Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts

Sensory Play: Art Develops Critical Thinking, Reasoning, and Fine Motor Skills

Creative Outlets like Art and Dramatic Play Stimulate Children's Brains with Reasoning, Critical Thinking, and Advancing Fine Motor Skills

Art is creativity in action. Creating and playing with art supplies is stimulating to our brains. Our imagination takes over while art helps develop critical thinking and fine motor skills. Everyone can play and learn with art, regardless of their socioeconomic status or level of education. Read on to learn!


Sensory Play: Art Develops Critical Thinking, Reasoning, and Fine Motor Skills


Jake's Journey in Art: Homeschool Printmaking Lesson with Foam Trays and Pencils

Homeschool Art Lesson in Printmaking

Jake's journey in art focuses on REUSE. Make your own prints with foam trays in this fun Printmaking lesson. This homeschool art lesson requires only a few supplies making it perfect for homeschool. Enjoy!


Reuse Foam Trays for Printmaking
Animal Prints with Foam Trays Piggy Art.

What fun! This is an incredibly easy way to teach the art of printmaking to young children. The assignment required choosing an animal to draw and first drawing it on paper by looking at the image upside down. If you draw an image upside down, you tend to focus less on the end product and more on each individual line. 

The idea is to make drawing perfectly less overwhelming, when turned right side up, it magically becomes a great drawing!


Homeschool Art Project How to make your own Prints with foam veggie trays
Printmaking Lesson: Messy Craft with Paint and Prints.

Hmm... Great theory. Jake drew his pig by copying the image with the right-side up, then he proceeded to complain profusely about how everyone's drawings were better than his. It took a great deal of coaxing to get him to draw the picture upside down. He felt it was a waste of time and "stupid". 

The battle ensued, he tried it, and the results were similar. That's good news and good news, I think. The good news is he tried it, saw it worked, and wasn't stupid, and the good news is he draws pretty good either way.

You will need: 
Foam Trays, Pencil, White Paper, and Acrylic Paint.

First, draw a picture of an animal on a piece of paper. Remember, if you are looking at an image, turn it upside down and draw it upside down first. Now, turn your image around, and check out your handi-work. This is practice.

The next step is to "draw" the image onto a foam tray. Make sure to press down hard to make a deep indentation into the foam. Now, cut the edges off your foam tray so it is a flat surface. It needs to be completely flat to make the print.


Lightly paint your foam image. You can use one color or several. Make a practice print on paper to remove some of the excess paint.

Then, carefully place your foam tray paint side down onto a clean sheet of paper. Press firmly, but do not move the tray or the image will smear. With a finger or hand on each end of the tray, carefully lift it from the paper to reveal your beautiful print. Wipe the tray clean, and experiment with new colors. 


Once they started making prints they didn't want to stop!

Tip:  The best prints are the ones made as the paint is starting to wear off the tray. This is a great way to make holiday or birthday cards. You can also cut them out and frame them as Christmas gifts.


Recommended Reading:


Kids Creative Chaos Cooks: Kitchen Kids Series: Holiday Recipes*








ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)


KCC Kids Make Native American Art and Crafts in honor of the Wampanoag Indians contribution to Thanksgiving

Studying Native American Art and Crafts


Get crafty with Alex Toys and celebrate the Wampanoag Indians.  Without them, we'd have nothing to celebrate. Here are companion activities for your lessons on Native American History.



Native American Paper Craft Wampanoag Indians Paper Dress
Mayhem wanted to go outside and collect stones and leaves in her pouch like a real  hunter-gather. "Indian Dress" paper grocery bag tutorial.
What a fun word, Wampanoag. Here is a site with fun facts about the Wampanoag. We learned some Wampanoags are from Natick, Massachusetts where the Daddy was born.


Wampanoags today  See the real Mayflower here. See our version here.  Daddy is not Native American, but Mommy is related to Pocahontas about five different ways- her Indians are known as the Powhatan or Virginia Algonquian. One day, we'll write a post about this relationship.


Tie Dye Fashion Groovy Tote Kit from Alex Toys ~ Fun way to learn about dyeing clothing.
Alex Toys has great products for your Thanksgiving celebration or to help teach Native American ways and honor their contribution to our country in the classroom.

