Think outside the box, Experience new things.... Be a kid again!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Baby it's COLD outside!

So lets do some great projects inside... I reciently transitoned to an iPhone, so now I can take classroom pictures AND easily upload them. Whoo hoo -- if you could only see my happy dance right now!

http://www.kinderart.com/seasons/handfootreindeer.jpg  Lets start out with some cute hand and foot (not like the disease!) Reindeer. If you look closely you'll find out that the Reindeer head is a foot traced, the antlers are hands -- add some eyes and a Rudolph nose -- good to go! This is a great project and parents really love to keep a record of handprints, so it's a kid and parent pleaser.

http://reindeer-crafts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/clothespin-reindeer-craft.jpg This next project is a clothespin Reindeer. I admit it I haven't done this one yet, it's on my list of things I should do before Christmas (holy cow is THAT a list) I reciently saw it on a friend's (thanks Shelby & Chris) Christmas tree. I have a ton of these clothespins wandering around my classroom right now so it'll be a great low budget holiday ornament for the tree! Just take a couple clothespins, glue them together -- add some wiggly eyes and a pom pom. Your good to go! If you wanted you could always paint the clothespins brown or add some yarn.

We also made tie-die snowflakes - which I don't have a picture of... sorry... Take a coffee filter, cut it into a snowflake by folding it over multiple times. Allow the kids to drip water color paint or food coloring in water over the coffee filter. It will slowly expand out. This is a great lesson about colors combining too. If the filters get too wet they will rip, so make sure you are only dripping. You could add some small motor into the mix and use eyedroppers. Lets get those grips strong enough and ready for writing.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

It's cold outside & Winter is on my mind...

Soooooooooo lets make some cool winter wonderland art projects!


This first project I call Picasso snowmen. It originally started out as a collage snowman, but I had to leave the classroom and my assistant teacher let the kids take over... (hey, why not!). So I pre cut the snowman parts and gave the kids some glitter and glue. Did you notice the snowman on the left has it's hat upside down? Plus I think both of these snowmen have at least 8 legs! Each snowman is happily mounted up on the board and I think it's one of my favorite projects this year, just because the kids had SO MUCH FUN.

It's a hand-y wreath. This one isn't quite finished and really the berries should be on the outside instead of stuck in the middle, but it's process of learning that is more important than the product anyway! A few more hands to fill it in around the outside and it will be a GREAT holiday art project to hang up at home.