Category Archives: art

art, art, early education & play, Life in the US, outdoor play, play, Seattle, snow

Had Enough of Snow? These Peanuts Snow Sculptures will Make you Smile.

February 13, 2019 rightfromthestart Leave a comment

After almost a week of snow in the Seattle area, many have had enough of snow and can’t wait to get back to normality. Personally, snow makes me smile. I love having my kids home and playing in the snow, because we can try out some really cool projects. As Peanuts fans, on our first snow day this week, we built a snow sculpture of Snoopy lying on his kennel.

We used a brick mould to build the structure of the kennel and smoothed the sides to make the sloping roof. Then, sculpted snoopy lying down on top.

His nose and ears were painted with watercolour block paint and we painted his name on the entrance to the kennel.

Each day we have added a new Peanuts character.

Day 2 – Charlie Brown and Woodstock

The following night we had a lot of snowfall, so in the morning it was as if a Snoopy cartoon had come to life.

Thankfully the snow was soft and powdery so brushed off with little damage, other than some paint smudging and a slightly less defined Woodstock.

Day 3 – Lucy

Day 4 – Linus

This is my personal favourite. There had been some thawing overnight so there were a lot of pine needles in the snow; perfect for Linus’ hair.

For as long as the snow remains, we’re going to add a different character each day. I’ll be updating this post and my Instagram and Facebook page with pictures of the new additions. Who is your favourite Peanuts character?

art, art, art and crafts

Art Project: Fused Glass Snowmen

November 21, 2018 rightfromthestart Leave a comment

We are very lucky to have the luxury of a kiln in our school, allowing us to complete clay and fused glass projects.

I wanted to make a gift for the children to take home at the end of term. As a multicultural school, some of the children don’t celebrate Christmas, so I chose a winter themed art lesson about snowmen.

Small groups of children worked on the fused glass snowmen while the rest of the class made pastel snowman drawings.

I pre-cut the white glass into 2 x 3 rectangles and cut black glass rods to make eyes and buttons.

Each child put their white piece on a paper plate labelled with their name and added pieces of scrap glass to create their snowman. They were then sprayed with hairspray to stop them moving around when I took them to the kiln.

When placing them in the kiln, I labelled them with a sticky note and took a photograph so I would know whose was whose when they came out. I removed the sticky notes before firing.

When they came out, we added a hook (stuck on with E6000 glue) and a ribbon for hanging.

active learning, art, art, art and crafts, early education & play, language & communication, outdoor play, play, science, sensory play

Try These Ideas for Summer Fun with Bubbles

August 8, 2018 rightfromthestart 1 Comment

We have had fun with bubble painting in previous summers, but usually use straws. To try something a little different, we made bubble blowers using plastic bottles and netting.

How to make a bubble blower

Cut the bottom off a plastic bottle
Tape on mesh or netting,
We used 3 different types to investigate how the bubbles would differ.

Christmas tree netting with large holes
Netting from a bag of oranges
Tulle
We made 3 with tulle, 1 layer, 2 layers and 3 layers

bubble blower with christmas tree netting

For the paint, we mixed bubble mixture with a table-spoon of powder paint.

We tested the blowers to see which one we liked the best.

The Christmas netting made three or 4 large bubbles.
The orange netting made lots of clear bubbles
The tulle made a foamy snake of bubbles and the more layers there were, the better the effect.

The best paint effects were made if we blew the bubbles away as soon as they hit the paper, otherwise they melted into a splodge and you couldn’t see the bubble shape.

We made another discovery. A plastic straw makes a perfect bubble wand.

I wonder what else we will discover about bubbles over the summer?

art, art, art and crafts, early education & play, play, Seattle, teaching

Art Project Inspired by Chihuly’s Macchia

March 26, 2018 rightfromthestart 2 Comments

Dale Chihuly is a local glass artist. His works have been exhibited around the world and can be seen locally at the Chihuly Glass Garden and Museum adjacent to the Space Needle in Seattle or at the Museum of Glass and Chihuly Bridge of Glass in Tacoma.

My daughter did a science project for her first grade class last week, where she showed how colours could be separated using a coffee filter and water. The class were fascinated, so I had an idea to incorporate their interests into our next art project.

One of Chihuly’s famous series are Macchia. These look a little like glass bowls, similar in shape to a coffee filter and are made by experimenting with different colour combinations. I showed the children pictures of Macchia and a short video showing how they are made.

Macchia means spots. I asked the children to decorate a coffee filter using washable markers, adding a variety of colours and including spots in their design. I showed them some examples from home, some had white spaces and some had the whole filter filled with colour.

When the designs were finished the children placed them on an upside down plastic cup and secured them with a rubber band.

They were then sprayed with spray starch. We protected the floor with paper and sprayed each one from a distance so the starch would create a fine mist and the filters wouldn’t get too wet.

This is quite a quick project but the children were keen to make more. Most children made two or three in a 45 minute lesson.