I wanted to teach dyeing with the Tie Dye Fashion Groovy Kit and teach weaving with their Native American Loom, but the projects seemed a bit daunting for a six year old, eight year old, and an OCD Mom. So, I kept  putting it off. 

We'll do that post next week. We can do it tomorrow. It just has to be done by Thanksgiving...


The Tie Dye kit by Alex Toys is awesome, super easy, and nearly mess free ~ we did most of it in a tub in the kitchen sink.


Soaking items to dye before tying off with rubber bands and twist ties.


Knotting off patterns with bands included in the kit and recycled bread bag twist ties.


Easy how to tie dye t shirts
Projects ready to dye. The included, Groovy Tote and some of our old, stained t-shirts.

How to tie dye and other native american indian crafts
I've done some tie-dyeing in the past, but this was so much easier. Although, the kit was for one tote bag we had enough dye to dye several things. I wish we had prepped more items. We decided to use some of the dye to make super messy, water color paintings in the sink.


Leave lots of white space for better contrast and to keep colors from bleeding together.
This is our only mess! How great is that?

Squirting dye on paper and blending with plastic spoon.


Secure your items in plastic bags for 24 hours.
Patience is a virtue. Enclose in plastic bags for 24 hours to set the dye, remove bands, lay flat to dry for another 24 hours, and then wash and dry.


The bag was included in the kit and we did three shirts and several paintings.
All bottles are still half full! This would be great for a birthday party or classroom. 
Tie Dye Paper Art  ~ Less Squeeze is Best
Tie Dye Paper Art ~ Learning Phase


The loom? Oh my the loom, it was far too daunting for this post. See our weaving experiences in Jake's Journey in Art ~  Home-school Weaving. 



Weaving is tedious work that takes time. Imagine if you were a Native American making clothing to keep warm.



Next month, celebrate the spirit of giving with Santa's Elves of Indy as we collect, wrap, and donate gifts for those needing a little extra help this Christmas season.

AlexToys.com donated these toys for our unbiased review.
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Jake's Art: Still Life Picture: Homeschool Lesson 3

Still Life Picture Cobalt Bottle Homeschool Art Project

Oh my, what a fun journey in Art we have embarked upon this homeschool season. This week's assignment Still Life PicturesGather some fruit and other interesting items, arrange them on a table, and draw them as realistically as possible. Well, let's just say it took all of our stressometers to the max. Enjoy!

Still Life Picture Apples and Cobalt Bottle
The Still life example looked similar to this one 
with a cobalt bottle and fruit.
As, Jake sat having a melt-down, I searched the web for famous examples of still life. The lesson does mention not everyone has a natural ability to do realistic drawings, but practice makes perfect.


Picasso Still Life Painting
Picasso, Still Life with oranges.
Let me tell you, I've had years of practice. I cannot draw a realistic still life. So, I told Jake we would interpret our own realism like Picasso did in his interpretation. After all, everyone must start somewhere and the photographic images could stifle the most confident of young artists. I showed him many amazing still lifes. Examples are at the bottom of this post. He struggled with the contour drawings wanting to draw the entire table no matter how many times I explained, "Just pretend this is all you see."


This one depicts the entire surface of the table.
"Jake, please try again.  You are making this much too difficult.  Just draw a line to represent the table surface."  "I Can't!" He cried smashing his pencil down onto the table.

Still life on table with outline.

Still life with apple totem.




Still life third try.

Now, I didn't make him draft the outline five times. It was his perfectionist choice. I was ready to color-in the second one once he understood the concept of a horizon line, but he was compelled to continue the torture. His final drawing is below and quite lovely with its soft shadings, faint line of the table in the background and arrangement. (Nevermind the bottle lines showing through the fruit~choose your battles.)












In the meantime, his little sister (Mandy Mayhem) and natural born creative, drew this still life including the table, the windows, the painting on the wall, the wall, and some additional items she felt added to the picture.


 "I'm done Mommy. Can I do another one? I really like the Fishbowl Matisse, can I do one of those?"  Sure, Mayhem just do it quietly so Jake can concentrate.

