Week 6 Abracadabra!

Spin Art
*Salad spinner (I used the OXO small herb spinner), 4"x4" white thick drawing or construction paper, tempera paints, space to dry art flat
**If you want to sponge paint after, have some sponges and extra on hand
Place paper inside salad spinner and put a few drops of paint onto paper. I was surprised at how much paint you need. Close top and spin away. Open top of spinner and voila, your beautiful spin art is complete and just needs to dry. These are beautiful on their own or could be used for many craft activities (I think they would make great notecards). See idea below for excess paint (which you'll have a fair amount of and seems like a waste to send down the sink).

After removing "drain basket", there will be lots of paint remaining on the sides of the bowl. This can be a great opportunity to sponge paint. I used sponges on a stick but any sponge would work. There's beautiful colors hiding and that rich brown. This could be lovely abstract or non-objective art or turn the painting into something. The curved line could become a roller coaster, one might turn into a dinosaur after drawing on top of dried paint. The circles could become cupcakes with some glitter and jewels. Let your imagination run wild!

Shrinky Dinks

See past Camp lessons 2011 on this blog.


Oobleck (repeat from Week 1)
*Cornstarch, water, food coloring, paper/plastic bowls (1 per child), little paper cups/ziploc bags to take home mixture if desired
Arts & Crafts? Maybe not. Fun and mad science? Definitely! See more info at Sciencebob.com
(note- blue food dye stains for a day or so, other colors did not)

Spray bottles and/or Watercolor Resist
see week 1 lessons, Mad Scientist Week

Play Dough!

Who doesn't love play dough? The homemade kind is so much better than store bought. We just finished using it in art class as a preparation for our clay project (gives the kids a chance to plan their project) and I used it at a baby shower I threw (we played sculpturades which is like pictionary but 3D rather than 2D). This play dough is not edible (I've heard the salt levels can be toxic). Here's the recipe I use:

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup water

½ cup salt

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Food coloring

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Use a wooden spoon to stir over medium heat until ball forms. Turn the hot ball out onto a counter or cutting board and begin kneading as it cools.

Yields 4-6 small balls

The Happiest Artist on the Block: Working with Rocks, Sand, Leaves & Clay

Process not product. You’ve heard it a million times and we all know the importance of it. A meaningful art experience develops character and reaches the soul. It’s a bonus that it makes us smile when we look at it on our walls.  I developed a rich series of art projects in my K-5 art room that focuses on process, uses tactile materials (behold- your most energetic kids calm down), and incorporates nature studies (our theme this year in art class). I’d like to share this with you.  Please view the photographs of the works since the pictures speak volumes about the unconventional processes and creativity that was unleashed in the art room. I hope your kids get to experience this soon!

Day 1: Working with Rocks. The kids learned about Stonehenge and Andy Goldsworthy (art/artists who use rocks!) via the  SMARTboard. Look up Andy Goldsworthy if you don’t know his art, it is pretty inspiring. You can view clips of his video on YouTube and see his work in person outside the De Young Museum in San Francisco (see cracks in sidewalk, reminding us of our ever changing tectonic plates). Here’s the plan- students each borrow a tub of rocks which they need to sort by color, size, shape or texture. They then arrange the rocks a la Andy Goldsworthy.* The kids got so creative with this~ they made the rocks spiral out in descending sizes, stacked them or created animals out of the rocks. Photographs were taken so we could document our work. Bonus to teachers/parents- no messy clean up!

Follow up to Rocks & Andy Goldsworthy: Arranging leaves.  Go outside when those autumn leaves start falling. Look at the beautiful creations the kindergartners made. Try sticks, shells, rocks and any other natural treasures that you find.*

Day 2: Exploring with Sand. When the kids walk into the art room there is colored sand on trays for everyone to work with. Their only instructions are to explore the material and keep the sand on the tray. Kids draw and write in the sand and really seemed to enjoy the process. After 10-15 minutes I bring the group together and we reflect on the material and how it felt (both the texture and the calming nature of it). Then I show them images from Japanese Rock Gardens. These Zen Gardens use no water; instead the raked sand represents water, waves in the ocean, ripples in a pond, etc. The rocks represent mountains, islands, etc. The moss represents trees, forests, etc. We view many gardens including the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. The kids then receive their own tub of rocks and a fork and are instructed to build their rock garden on their tray of sand*. Upon reflection, we usually find that this process felt very calming and satisfying.
 

                                                       

 

Day 3: Working with Clay. Our clay lesson is a good follow up to the rock and sand lessons since the clay is also a tactile material from nature. I take time with my little guys to discuss that clay is broken down rocks, mixed with water, and can be found under the soil and at the banks of rivers and lakes. We have different colored clays because there are different colored rocks. We use low-fire white clay but if you don’t have a kiln try homemade salt dough, Crayola Model Magic, air dry clays, or polymer clay (Fimo, Sculpey). Here is my ideal clay experience:

Day 1: Explore the clay. Let the kids smoosh it, roll it, and pound it. Ahhhhhh! Clay!

Day 2: Practice with homemade playdough~ handbuilding pottery techniques (pinch pots, coil pots, slab pots) or Sculpture work.

Day 3: Every child creates their clay project that they practiced in playdoh. Pots, animals, architecture, beads, frames, gargoyles, food~ you name it, we’ve made it out of clay! What a lovely experience that is challenging, 3-dimensional and real. It’s like the Thanksgiving of art and then it’s all over…

Until Day 4 & 5: Glaze them puppies. Underglaze, overglaze (kiln required), watercolor and acrylic paint (no kiln required). Voila, let the forms come to life with color!
----> Note: pictured here are 3rd coil pots, 4th architectural relief, K pinch pots, 5th food,  2nd terracotta warriors, 1st grade Louise Nevelson relief*

In conclusion: These tactile materials are really great for the middle of a busy school or rainy day. I see the kids slow down, focus and really get to know materials from nature. They learn that not all artists paint nor frame their art. Art can be created in nature and out of nature; it can be ephemeral and dynamic.  Art can be a process that soothes and allows you to look inward while expressing yourself to others. I hope you get a chance to work with some of these wonderful materials from nature. Your children will LOVE it and beg to do it again and again!

~Stephanie Noon

*credit given to
Explorations in Art, Davis (Rock lesson), Barbara C. (Leaf lesson), Nature's Art Box (Rock Garden), Anna H. (Louise Nevelson clay), Stuckey (bringing me Terracotta Warriors from China)

Felt Board in Play Kitchen

We just bought Eliana a play kitchen that we hope will provide years of creative play. I hung some felt behind it (using grommets) and then cut out some food items out of other colored felt. Eliana knew just what to do with it right away. Now she's always bringing us presents of food that she's collected and rearranged. I had a felt board up for awhile in my K-5 art room and the kids were always amazed. "How does it stick?!!"