have her draw an outdoor picture above the grass.

CUTTING STRAWS
Give your artist a large plastic drinking straw.
Have him cut the straw into (approx. 1”) sections.
Then give him a twelve inch piece of yarn, with tape wrapped around one end to create a needle.
Show your artist how to string the straw sections onto his yarn piece.
Tie the two ends together when your artist is finished to make a straw necklace.

CUTTING FLOWERS
Give your artist either a small paper cup or a paper baking cup.
Show him how to cut slits from the outside (or top) towards the middle.
When your artist is finished cutting have him smash the cup and watch as the cup turns into a flower shape.
These can be glued onto a piece of paper and green paper stems and leaves can be added.

CUTTING TRIANGLES
Set out some small pieces of square or rectangle paper.
Show your artist how to cut the corners of these papers to create triangles.
Let your artist continue to snip corners until she has about 16-20 triangles.
Give your artist a piece of paper and some glue and have her glue the triangle shapes onto the paper in an interesting design.

SCISSOR ART

Here are some art activities that will not only help develop your artist’s creativity but will also improve his/her cutting skills. The activities are listed in order of cutting difficulty.

Paper Collage
Set an assortment of paper scraps and paper strips in a box.
Let your artist use artist scissors to cut the paper into smaller pieces.
Give your artist a piece of construction paper and some glue.
Encourage your artist to glue the small paper pieces onto the construction paper to create a paper collage.

MOSAIC PICTURES
Give your artist 1” x 8” strips of paper.
Mark the strips with 1” lines.
Have your artist cut the strips into 1” squares.
Let your artist use the squares to create and glue a mosaic design on a piece of paper.

GRASS PICTURE
Give your artist a 4” x 12” piece of green construction paper.
Help him to fold the paper in half length-wise.
Then open the paper back up and show your artist how to fringe one side by cutting from the outside edge into the fold all along one side.
Have your artist then glue their grass strip onto a piece of light blue construction paper for grass.
Give your artist some crayons or marking pens and have them draw something sitting on, or hiding in their grass.

PLAYDOUGH CREATIONS
Set out some playdough and a pair of safe scissors.
Show your artist how to roll the dough into “logs”.
Let your artist use scissors to cut the log into smaller pieces.
Or, flatten the playdough into a “pancake” and let your artist make small cut all around the outside of the circle.
If you wish, have your artist snip several colors of playdough and press them together to make a colorful playdough sculpture.

STRAW NECKLACES
Give your artist one or two large drinking straws.
Show your artist how to cut the straws into approximately 1” sections.
When your artist has cut out 5 to 10 straw sections, she can use them to make a beaded necklace.
Take a 14”- 20” piece of yarn.
Tie a straw section on one end and wrap the other end with a piece of tape. The taped end acts as a needle for stringing the straw pieces.
Give the yarn to your artist and show her how to sting the straw pieces.
When she is finished stringing, help her tie the two ends together, cutting off the tape and tied straw piece.
You may want to wrap the yarn knot with tape to prevent it from pulling apart.
This way your artist will be able to put the necklace on and off by themselves.
CAUTION: Be sure to supervise this activity, long pieces of yarn can be a choking hazard for young artist.

PAPER CUP FLOWERS
You will need some extra small bathroom drinking cups for this activity.
Give your artist 2-3 small drinking cups and some safe scissors.
Show him how to cut from the top of the cup down to the bottom, four or five times around the cup.
Then have your artist flatten the cup by smashing it down in the middle.
These make nice flowers.
Have artist decorate the middle of each flower with marking pens or by gluing colored poms in the middle.
Give your artist a sheet of construction paper on which to glue the cut flowers.

CUTTING FOLDED PAPER
Give your artist two square pieces of paper approximately 7” x 7”.
First have her fold one of the squares in-half.
Next, have her open the paper and cut along the folded edge, turning the paper into two rectangle pieces.
Next, have her take the second square and fold it corner to corner.
Then open and cut along the fold, creating two triangle pieces of paper.
Finally, give your artist a piece of construction paper and have her glue the cut papers into a picture or design on her paper. (These could easily be turned into two trees or two sailing rafts.

SNOWFLAKES
Here is a simple way to create snowflake like paper creations.
Give your artist a square piece of white paper.
Have him fold it in-half and then in-half again.
Show your artist how to cut out small notches or triangles along the two folded sides.
When the paper is opened, the papers have a lacy look.
Variation: These snowflakes also look great when done with flattened coffee filters or doilies.

FOIL ART
Give your artist several sheets of aluminum foil and a pair of safe scissors.
Show your artist how to make snips in the foil and how to fold the foil in different directions.

PAPER SNAKES
Give your artist a plain inexpensive paper plate and a pair of artist scissors.
Show him how to cut the plate in a spiral, by starting at the edge and cutting around and around, turning the plate as he goes, cutting eventually to the middle.
Your artist may want to decorate his snake with marking pens.
These look great hung up-side-down.

Gluing Art

Shell Art
Collect an assortment of shells. (Find shells on the beach or purchase them inexpensively at craft stores.) Let your artist glue the shells to a small cardboard square. Show your artist how to hold the shells in place for a count of ten to make sure they stay put.

Tissue Paper Art
Have your artist tear colorful tissue paper into small pieces. Help your artist brush diluted glue (2 parts glue to 1 part water) on the sides of a clear-plastic cup. Let your artist arrange the tissue paper pieces all over the cup. Brush on a final coat of glue, and allow the cup to dry completely. Poke a small hole in the bottom of the cup and attach a length of yarn. Hang the cup where the sun can shine through it.

Sand Art
Give your artist a sheet of heavy paper or cardboard, a dish of sand, and a small bottle of glue. Let your artist squeeze the glue all over the paper, making designs. While the glue is still wet, have your artist sprinkle sand all over the glue. Shake off the excess sand. Let your artist add more glue designs as desired. When the glue has dried, encourage your artist to explore the textures of his or her 3-dimensional artwork.

CREATIVE COLLAGE IDEAS

Be sure to include a lot of open-ended art activities when working with young artist. Collages are fun and inexpensive and allow artist to practice creative and problem-solving skills.
Here are a variety of collage ideas you can do successfully with toddlers and preschoolers.
PAINT COLLAGE
Here is a fun yet simple activity for preschoolers.
Let your artist help you cut or tear out small pictures from magazines.
Then, lay out a large sheet of paper for your artist.
Set out one or more colors of paint and let your artist cover their paper with paint.
Then, have your artist place the small pictures however he wants on top of the paint.
Let dry. The pictures should stick to the paint.
Hang collage up to admire.

COLOR COLLAGES
You can use the collage idea above to make different color collages with young artist.
Choose a color and cut out small object pictures of this color from magazines.
Have artist paint this color on her paper.
Then place the color pictures on top of the paint.
Let dry. (I liked doing this activity if I wanted to emphasize a specific color.)

SELF-STICK PAPER COLLAGE
These collages are super easy for young artist. Even toddlers can do them successfully. You will need self-stick paper, such as Contac paper.
Cut out a frame from heavy paper (approx. 12” x 18”).
Remove the backing from the self-stick paper and place the frame on the sticky side of the paper.
Let your artist place miscellaneous art materials on the sticky paper inside the frame, such as; puzzle pieces, leaves, poms, ribbons, cotton balls, small pieces of paper or material, etc.
VARIATION: Instead of cutting out frames, just cut out 3” x 18” heavy paper strips and place them on the sticky paper in a square to create an instant frame.