Matisse Fishbowl Still Life Picture Goldfish
Matisse with Goldfish.

If only, Jake could concentrate. Remind your kids to relax!  Relaxation is the most important element of quality art. He has a special talent, but this project was very stressful for him.

The pictures below, especially Wassily Kandinsky,  gave him the courage to trudge ahead. We also found Paul Klee and Joan Miro still lifes. 

Everyone who studied art had to do a still life. Note the Paul Cezanne's skulls. So, paint what you enjoy. Make the project your own, but fulfill the assignment.


Warhol Still Life Image
Warhol Still Life
Cezanne Still Life Skulls
Cezanne Still Life
Picasso Still Life
Picasso Still Life

Kandinsky Still Life
Kandinsky Still Life
Picasso Still Life
Picasso Still Life

Matisse Still Life
Matisse Still Life


The still life was our worst struggle by far, but it was also a turning point. The next post is a much happier, carefree one. As Jake's journey continues you will see a calmer more reflective, budding young artist.


Remember these points:
A little encouragement goes a long way.

You don't have to erase in ART. The mistakes can make a Masterpiece.

Never tell your child or anyone else their drawing doesn't look real. It is art, a beautiful interpretation in the eye of the beholder. What if Picasso or Warhol stopped trying because they weren't successful? 

Andy Warhol is a fantastic example. Practice does make perfect but not necessarily photographic. Once he abandoned the notion he needed to be a "real artist" not a graphic artist; he finally became a Master of his own success.

Read more about Lesson one (Line - how do you feel about art.) and Lesson two (tunnel book perspective.)

And this one next (if you are following in order): Oh happy day: progress with watercolors and paper arts.


Recommended Reading:

Still Life with Bread Crumbs: A Novel*

Art of Still Life Drawing (Art of Drawing)*






ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)


Farm Craft Fun with The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

Make a Papercraft Barn for "The Big Red Barn" by Margaret Wise Brown 

This is a fun way to teach children about farm animals. Here is a simple craft for Preschool Curriculum: Make your own Big Red Barn and Silo with a paper envelope and cardboard toilet roll tube. Enjoy!


Farm Craft Fun Activities The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Farm Craft Fun with The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown.

We made this project in our Messy Class. What better way to make a mess than red paint?

Big Red Barn Activity Craft for preschool kids Margaret Wise Brown Farm Fun Cow
Big Red Barn Preschool Papercraft.

How to Make a Big Red Barn Paper Craft


You will need:

Greeting Card Envelope

Cardboard Toilet Paper Tube
Paint (Make your own Edible Recipe Here or Water Color Paints)
Cardboard Egg Cartoon
Markers
Construction Paper or Magazine
Glue (Make Edible Paste Recipe Here)
Margaret Wise Brown's The Big Red Barn Book


The Big Red Barn By Brown Farm Crafts and Activities
Perfect preschool Farm Book: The Big Red Barn.

Step one: SENSORY SKILLS
Open the flap on your envelope so it points to the ceiling when standing as pictured.

Step two: SENSORY SKILLS
Paint your envelope red or your favorite barn color. (Remember it is important to let little ones make choices.) Paint your Cardboard tube to match.
Cut out and Paint one egg carton cup with a contrasting color.

Step three: FINE MOTOR SKILLS: CUTTING 
While the paint is drying use construction paper or pictures from magazines to cut out animal shapes. You can trace the animals in the story on white paper and use them as shape templates for your littles to trace. Also, cut out barn doors.

Step four: SENSORY SKILLS
If you make your own edible glue this is a super fun, sensory experience. Paste doors onto barn as pictured. Attach Egg Cup to Cardboard Tube (SILO) and attach silo to envelope. You might want to add a piece of folded tape to secure the silo.

Step five: CREATIVE PLAY SKILLS 

This is my favorite part! Place your animal shapes in the envelope, read the story, and remove the animals making animal sounds as they appear in the story. 

Find a fun Snack for Goodnight Moon.



Recommended Reading:

Books about Farms for Kids: Little Blue Truck Board Book*

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown*

Margaret Wise Brown Ideas from Mommy and Me Book Club.*


Tip: Our Favorite Edible Paint Recipe is MILK PAINT.









ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)