The designs were left overnight to dry.

The finished designs were mounted onto black card. These were joined to make a collaborative display but I chose to put each bowl on an individual piece of card so they could take them home.

The finished display.

art, art, art and crafts, early education & play, education, teaching

Square 1 Art Lesson: Lions Inspired by LeRoy Neiman(1st Grade)

January 26, 2018 rightfromthestart 2 Comments

Each year, at school we have a Square 1 Art Fundraiser. Last years theme was water. My Kindergarten and 2nd Grade classes painted themselves under umbrellas in the rain . The previous year 1st grade created oil pastel monsters. This year the theme is ‘Be Wild and Wonder’.

LeRoy Neiman’s lions encapsulate both aspects of the theme perfectly and are bright and bold so fit the criteria for square 1 art projects.

Step 1.

Draw the outline of the lion’s face.

We made sure, the face was a good size and talked about different shapes for the face. This shape was similar to LeRoy Neiman’s lion and makes the lion appear as if it is looking sideways.

Step 2.

Draw the lions eyes, nose, mouth and ears.

We tried out different shaped eyes and noses. Once the children were happy with their drawings, they outlined them in black sharpie.

Step 3.

Paint the Mane. I showed them how to make sweeping brushstrokes, starting at the edge of the face and moving outwards. I encouraged them to use lots of bright colours and to try not to mix them too much.

Some used straight lines

Others chose curved lines

And some let the lines move in different directions.

Step 4.

Paint the face. We looked at Neiman’s use of colour – how he used light colours on the nose and chin and darker colours in the shadows. Again, I encouraged them to keep the colours distinct to make a patchwork effect.

Step 5.

Once the paint is dry, outline the features again in sharpie (this helps it to show up when the art work is reproduced by Square 1) and paint a watercolour wash for the background.

This child didn’t want to outline the lion’s face, preferring to let the face and mane merge into one another.

Some chose heart shaped faces

square one art inspired by leroy neiman lions

Some filled the whole page with patchwork colour

Some added ears

and some preferred lions without ears.

I love how individual they all are. Bright, bold and full of personality – perfect for a square one art project. I can’t wait to see how they look once their are printed onto keepsakes.

art, art and crafts, early education & play, education, teaching

Art Lesson -Wire Sculpting Inspired by Alexander Calder’s Circus

December 5, 2017 rightfromthestart Leave a comment

For this months art lesson with third grade, I chose to make wire circus performers inspired by Alexander Calder’s circus. When the children were in 1st grade we made Giacometti inspired wire sculptures. The thicker wire in these sculptures was difficult to bend so I chose thinner wire this time.

The lesson began with the book Sandy’s Circus by Tanya Lee Stone. This picture book tells the story of Calder’s youth, how he came to enjoy wire sculpture, become an artist and create his moving circus.

The Whitney Museum of American Art have actual video footage of Alexander Calder working his circus. I showed the children this video from 1927, but there are many others.

For our project we made trapeze artists. I thought they would look great on a display especially if we could string them across the classroom.

Materials Used

wire
scissors
masking tape
markers
material scraps
wool/yarn
paper
straws
wooden ice cream spoons.

How to make a wire person

Bend the piece of wire in half and twist the top to create a loop for the head.

2. Fold from half way along the remaining wire towards the centre to make arms.

3. Twist the arms, leaving a loop at the end for hands. Twist part of the remaining wire together to form a body.

4. Open the bottom of the wire out to make legs (cut if too long). Add loops for feet.

5. Cover the surface with masking tape. Add extra layers for padding out specific areas.

Decorating

Once the class had made their basic shapes for their trapeze artists, they were given a variety of materials to create, costumes, hair, faces and props. To join the material to their sculpture, some made holes and threaded pieces through, some used tape or glue and some used the wire to wrap around the material, joining it to their circus performer.

Making the Trapeze

Join two pieces of wire to a wooden ice cream spoon and attach to a straw. The children posed their trapeze artists in different positions and we took pictures to remind ourselves of the poses, when we put them on display.

I love the way they turned out and how each child put their individual character into their sculpture. I’d love to have the time to do a full-scale project and create a whole circus. We could investigate different ways of building and making the models move, perhaps with individual groups working on different aspects of movement. Perhaps some of the kids will be inspired to do this at home?

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links meaning if you purchase an item via these links I receive a small commission.

If you love this lesson, pin to Pinterest for future reference. Other art lessons can be found on my Art Lessons Board

art, art and crafts, early education & play

An Art Project About Line Inspired by Piet Mondrian

November 10, 2017 rightfromthestart 5 Comments

Last Year in Kindergarten, my art lessons were centred around investigating different art materials. This year, now they are in first grade, we will explore those materials further, whilst learning about the elements of art and introducing new artists.