GLUE COLLAGE
Set out collage materials and collage background paper.
Have your artist brush glue across their paper.
Then, have them place collage materials on the glue.
Let the glue dry.
VARIATION: Some artist prefer to use a small glue bottle and individually glue each collage piece in place on their paper.

WATER MOSAIC COLLAGE
You will need different colored 1” tissue squares for this collage.
Give your artist a piece of plain colored background paper.
Have him brush water across his paper with a large brush or sponge.
Then, have him create a design on his paper with tissue squares.
Let the collage dry and have your artist remove the tissue squares to reveal a dyed mosaic collage.

WAXED PAPER COLLAGE
You will need waxed paper, some old wax crayons and small paper shapes for this activity.
Set out a sheet of waxed paper for your artist, wax side up.
Have her arrange some small paper shapes on one side of her paper.
Then, help her grate some waxed crayons on top of her paper design.
Next, fold the other half of her paper back on top of her collage.
Finally, lay a cotton cloth on top of the paper and iron across the cloth. The heat should melt the crayon pieces and fuse them to the wax on the paper.
These collages can be cut into shapes, if you wish, and hung on windows to catch the light.


COLLAGE MATERIALS AND COLLAGE THEMES
Here are some additional collage materials and collage themes that artist enjoy.
NATURE COLLAGE - Use small leaves, flowers and twigs.
BEACH COLLAGE – Glue on sand and small shells.
SHAPE COLLAGE - Cut out various sizes of different shapes for your artist to use to create a collage.
TEXTURE COLLAGE - Set out small scraps of textured materials, along with cotton balls, felt pieces, sand paper pieces, tinfoil squares, etc.
YARN COLLAGE - Set out 2” pieces of a variety of different types of yarn.
SHINY COLLAGE - Set out small pieces of a variety of shiny papers for your artist to use.
MULTI-MEDIA COLLAGE – Let your artist choose from a large variety of papers and small objects for their collages

CRAYON ART

Crayons are one of your artist’s first and simplest art materials. After your artist have mastered the art of making crayon designs on paper, try some of these ideas.

RAINBOW CRAYON
Hold three crayons together so their tips are flush against a table top.
Tape the crayons together to make a Rainbow Crayon.
Make several of these.
Let your artist use the crayons to draw rainbows all over their papers.

CRAYON RESISTS
Let your artist make crayons designs all over their papers.
Set out bowls of liquid watercolor or a mixture of 1 part tempera paint and 1 part water. (This is called a paint wash.)
Let them brush the paint all over their crayon drawings.
The wash will create a background for their drawings and make them stand out.


DRAWING ON SANDPAPER
Set out sheets of sandpaper and crayons.
Let your artist explore using the crayons to make marks and designs on the sandpaper.
Talk about how drawing on the sandpaper is different from drawing on regular paper.
If you wish, have several different grades of sandpaper available, from fine to coarse.

CRAYON MOSAIC FLOWERS
Use a cheese grater to grate old or broken crayons.
Place the crayon shavings in a bowl.
Give each of your artist a sheet of clear, self-stick paper with the backing removed.
Have the artist sprinkle crayon shavings onto the sticky side of their self-stick paper.
As each artist finishes, place a second sheet of clear, self-stick paper on top of the first.
Cut the artist’s Crayon Mosaics into one or more flower shapes (or whatever shape you want).
Hang the shapes in your window.

BEGINNING DRAWING FUN

Remember, drawing, painting and scribbling are all early forms of writing. Providing plenty of opportunities for these activities will provide your artist with the muscle skills as well as the desire to write when the time comes.

DRAWING MATERIALS
Writing and Drawing materials should be available to your artist at all times. Large crayons and pencils, marking pens, large thick poster paints, chalk, large pieces of paper and chalk boards are all appropriate for preschoolers.

SALT BOX
You can make an easy drawing resource for your artist with a box lid and some salt.
Let your artist help you by pouring salt into the lid until the bottom of the box is covered.
Then show your artist how to use her finger to print lines, circles and letters in the salt.
To start over again, just have your artist shake the lid and the drawings disappear.

WALL DRAWINGS
Providing your artist with a place to do large drawings can really help them develop large muscle control.
Try taping large sheets of sturdy paper to the wall and let your artist draw away.
You could also place large sheets of paper on a table, but the wall actually provides a better surface.

CRAYON RUB-OFFS
On a piece of paper, write individual letters, lines or circles.
Then cover the paper with clear Con-tact paper or place the paper inside a plastic page protector.
Then give your artist a black crayon and have him trace over the letters with the crayon.
Show him how to erase the crayon marks with a cotton tissue.
Then trace the letters again.
Variation: When you think your artist is ready, write his name for him to trace.
ADD – ONS
A fun game to play with artist just learning to write is called “Add-Ons”.
Sit with your artist and using a piece of paper or a tablet, draw simple shapes or objects with an obvious missing part.
Then have your artist draw on the missing part. Such as;
A square with one side missing.
A flower with no stem
A balloon with no string.
A truck with no wheels.

PLAY DOUGH LETTERS
When artist are playing with play dough, encourage them to make letter shapes.
First have them make long ropes with the dough.
Then show them how the rope can be turned to make different letter shapes.
Variation: Use real cooking dough to make dough letters to bake.

ACTION ILLUSTRATIONS
Artist can get a lot of writing practice by illustrating action situations in stories, using lines and circles.
Describe a scene or make up a short story.
Have your artist illustrate the action, not the objects, in the story.
Have your artist use basic lines and circles to illustrate the action.
Examples:
• The clouds rolled across the sky (Artist make rolling circles)
• The rain fell down. (Artist draws lines coming down)
• The cars raced around the track. (Artist draws large circular lines)
• The bunny hopped. (Artist draws lines going up and down)

More Fun and Easy Open-Ended Anyone Art Ideas Submitted by Our Fans

SOAP ART
MATERIALS:
Evergreen twigs, Ivory Snow powder, water, small bowl, eggbeater or mixer, flowerpots or boxes, sand or dirt.
PREPARATION:
Mix soap powder with a small amount of water in small bowl. Beat until stiff with an eggbeater or mixer. Put sand or dirt in the flowerpots or boxes.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children spread the soap mixture on the evergreen twigs to create "snow-covered trees." Then stand the twigs in flowerpots or boxes filled with sand or dirt.
VARIATION:
Have the children dab small bits of the soap mixture on black or dark blue construction paper to give the effect of snowflakes.
VARIATION:
Have the children spread the soap mixture on tagboard bunny shapes. When the soap dries, let them glue cotton ball "tails" on their bunnies.
SENT IN BY: Betty Ruth Baker, Waco, TX
VARIATION: From Laura A., Albany, NY The Ivory Snow mixture can be used for fingerpainting. Add food coloring to the water first, if desired. The soap will harden as it dries.
VARIATION: From B., Philadelphia, PA
Mix a good quantity of Ivory Snow powder and water in a bucket. Then invite your children to work the mixture into "snowballs."


VARIATION:
The Ivory Snow mixture can be molded into different shapes such as hearts, eggs, butferflies, etc. Allow two or three days for the soap shapes to dry. These make great Mother's Day gifts.


SALT ART
MATERIALS:
A baby food jar for each child, salt, colored chalk, scratch paper, ribbon, glue.
PREPARATION:
Place one or two spoonfuls of salt on a piece of scratch paper for each child .
ACTIVITY:
Give each child a piece of colored chalk and have him or her rub the chalk into the salt. When the salt is colored, pour it into the child's jar. Then have the child repeat the process with more salt and a different color of chalk. Continue layering the colored salt in the jar until it is full. Later, the lids of the jars can be glued shut and ribbons can be tied .=round the tops to make paperweights.
HINT:
Clear plastic pill bottles may be substituted for the glass baby food jars, if desired.
SENT IN BY: Diane, Englewood, CO

SHRINK ART
MATERIALS:
Commercial shrink-art plastic or plastic liver lids, permanent marking pens, hole punch, yarn, cookie sheet, aluminum foil, oven.
PREPARATION:
Cut plastic into 6-inch shapes such as circles, diamonds or triangles. Punch two holes touching one another to make one large hole at the top of each shape. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children use several different colors of permanent marking pens to color or scribble all over their plastic shapes. When the shapes shrink, even scribbles will make lovely designs. Arrange the plastic shapes on a foil-covered cookie sheet, place in the oven and watch the plastic shrink and curl. (If plastic curls too much, use a cooler oven.) When the plastic shapes become thick and lay flat, remove them from the oven immediately and press with a smooth object. Let the shapes cool and insert yarn in the holes for hanging.
HINT:
Outline each shape with a permanent marking pen for a more finished effect.
SENT IN BY: Kathy Sizer, Tustin, CA
* WARNING:
The heating of plastics can give off a gas which could affect people with respiratory disorders or allergies. Make sure your work area is well-ventilated and that children stand far back from the heat source. Children with severe respiratory disorders should avoid the area entirely.


BLEEDING ART

MATERIALS:
Construction paper, colored tissue paper or crepe paper streamers, spray bottles, water.
PREPARATION:
Cut tissue or crepe paper into desired shapes and sizes. Fill spray bottles with water.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children place colored tissue or crepe paper on construction paper and spray with water. Then have them remove the colored paper to see how it "bled" onto the construction paper, creating designs.
SENT IN BY: Cathryn, S1. Charles, IL
VARIATION:
This method makes great mosaic Easter eggs. Have the children brush water all over white paper egg shapes and cover shapes with squares of colored tissue paper. Then have them paint over the tissue squares with more water. Let the children remove the tissue squares when their papers have dried.

COLOR ART
MATERIALS:
Red, yellow and blue crepe paper, tweezers, small jars, popsicle sticks. two buckets.
PREPARATION:
Cut the crepe paper into I-inch squares. Fill the small jars and one of the buckets with water.
ACTIVITY:
Let the children pick up the paper squares with tweezers, drop them in jars of water and stir with popsicle sticks. Have them add other colors and watch how new colors are created. When the water in their jars becomes muddy, have them pour it into the empty bucket and add clean water from the other bucket so they can continue experimenting with other color combinations.
SENT IN BY: Ellen, Loveland, CO

HOLE- Y ART

MATERIALS:
Backing material such as heavy cardboard, wood, styrofoam or cork-board, pencils or nails, various colors of construction paper, black con-struction paper, tape.
PREPARATION:
Cut colored construction paper into 5-inch squares and tape them on backing material.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children use pencils or nails to punch holes in their colored paper squares. Then let them place their squares on sheets of black construction paper and watch the holes "pop" out.
VARIATION:
For each child, choose several sheets of different colored paper and punch holes in them with a hole punch. Then staple the papers together to make a book with a different color peeking through the holes on each page.
SENT IN BY: M. Hurst, Grand Junction, CO
VARIATION:
Let the children punch holes in green Christmas tree shapes and paste them on colored paper or foil. The colors showing through the holes will look like Christmas tree balls or lights.
MATERIALS:
Cooked spaghetti, food coloring, construction paper.
SPAGHETTI ART
PREPARATION:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and add food coloring. Keep covered until ready to use.
ACTIVITY:
Let the children stick the wet spaghetti on their papers in any designs they wish. They really enjoy the color and feel of the warm noodles.
SENT IN BY: Evelyn, Ubly, MI
HINT:
If you want your children to keep their creations, use heavy background material. Construction paper will curl up as the spaghetti dries.
WIND ART
MATERIALS:
White construction paper, paint, spoon.
ACTIVITY:
Go outside on a windy day. Give each child a piece of paper and drop on a few spoonfuls of paint. Then have the children hold up their papers and let the wind blow the paint into designs.
HINT:
If you don't want to wait for a windy day, you can get the same effect by having the children wave their papers back and forth in the air.
SENT IN BY: Heather, Sussex, New Brunswick

IRON ART
MATERIALS:
Waxed paper, old crayon chunks, construction paper scraps, aluminum foil, cheese grater, thick dishtowel, iron.
PREPARATION:
Cut waxed paper into 9"x12" sheets. Plug in iron .
ACTIVITY:
Let each child grate crayon shavings onto a sheet of waxed paper. Then have the child place little pieces of torn colored paper and small chunks of aluminum foil on top of the shavings. Cover with another sheet of waxed paper and place a dishtowel over it. Then, using extreme caution, let the child help press the iron over the towel to make the crayons and the waxed paper sheets melt together. Later, you can cut the children's transparent creations into shapes such as hearts, snowflakes or flowers and use them as window directions.
SENT IN BY: Jane M., So. St. Paul, MN
* WARNING:
Activities that involve using an electric iron require adult supervision at all times.

IRON ART
MATERIALS:
Construction paper, waxed paper, old crayons, plastic bag, hammer, iron.
PREPARATION:
Cut construction paper into leaf frames. Place crayons in a plastic bag and, depending upon ability, let the children help pound them into little pieces with a hammer. Cut waxed paper into sheets. Plug in iron.
ACTIVITY:
Let the children place crayon pieces between two sheets of waxed paper. Then press over the papers with an iron to melt the crayons and waxed paper sheets together. Put leaf frames around the finished pictures and hang them in a window.
SENT IN BY: Mary Haynes, Lansing, MI
VARIATION: From Diane, Port Alberni, British Columbia For each child, cut a butterfly shape from a double thickness of waxed paper. Let the child grate crayon shavings on one of the butterfly shapes and sprinkle on some glitter. Cover with the second butterfly. shape and place the two shapes on newspaper. Then, with the iron set on low, let the child help press the butterfly to melt the shavings and seal the waxed paper shapes together. Hang the finished butterflies in a window to bring Spring into the room!

NAIL ART

MATERIALS:
Pieces of softwood, hammers, nails with large heads, woodworking table.
PREPARATION:
Check with a lumberyard for pieces of scrap softwood. Set up work table outside or in an area separate from other children.
ACTIVITY:
Let two or three children at a time hammer nails into pieces of soft-wood. Make sure an adult is always present to supervise. Very young children love working with these "grown-up" materials, and just pound-ing the nails is enough. The adult may need to hammer in the nails first to make them stable.
SENT IN BY: Cynthia Holt, Danbury, CT
VARIATION:
Let the children pound nails into pieces of softwood. Then have them weave colored rubber bands or pieces of yarn through the nails to create designs.

IMPRESSION ART

MATERIALS:
Cornstarch, baking soda, water, saucepan, waxed paper, nature objects such as leaves, twigs and flowers.
PREPARATION:
In a saucepan, mix together 1 cup cornstarch, 2 cups baking soda and 1- 1/4 cups water. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Cool, then flatten mixture between sheets of waxed paper.
ACTIVITY:
Let the children lay leaves, twigs, flowers or other nature objects on top of the cornstarch mixture and press them down firmly. Then have them remove the objects to see the detailed impressions they made.

IMPRESSION ART
MATERIALS:
Plaster of Paris, tin pans, oil, paint, brushes, nature objects such as acorns, flowers or leaves.
PREPARATION:
Let the children help mix the plaster and water until it is the consistency of paste. Then grease the pans, pour in the plaster and let it harden slightly.
ACTIVITY :
Have the children place their nature objects in the plaster and push them down very gently to make imprints. When dry, take the plaster shapes out of the pans, remove the nature objects and let the children paint the plaster shapes.
SENT IN BY: Mary Haynes, Lansing, MI

FOIL ART
MATERIALS:
A piece of cardboard for each child, aluminum foil, glue, small objects such as dried beans and seeds, popsicle sticks, styrofoam bits, etc.
PREPARATION:
Cut aluminum foil into pieces large enough to wrap around the sheets of cardboard.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children glue an assortment of small objects on their card-board backgrounds. When the glue has dried, let them lay sheets of aluminum foil on top of their cardboard pieces and carefully press the foil around the glued-on objects. Then help them to fold the edges of the foil around the backs of their cardboard sheets.

CLOTHESPIN ART
MATERIALS:
Colored tissue paper, spring-type clothespins, pipe cleaners, felt markers.
PREPARATION:
Cut tissue paper into 5-inch squares.
ACTIVITY:
Let each child make a butterfly by pinching opposite edges of a tissue paper square together in the middle and inserting the paper in the clasp of a clothespin. A pipe cleaner can then be wrapped around the top of the clothespin for antennas, and a face can be drawn on it with a felt marker.
SENT IN BY: Cathy, Clarkston, MI

STRING ART
MATERIALS:
String or yarn. diluted white glue or liquid starch, dishes, waxed paper
ACTIVITY:
Let the children dip pieces of string into dishes of glue or starch. Then have them lay their strings on waxed paper to create designs. When the strings dry, they will become stiff and hold their shapes.
VARIATION:
Have the children wrap glue-covered string around small blown-up balloons. To cover each balloon, you will need about ten 12-inch pieces of string. When the strings have dried, pop the balloons. The children will then have large ball shapes to hang in the room or perhaps on a Christmas tree.


FLOATING ART
MATERIALS:
Construction paper, plastic dishpan, water, colored chalk, kitchen grater.
PREPARATION:
Cut construction paper into desired seasonal or holiday shapes. Fill the plastic dishpan with water. Let the children help grate various colors of chalk into powder.
ACTIVITY:
Let each child choose two or three colors of chalk and sprinkle the powder on top of the water. Then have him or her lay a shape on top of the water to absorb the chalk designs. Hang the shapes on a line or lay them out on a flat surface to dry.
VARIATION:
Instead of using chalk, place drops of India ink on top of the water, swirl to make a design and then lay paper on the water's surface.

Stain Art with Fruit Tea Bags
Gather watercolor paper and fruit tea bags that produce different color. Arrange her tea bags on paper. Spray just a little bit of water on each individual tea bag watching carefully as the tea bags slowly started to show a bit of color around the edges. To get more color -start moving the tea bags around the paper to see if she could get colors stamped all over the paper. Squish the bags and get a more vibrant mix of colors. It smelled amazing! After squishing the bags flat for a while the kids decided to squeeze the bags to watch the colors drip onto the paper some broke giving us the opportunity to explore different textures with the sense of touch. As we let the pictures dry, the colors didn’t stay as vibrant, but they still smelled wonderful. This was not necessarily an artistic masterpiece. But it was definitely a great way to explore the senses and have a little fun painting in a unique way.

Creating With Paint

GLUE PAINTING I
If you are looking for a shiny bright paint, this is a real winner.
You will need:
White liquid glue
Tempera paint
Containers
Small paint brushes
Small sheets of painting paper
Directions:
Add equal parts of glue and tempera paint in a container and stir. Mix up two to four different colors of this glue paint.
Set out the painting paper. If you wish, cut the paper into seasonal shapes.
Let your artist use small paintbrushes to brush the glue paint onto the painting paper. Encourage them to use the glue paint to make colorful designs or pictures.
Allow the glue paint to dry (at least one to two hours).
Have your artist notice the shiny finish of the paint.
Hint: This paint looks great on small holiday shapes, such as Easter eggs or Christmas ornament shapes.

GLUE PAINT II
Here is another great glue-painting activity using a salt shaker.
You will need:
A salt shaker
Dry drink-mix powder (two or three colors or flavors)
White liquid glue
Small paint brushes
Painting paper
Spray bottle filled with sugar water.
Directions:
Fill each salt shaker with a different color of dry drink-mix powder.
Give each of your artist a sheet of painting paper.
Have your artist brush glue all over their papers.
Let artist shake on one or two colors of drink-mix powder over the glue, creating colorful designs.
Set the artist’s paintings by spraying them with a sugar water mixture.
All the painting to dry.

Sponge Painting
Pour tempera paint onto a paper plate. Show your artist how to dip a small sponge into the paint and then onto a sheet of paper. Encourage your artist to experiment with the sponge and paint. How many different kinds of designs can he or she make?

Hole-in-One Painting
Cover a table with newspaper. Give your artist a large sheet of paper with a hole cut out of it. The hole can be big or small, in the middle or near a corner. It can be a circle or a triangle or a square. Set out tempera paint and a paintbrush. Let your artist paint a picture or a design on the paper. Observe your artist as he or she paints around the hole. Some artist will incorporate the hole into their designs. Others will ignore it completely.

Watercolor Painting
Place a set of watercolor paints, a dish of water, a paintbrush, and paper on a table. Show your artist how to use the watercolors by dipping the brush into the water, swirling it around on the watercolor he or she wants to use, and then brushing the color onto the paper.

Process art from collected ideas across the United States

Painting with SHAVING CREAM
MATERIALS FOR HOLIDAY SHAPES HOLIDAY SHAPES
Fingerpaint paper or white glossy wrapping paper, large aerosol can of shaving cream, powdered tempera or food coloring.
PREPARATION:
Cut the fingerpaint paper or wrapping paper into desired sizes and shapes such as squares, circles, triangles, hearts, eggs or shamrocks. Wet the paper with a sponge and, on each paper, squeeze a puff of shaving cream. Add a dash of tempera paint or food coloring for color desired.
ACTIVITY :
Have the children fingerpaint, first working in the color and then making designs on their papers. This gives the children visual experience with changing color as well as fine motor experience.
Let the children fingerpaint with the shaving cream directly on a water-proof surface. Making different shapes is popular, as are making "happy faces" or letters in the children's names. Cleanup is easily accomplished with a wet sponge, and the shaving cream washes off little hands in seconds.
VARIATION-HAPPY FACES
Spray shaving cream on a table surface or on plastic placemats and invite the children to fingerpaint. When each child has finished experimenting, press a paper on top of his or her design. The print will look like a snowy day!
HINT:
Be sure to dampen the table top before you apply the shaving cream, as it facilitates the movement of fingerpainting.
VARIATION:
Have the children fingerpaint with shaving cream on clean cookie sheets. Put powdered tempera in old salt shakers and sprinkle paint on the shaving cream. Different colors add interest.

Painting with WATER
MATERIALS FOR INK HEARTS
White paper towels, black non-permanent marking pen, water, small brushes.
PREPARATION:
Draw a large black heart outline on a paper towel for each child.
ACTIVITY:
Let your children brush water over their black heart outlines. Soon the dye in the lines will start to bleed, showing the many colors actually in the black ink. Some colors will spread faster than others, leaving definite color rings,around the heart outlines.
MATERIALS FOR HOUSE PAINTING
Coffee cans, 2-inch brushes, water.
ACTIVITY: Give each child a coffee can "bucket" and a brush and fill the can with enough water to cover the brush. These simple materials will keep even very young children quite involved in various "painting" projects. Inside, they can paint a chalkboard. Outside, the choices are endless: sides of buildings, fences, cars, bikes, sidewalks, etc.
SENT IN BY: Cynthia
HINT:
Take advantage of this activity to help your children understand what happens when water is exposed to air. They can discover by blowing on an area that moving air makes the water evaporate more quickly.

Painting with FOOD COLORING
MATERIALS FOR PAPER TOWELS
Plain paper towels, food coloring, water, small containers, brushes, tape.
PREPARATION:
Pour water into small containers and add food coloring. Tape a paper towel to the table for each child.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children dip their brushes into the colored water and paint designs on their paper towels .
HINTS:
This activity works best with small amounts of water in the containers. Once a paper towel is completely soaked, supply the child with a new one and let the old one dry. For display, mount the paper towels on colored construction paper.
SENT IN BY: Gina
VARIATION: BALTIK LOOK
Fold the paper towels and let your children paint them with the colored water. When the towels are unfolded, they will have a batik look. Mix strong colors and encourage the children to dot the colored water on the towels rather than brush it on.
VARIATION: From Jan
Have the children use small plastic cocktail straws to drip the colored water onto the towels, creating circle designs. Frame the pictures and hang them in a window.
VARIATION: From Cindy
Hand out white paper and straws. Drop small amounts of water mixed with watercolors or food coloring onto the children's papers. Then let them blow the colored water with their straws to create designs.

Painting with FOOD COLORING
MATERIALS FOR COFFEE FILTERS:
One or more coffee filters for each child, food coloring, aluminum, eyedroppers, newspaper, water.
PREPARATION:
Mix small amounts of food coloring and water in pans. Cover the table with a thick layer of newspaper .
ACTIVITY:
Demonstrate how to use an eyedropper by "squeezing in" and "letting go." Let the children experiment with their eyedroppers by dripping colored water on the newspaper. Then let them explore what happens when they drip the different colors onto their coffee filters. Place filters in newspaper to dry.
HINT:
Hang the dried filters as mobiles or make monster art with them
SENT IN BY: Diane

MORE FOOD COLORING
MATERIALS FOR DIPPIDY DO: (in hair supplies sections at Walgreens)
Fluted coffee filters, food coloring, water, jar lids, newspaper.
PREPARATION:
Mix red, yellow and blue food coloring with water and pour small amounts of each color into jar lids.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children dip folded filters in and out of the diluted food coloring so that the colors overlap. Unfold filters and dry them on news-paper.
HINTS:
Use only a small amount of colored water in each lid and watch to see that children don't leave their filters in until all the liquid is absorbed. Paper towels may also be used, but they tear more easily when wet.
SENT IN BY:
VARIATION: From Ruth
Let the children dip the corners and sides of folded paper napkins or white tissue paper into mixtures of food coloring and water. If working with tissue paper, allow it to dry before unfolding, as it tends to rip easily when wet. To dry, hang folded papers by clothespins on a string stretched across a window opening.
VARIATION:
The batik-like paper can also be used to make butterfly wings. Have the children pinch their papers together in the middle and slip them into the slots of old-style clothespins .

Painting with ICE
MATERIALS FOR COOL ART:
Freezer wrap or fingerpaint paper, ice cube tray, popsicle sticks, powdered tempera, shaker containers, newspaper.
PREPARATION:
The night before, freeze a tray of ice cubes with a popsicle stick in each cube. (Sticks do not have to be entirely vertical.) Fill shake containers with powdered tempera paint. Cover work table with newspaper.
ACTIVITY:
Have your children rub their ice sticks across the shiny freezer wrap or fingerpaint paper. Then let them sprinkle on some dry paint. Children love to watch the ice melt into the color.
HINT:
One ice stick can be shared by several children, if desired.
SENT IN BY: Carolyn
VARIATION:
Try doing this activity with icicles if they are available - to you in the winter. Children may need to wear gloves.

Painting with FLOUR
MATERIALS FOR CHRISTMAS TREES, HEARTS AND EGGS:
Construction paper, squeeze bottles, flour, water, food coloring.
PREPARATION:
Cut construction paper into shapes such as Christmas trees, Valentine Hearts or Easter eggs. Fill squeeze bottles with a runny mixture of flour and water and add a few drops of food coloring to each bottle.
ACTIVITY:
Let your children squeeze the colored flour and water mixture onto their paper shapes to make interesting designs.

VARIATION:
MIx equal parts of salt and flour together before adding water to make runny mixture. Then let the children squeeze designs on styrofoam Trays or sheets of cardboard.
Painting with CORNSTARCH
MATERIALS:
Easel paper, cornstarch, water, liquid tempera, large brushes, paint cups.
PREPARATION:
Add cold water to 3/4 cup cornstarch to make a smooth, thick paste.
Stir in boiling water until mixture is desired consistency. It should be quite thick and nearly clear. Spoon mixture into paint cups and stir 3 or 4 teaspoons of liquid tempera into each cup.
ACTIVITY:
Let the children brush this nearly drip less paint on large sheets of easel paper to make designs or pictures.
VARIATION:
This mixture can also be used for fingerpainting. Store in refrigerator.
SENT IN BY: Lanette

Painting with CHOCOLATE PUDDING
MATERIALS FOR FINGER FUN:
Fingerpaint paper, ready-made chocolate pudding, spoons, paint shirts, water, newspaper.
PREPARATION:
Arrange all the materials on the work table, covering the table with newspaper first, if desired.
ACTIVITY:
Let each child spread out a large spoonful of pudding mixed with some water on his or her paper. Then encourage the children to experiment with finger and hand painting. When they have finished, hang their paintings to dry.
HINT:
This is a great activity to use when studying the five senses, especially those of taste, smell and touch.
SENT IN BY: Jane
VARIATION-PRINTS: From B. Philadelphia, PA
Have the children fingerpaint directly on a very clean formica-topped table. Once designs are created, paper can be pressed on top of them to make prints.

Painting with FINGERS
MATERIALS F0R SEASONAL SHAPES:
Paint shirts, liquid starch, powdered tempera or food coloring, painting surface such as fingerpaint paper, butcher paper, paper sacks, card-board, formica table top, cookie sheets or oilcloth.
PREPARATION:
Put about a tablespoon of liquid starch in the middle of each child's paper. Add about a teaspoon of powdered paint or a few drops of food coloring to the starch. (Keep in mind that food coloring will stain hands.)
ACTIVITY:
Have the children use both their hands to mix the color into the starch. Then let them continue using their hands and fingers to create designs and pictures in the paint. Encourage the children to use their hands in many different ways. They can get various effects by pointing fingers down, laying fingers flat, pounding with the side of a clenched fist, pressing hands down with fingers spread out wide and by using finger-tips and knuckles.
VARIATION:
Sprinkle some salt or sawdust onto the fingerpaint and let the children mix it into the paint with their hands. This will give added texture to their pictures.
VARIATION:
Let the children create additional designs on their fingerpaintings by us-ing tools such as small pieces of cardboard, old combs, popsicle sticks, cotton swabs or forks.
VARIATION:
Instead of using liquid starch, let your children fingerpaint with a paste made out of soap and water or hand lotion with a drop of food color-ing added.
VARIATION: From Cathy N
Cut the centers out of pieces of construction paper to make frames for completed fingerpaintings. Staple frames on top of the paintings.
VARIATION: From Lanette
To make seasonal pictures, cut the children's papers into seasonal shapes before or after they make their finger paintings. Some examples could be heart shapes for Valentine's Day, shamrock shapes for St. Patrick's Day and egg shapes for Easter.
HINTS: From Lanette
Place a "fence" of masking tape on the paint table to help contain fingerpaint to a desired area. Use a shower curtain or outdoor grass carpet under the table to catch spills.
VARIATION: From Cynthia
Let the children stand while fingerpainting. This allows for greater freedom of movement and helps with rhythm and coordination. Homemade fingerpaint tends to chip off paper, so let the children paint right on the table top. They will love washing the table afterwards. Smock washing is also a great folJow-up activity.
HINT: From Cynthia
If you don't have a sink near your work area, keep a bucket of soapy ',i,:ater and towels close by.
VARIATION: From Nancy, Grand Forks, ND
Have the children fingerpaint directly on a waterproof surface such as a formica table top. After they have created pictures or designs, let them press paper on top of their paintings to make prints.
VARIATION: From Suzanne, Pittsburg, PA
Let the children fingerpaint on plastic cafeteria trays or large styrofoam meat trays. For each child, spoon one or two colors of fingerpaint onto a tray and have him or her fingerpaint a design. When the child has finished, press a piece of paper cut to fit the tray onto the design and lift. Additional paint can be added to the tray for the next child.

Painting with PINE BRANCHES
MATERIALS FOR PINE PATTERNS:
Pine branches, pinecones, easel paper, paint.
PREPARATION:
Pour paint into shallow containers.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children use the pine branches and pinecones to paint at the easel. They'll enjoy seeing the different types of patterns these materials make.
VARIATION:
This activity can also be done with other kinds of small tree branches, ferns, feathers and grasses such as hay or wheat.
SENT IN BY: Mary
VARIATION: From Jane
Let the children use 3-inch to 4-inch branches of various evergreens to dab paint on paper. After they have finished, staple each child's branch on his or her painting. When doing this activity, discuss the smell, texture and color of different evergreens.
MATERIALS:
Several stalks of Queen Anne's Lace, red, yellow and white paint, dark paper.
PREPARATION:
Pour paint into shallow containers.

Painting with FEATHERS
MATERIALS: TURKEYS
Single feather or feathers clipped in a Clothespins or feather dusters, tan OR brown construction paper, paint, newspaper.
PREPARATION:
Cut a turkey shape out of construction paper for each child.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children place their turkey shapes on pieces of newspaper. Then let them dip their feathers in paint and brush it on their turkey bodies.
VARIATION:
If you're using single feathers, let each child stick several of them on his :~ her painted turkey shape. The result wi1l be a painting and a collage :: feathers, as well.
SENT IN BY: Nancy

Painting with YARN
MATERIALS FOR WORMS
8 1/2" x 11 manila paper, brown liquid tempera, small jars, 6 inches of string for each child.
PREPARATION:
Mix tempera to a consistency that won't drip, but is not too thick, either. Pour into jars. Talk to the children about how worms crawl wiggle and squirm, or observe a real worm, if possible.
ACTIVITY:
Have each child dip a string into a jar of tempera, keeping one end paint-free. Then have the child drag the string across his or her paper as a worm would crawl or wiggle. Encourage the children to continue dipping their strings and painting until their papers are covered with "worm tracks."
HINT:
Mix tempera with an inexpensive dishwashing soap for easy removal from clothing.
SENT IN BY: Lois Olson, Webster City, IA
VARIATION: BUTTERFLY
Soak 7 -inch lengths of string in paint. For each child, place a string in-side a folded piece of light-colored paper in a twisted fashion with one end out over the edge. Then have the child place one hand on top of the paper while pulling the string out with the other hand. Open the paper and enjoy the butterfly, dancers or flowers created. Repeat the procedure with other colors to mix.
VARIATION: FLOWERS
From Agnes
Play some music during art time. Have the children dip string in paint and let it "dance" across their papers as you vary the tempo.
VARIATION: SNAKES
From Carolyn
Attach 5-inch yarn pieces to popsicle sticks. Using the sticks as handles, let the children dip the yarn into paint and then wiggle it across their papers to make wiggle worms or snakes. Using more than one color of paint makes the project more attractive and fun.

Painting with A SPOON
MATERIALS FOR SALTY SOUNDS:
LIQUID tempera paint, salt, spoons, brown paper bags or fingerpaint paint containers.
PREPARATION:
Pour paint into containers and mix with salt.
ACTIVITY:
Put a spoonful of paint on each child's paper. Then let the child push -Paint around with the spoon. Add more paint as needed. The paint & salt mixture provides a texture and sound that children like.

CRUMPLED PAPER
MATERIALS FOR SPRING THINGS:
Construction paper or other heavy paper, newspaper, various colors of -:2:-a paint, paint pans.
PREPARATI 0 N:
Mix tempera paint into shallow pans. Crumple newspaper.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children dip crumpled newspaper into paint and dab it onto construction paper. Let the paper dry and cut it into egg shapes.
VARIATI0N:
You may want to cut out the egg shapes before the children paint them. This is also a good activity for making kite shapes or other spring items
SENT IN BY: Sally J., Waukegan, IL
Painting with ROLL-ON DEODORANT BOTTLES
MATERIALS FOR MAGIC MARKERS:
Empty glass roll-on deodorant bottles, one for each color desired, tempera paint, newsprint, construction paper or manila paper.
PREPARATION:
Remove rollers from bottles and clean both rollers and bottles thoroughly. Fill bottles with tempera paint and replace rollers.
ACTIVITY:
Let the children use the roller bottles to draw pictures or designs on their papers.
SENT IN BY: Ruth, Kirkland, W A
VARIATION: From Betty, Waco, TX Encourage the use of several different color combinations in the children's drawings or designs.
VARIATION: From Rosemary, Pleasant Ridge, MI
Have the children use the deodorant bottles like magic markers. It's interesting to use both large and small roller heads to create designs.
SIMILAR IDEAS SUBMITTED BY: Cathryn, St. Charles, IL

Painting with SPRAY BOTTLES
MATERIALS:
Empty spray bottles, thinned tempera paint, large pieces of paper.
PREPARATION:
Fill spray bottles with paint.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children to create designs by "spray painting" on their papers with the spray paint bottles.
SENT IN BY: Cathryn

SQUEEZE BOTTLES
MATERIALS FOR BLOT PRINTS OR MURAL:
Small squeeze bottles, tempera paints of various colors, construction paper.
PREPARATION:
Mix tempera paints to a thick consistency. Pour into squeeze bottles. Cut paper into a variety of shapes and sizes.
ACTIVITY:
Let the children squeeze paint on their papers to create designs.
SENT IN BY: Betty
VARIATION: From Cynthia
Squirt some paint inside pieces of folded paper. Have the children press outward with their hands on top of their papers. Then let them unfold their papers to reveal the designs they created.
VARIATION: From B
Invite the children to create a mural by squirting paint from tempera-filled detergent bottles on a large sheet of butcher paper placed over newspapers or a drop cloth.

Painting with Q- TIPS
MATERIALS FOR PAINTING TIPS:
Q- Tips, tempera paint, construction paper, egg cartons.
PREPARATION:
Assemble supplies. Cut egg cartons in thirds to make four-part paint containers. Pour small amounts of paint into each container.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children dip Q- Tips into paint and use them like brushes to create designs on their papers ..
VARIATION:
Use dried wide markers in place of Q- Tips. Let the children dip them in paint and use them to draw or write.
SENT IN BY: Barbara
HINT: From Gina Arlington, MA
To make cleanup easy and fun, fill a dish basin with a small amount of soapy warm water and place it at children's level. Let children wash their hands, then supply them with paper towels to dry their hands.

SCOURING PADS
MATERIALS:
Large sheets of paper, plastic scouring pads, paint pans, liquid tempera paint, paper towels.
PREPARATION:
Place folded paper towels in paint pans and pour on liquid tempera to make paint pads.
ACTIVITY:
Let the children dip the plastic scouring pads into liquid tempera and use them to "paint" on their papers. Stroking motions or up and down movements create interesting effects. This is fun to do with two colors of paint.

Painting with COTTON BALLS
MATERALS DRY TEMPRA:
Construction paper, cotton balls, brushes, various colors of powdered -tempera in margarine containers, hair spray.
ACTIVITY:
Let the children "paint" with the powdered tempera using cotton balls and brushes to smear the dry paint
HINT:
Q-Tips may also be used for "painting," but they require somewhat more refined small motor skills.
SENT IN BY: Cindy, Palatine, IL
HINT: From Nancy, Grand Forks, ND
Use meat trays or paper plates to hold the powdered paint. If using several colors, the trays can be passed around the table. If the room is small, or has poor ventilation, spray the paintings outside.

COTTON BALLS
MATERIALS FOR CLOTHES PIN HANDLES:
Spring-type clothespins, cotton balls, paint, small containers, paper, tape.
PREPARATION:
Pour paint into small containers. Tape paper to table. Clip a cotton ball to the end of each clothespin.
ACTIVITY:
Using the clothespins as handles, let the children dip the cotton balls in-to paint and then spread it on their papers.
HINT:
When the cotton balls start to get stringy from too much paint, replace them with fresh ones.
SENT IN BY: Gina M, Arlington, MA

Painting with A SCREEN
MATERIALS FOR SPLATTER PAINTING:
Colored construction paper, tempera paint, paint containers, old toothbrushes, wire screen attached to a cardboard box frame (see directions below), materials for making stencils.
PREPARATION:
For stencils, gather things such as leaves or flowers or cut paper shapes to fit themes such as animals, fruits or holidays. The shapes can be used many times, so only one or two sets are needed. Pour small amounts of tempera into containers and insert old toothbrushes.
ACTIVITY :
Have each child arrange stencil materials on a sheet of paper and place the paper under the framed screen. Then let the child rub a toothbrush dipped in paint back and forth over the screen. When enough paint has been spattered on the paper, remove the stencil materials and allow the painting to dry.
HINT:
Contrasting colors of paint and paper work best. White paint on dark colored construction paper, for example, is quite effective.
MAKING THE FRAME:
The time spent making a framed screen for spatter painting could be well worth it. It creates far less mess than using wooden sticks, it's easier for children to use independently and it will last for several years.
Purchase a piece of screen about 9"x 12". The metal screen works better than plastic. Choose a sturdy cardboard box that has a bottom at least as large as the piece of screen and glue the flaps in the bottom together. Using a utility knife, remove the top flaps and cut around the sides of the box about 4" to 8" from the bottom. On one side, cut down another 2" or 3" to allow paper to be inserted without lifting frame. Cut a hole in the bottom of the box, at least 2" smaller on all sides than the piece of screen. Place the screen over the hole and use a staple gun to secure it to the box where it overlaps. To prevent children from getting scratched by the wire screen, staple an additional cardboard frame over the overlapping edges.
SENT IN BY: Ruth, Kirkland, WA

Painting with A SCREEN
MATERIALS FOR LEAF PRINTS:
Shoe box, tempera paint, shallow paint dish, toothbrush, construction paper, piece of wire screen, newspaper, leaves or other materials to use stencils.
PREPARATION:
Cut construction paper into pieces slightly smaller than the shoe box. pour paint into shallow dish. Spread newspaper on work table and lace shoe box on top of it.
ACTIVITY:
For each child, place a piece of construction paper in the bottom of the shoe box and put a leaf on top of the paper. Place the screen on top of the box and mold it around the box edges, if necessary. Let the
child dip the toothbrush in paint and rub it across the top of the screen until desired spattering effect is achieved. Remove the screen and take Jut the leaf along with the child's painting. Allow the painting to dry on flat surface.
SENT IN BY: Betty, Columbus, OH

TONGUE DEPRESSORS
MATERIALS:
Cookie cutters or other simple forms, construction paper, styrofoam meat trays, sharp cutting knife, toothbrushes, tempera paint, tongue depressors.
PREPARATION:
Hold cookie cutters or other forms on styrofoam trays and cut around them with a sharp knife to make stencils.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children place styrofoam stencils on construction paper. Then let them dip toothbrushes in paint and rub tongue depressors across the toothbrushes to spatter paint onto their papers. Use Christmas or Thanksgiving cookie cutters for holiday pictures.
SENT IN BY: Barbara

Painting with MARBLES
MATERIALS FOR DESIGNS:
Aluminum pie tins, one or two marbles per child, one or two colors of fairly thick paint, shallow paint containers, paper, smocks.
PREPARATION:
Cut paper circles to fit in the bottoms of the pie tins. Pour paint in con-tainers and add marbles.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children place paper circles in their pie tins. Then put one or two paint-covered marbles in each tin. Let the children roll the marbles back and forth. The marbles will leave a trail of color, crisscrossing over and over again. This is a great eye-hand activity.
SENT IN BY: Melode, Grand Junction, CO
VARIATION: From Myrna, Manassas, VA
Use rectangular paper placed in the bottom of shallow cardboard boxes for marble painting. Small plastic balls can be used in place of the marbles.
VARIATION: From Jane, So. St. Paul, MN
Cut construction paper into kite, flower or butterfly shapes and use them for marble painting.
VARIATION: From Nancy, Grand Forks, ND
Cut down half-gallon milk cartons to use as paper holders. Let the children marble paint on pre-cut seasonal OR holiday shapes such as pumpkins, bells, mittens and hearts .
VARIATION: From Connie, Hardy, NE
Instead of putting marbles in the paint, put one or two teaspoons of tempera on each paper and let the children roll the marbles back and forth over the paint.

Painting on SNOW
MATERIALS FOR COLOR SCAPES:
Watercolors, tempera paint or food coloring mixed with water, brushes, containers, snow.
PREPARATION:
Pour paint into containers suitable for use outdoors.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children outside when the snow is a few inches deep. Allow them to freely explore the effects of paint on snow, using both small and large brushes. The colors will spread as the paint touches the snow. Encourage creating splashed colors with wide, sweeping movements or making snow sculptures and painting them. The snow will hold the paint cans and brushes firmly in place, so you won't need to worry about upsets.
SENT IN BY: Jan, Indianapolis, IN
VARIATION: From Marjorie, Stony Brook, NY
Fill empty plastic squeeze bottles with water and different colors of food coloring. Let the children squirt the colors onto the snow. Watch the excitement as the snow becomes a rainbow of colors! The next day, examine the snow to observe the melting process.

Painting on PAPER SHAPES
MATERIALS:
Butcher paper or other painting paper, tempera paint, brushes, paint containers. (We add glitter glue.)
PREPARATION:
Cut desired large shapes from paper. These may be simple geometric shapes, holiday shapes such as pumpkins, Christmas trees, hearts, shamrocks or eggs, or other shapes such as flowers, butterflies or children.
ACTIVITY:
Let the children paint their shapes in any fashion desired. Easels can be used, or painting can be done at tables or even on the floor. One or several colors of paint may be provided with a brush for each color.
HINTS:
If you cut out paper children shapes, it might be fun to let each child use one to paint a picture of himself or herself. Display the finished paintings on a wall along with the children's names and photographs.
Use small peanut butter jars for paint containers. They have wide mouths and don't tip over as easily as plastic containers when inserted in a utility tote. Use the tote when painting at tables or on the floor.
SENT IN BY: Ruth, Kirkland, WA
VARIATION: From Cindy, Palatine, IL
Mix tempera paints in various shades of one color, depending on the theme of the shapes: reds and pinks for Valentine's Day, greens for St. Patrick's Day, etc.

Painting on EGG CARTONS
MATERIALS :
Cardboard egg cartons, pipe cleaners, crayons or paint.
VARATI 0 N:
Cut egg cartons in half lengthwise.
ACTIVITY:
Egg cartons are perfect for making "caterpillars." Help the children fold -::~cleaners in half and poke them into the top of the first section of egg carton halves to make antennas. Then let the children color ~ and designs on their caterpillars with crayons or paint.

PAINTING ON MASKING TAPE
MATERIALS:
Shiny fingerpaint paper, masking tape, watercolor paints, brushes, small containers of water.
PREPARATION:
Put pieces of masking tape on each child's paper in any design. More advanced children may be able to put the tape on their own papers.
ACTIVITY:
Let the children paint their entire papers with watercolors. When the papers are dry, help the children carefully pull off the tape. The white lines that appear will separate the colors, creating interesting designs.
SENT IN BY: Nancy , Grand Forks, NO

Painting on NEWSPAPER
MATERIALS:
Newspaper, tempera paint, brushes, paint containers.
PREPARATION:
Pour paint into containers. Place newspaper in desired painting areas.
ACTIVITY:
Let the children paint pictures or designs on newspaper. Try a variety of painting areas around the room: easels, tables, walls and floor.
SENT IN BY: Cynthia, Danbury, CT

PAINTING FOIL
MATERIALS FOR SHINY PICTURES:
Oaktag or light cardboard, tempera paint, white liquid glue, brushes, paint containers, aluminum foil, newspaper.
PREPARATION:
Cover table with newspaper. Cut large rectangles out of oaktag and cover with aluminum foil. In paint containers, mix paint with glue to a thick consistency. Stir well.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children paint designs on the aluminum foil with colored glue. The effect is nice if areas are left unpainted, since the foil reflects the paint.
HINTS:
When finished, make frames for the paintings. This is a nice activity for Christmas because of the shiny effect. Older children can etch designs in the glue with popsicle sticks, either freehand or using stencils.
SENT IN BY: Jane, Sarasota, FL
OUR VARIATIONS-When dry cut into 1 ½ inch strips- fold so painted side can be seen on one side and weave into basket like above or into a simple
Make a pattern for folding paintings into these type of butterflys.

Painting on ROCKS
MATERIALS:
Rocks, paint, small containers, brushes.
PREPARATI0N:
Before doing the activity, take your children on a walk to gather rocks that can be painted. Pour paint into small containers.
ACTIVITY:
Have children paint the special rocks that they found any way they
HINT:
As a separate activity, have the children wash their rocks before they
them. Toothbrushes work very well for this.

PINECONE CHRISTMAS TREES
MATERIALS:
One large pinecone for each child, green and white tempera paint, small sponges, glitter, small Christmas balls (optional), newspaper.
PREPARATION:
Pour tempera into shallow dishes. Cover tables with newspaper.
ACTIVITY:
Have the children dip sponges into green and white tempera and apply paint all over their pinecones to simulate snow-covered evergreen trees. While paint is still wet, glitter may be sprinkled on, or small Christmas balls may be added.
HINT:
Children who do not like messy hands can paint with sponges that are clipped to clothespins.
SENT IN BY: Kathy Tustin, CA

Painting on PAPER PLATES
MATERIALS FOR SUNS:
Paper plates, yellow paint, brushes, yellow crepe paper or tissue paper, glue.
PREPARATION:
Cut crepe or tissue paper into small rectangles, approximately 1" x 2".
ACTIVITY:
Have the children paint their paper plates yellow to make "suns." While the plates are still wet, let the children press paper rectangles on the paint. They should stick, but if the paint dries before the children have finished, let them use glue. Encourage the children to not only stick rectangles in the middle of their plates, but also over the rims to resemble sun rays.
VARIATION: sunflowers
Have your children glue sunflower seeds on the middle of their plates
to turn their suns into sunflowers. Attach them to green paper stems to create a sunflower "garden."
VARIATION: happy faces
After your children have painted their paper plates yellow and the paint has been allowed to dry, have the children draw lines or paste precut shapes on their plates to make "happy faces."
MATERIALS:
Large cardboard cartons, poster paint, 2-inch brushes, newspaper.

Painting on GLUE
MATERIALS:
Construction paper, glue in squeeze bottles, tempera paint, brushes.
PREPARATION:
Twenty-four hours ahead of time, squeeze glue on a paper for each pattern of your choice. Do not rub the glue. Just allow it to dry a5 it was squeezed on the paper.
ACTIVITY:
Hand out the papers and let your children paint over the glue patterns. Glue provides a new, interesting texture for them to work with
VARIATION:
Depending upon the ability of the children, you might want to let them squeeze the glue on their own papers.
SENT IN BY: Kathleen, Griffith, IN
VARIATION: From Mary, Lansing, MI
Have your children dribble rubber cement on their papers. Allow the glue to dry about half an hour. Next, have them paint over the glue. When the paint has dried, let the artist peel off the rubber cement, revealing the pictures or patterns they have made.

Painting on CRAYON
MATERIALS FOR SEASONAL SURPRISES:
Paper, black paint, white crayons.
PREPARATION:
Thin the black paint. Using a white crayon, draw a "mystery picture" on paper for each child. Suggestions: Fall - ghosts; Winter - stars, moons, hearts; Spring - clouds; Summer - fish. Older children may be able to draw their own pictures.
ACTIVITY:
Let your children paint over their "mystery pictures" with the thinned black paint.

Painting on STENCILS
MATERIALS:
Cardboard or oaktag, tempera paint, brushes or sponges, construction paper, masking tape, shallow dishes, newspaper.
PREPARATION:
Make a stencil for each child by cutting a simple shape such as a triangle, square or daisy from the center of a piece of cardboard. Place a piece of construction paper under the stencil and tape them both to a table. Pour paint into shallow dishes.
ACTIVITY:
Let each child dab paint over the open area of the stencil. Remove stencil and place painting on newspaper to dry. Other colors may be stenciled onto the same picture when the first color has dried.
SENT IN BY: Betty , Columbus, OH
VARIATION: From Lois, Webster City, IA
Cut Easter egg shapes from thin cardboard such as potato chip boxes. Attach loops of tape, sticky side out, to the backs of the shapes and stick them on sheets of paper. Let the children brush thinned paint around the edges of their shapes, extending out about an inch. It's not necessary for them to paint their shapes, but they probably will. Remove the cardboard shapes, leaving unpainted egg shapes in the middle of the papers. When the papers are dry, let the children decorate their egg shapes with crayons, if desired.
VARIATION: From Lois, Webster City, IA
Follow the same procedure to make car, bus and airplane shapes to be used for a transportation unit. This method is similar to spatter painting. but it goes faster and is less messy.
VARIATION: From Carole, Pittsburgh, PA
Cut out flower shapes, trees, cars or geometric shapes to make stencils and tape them on large sheets of white paper. Then let the children shade over the edges of their stencils using the sides of peeled crayons.