A Lesson about Line

Ask a child to draw a line. The first child I chose drew a bumpy line. The next child drew a straight line.
Discuss different types of lines and introduce the terms horizontal, vertical and diagonal.
Look at how to use the different lines to make shapes, two diagonal lines and a horizontal line make a triangle etc.
Introduce Mondrian’s paintings. Talk about how he arranged horizontal and vertical lines to make the shapes and sizes he wanted.

It is then time for the children to try their own.

Materials needed

Black tempura paint in a flat tray
A square or rectangle of stiff cardboard
Paper

Show the children how to dip the edge of the cardboard in the paint and remove any excess paint by dabbing it on the tray.
Show them how to print lines on the paper in different arrangements to make shapes. Though Mondrian only used horizontal and vertical lines, the children in my class were also allowed to use diagonal lines in their compositions.

3. While the children print, talk to them about the shapes and arrangements they have made. Remind them to close up their shapes so they can be coloured later. As Hallowe’en was looming, spider webs were particularly popular.

Making a Fancy Line

While we waited for the paint to dry, we talked a little more about lines. We looked at a sketch and found the different types of lines used in the picture.

The next challenge was to make one long line, composed of five different types of lines, without taking their pencil off the paper.

I demonstrated them some examples.

They tried their own in pencil and then went over their lines in marker. Some children had difficulty making a single line and wanted to join it to make a shape. For those that did this I encouraged them to focus on the line by outlining it in marker without filling in any colour in the centre.

Mondrian and Primary Colours

Look at Mondrian’s compositions again. How does he use colour?
Talk about primary colours, what they are and why are red, blue and yellow the primary colours?
Look at how Mondrian paintings used primary colours to shade some of the shapes in his compositions.

The second part of the project

Ideally, I would leave the black paint overnight to dry. We have limited time for art so this was not possible and some of the paint was still wet. We blotted the worst of the paint off with a tissue.

Materials

Red, yellow and blue markers (you may also want to include black)

What to do

Use the markers to fill in some of the shapes, leaving some of them white. Try to fill in each shape with solid colour and not leave any gaps so they look like Mondrian’s compositions.

The Finished Products

If you like this lesson and you’d like to save the idea, use this image to save it to Pinterest. You can find my other art lessons and those that inspire me, on my Art lessons for Kids Pinterest Board or art activities for home and free play on my art and craft for kids board.

active learning, art, art and crafts, early education & play, nature, outdoor play, parenting, parents, play, science, shadow and light

How to Make Sun Prints

July 27, 2017 rightfromthestart 12 Comments

You will need:

sheets of sun sensitive paper
clear plastic or sheet of glass from a photo frame
bowl of water

I bought sun sensitive paper for my girls as a gift, but today was our first trial. We set out to find objects to place on the paper. Our first attempt used loose parts.

1. Create your designs inside, away from sunlight and put the paper on cardboard or a tray to help carry it outside.

2. Cover the picture with glass to stop it blowing away and keep it flat and place in the sun for 3-5 minutes. The paper will turn white.

3. Remove the glass and the objects. Place the paper in a bowl of water for 1 minute, to stop the chemical reaction.

4. Remove the pictures and leave to dry.

As you can see, one of the pictures came out clearly, whereas the other had only faint prints. The girls discussed why this might be.

Why did mine work better? I thought mine was in the sun longer but the other one was definitely in the sun for longer, so I don’t know.

It wasn’t because my things were heavier because I used sequins too. Maybe it wasn’t pressed on as hard?

I suggested they try another, to see if they could work it out. This time we searched the garden for natural materials. Usually, I only let the girls use natural things from the ground, but this time I gave them permission to pick flowers and leaves. They searched the flower bed and found things they hadn’t seen before, climbed the tree to reach leaves and lichen and we found that even weeds could have interesting shapes.

They chose their favourites to make a design.

And left them in the sun to develop

This batch was both successful.

I love the detail of the smaller leaf. The girls reflected on the success of these pictures.

I think it worked better this time because we laid the leaves really flat before we started, or perhaps it is because we left it in the water for longer? But I don’t think that would make a difference.

Even the little sequins came out this time.

We saved a few sheets for their big sister to try, it will be interesting to see what she will create. I also ordered bigger sheets because some of the bigger leaves didn’t fit on the 5×7 paper.

art, art and crafts, days out, early education & play, education, Life in the US, parents, review, science, Seattle, wildlife

Washed Ashore at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

July 3, 2017 rightfromthestart 7 Comments

If you read my previous post about our art project made from recycled plastic you will know that the inspiration for ‘swimming through plastic’ was the Washed Ashore Project.

Washed Ashore, is the brainchild of artist and educator, Angela Hazeltine Pozzi, who distressed by the volume of plastic washed up on her beloved Oregon beaches, decided to take action. Pozzi, along with a team of volunteers, created giant sculptures made entirely from the rubbish they found on the beaches. Each sculpture is designed to educate about plastic pollution in our Oceans and encourage a change in consumer habits.

Ten of the Washed Ashore sculptures are at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium until October 21. Last weekend we finally got a chance to see them.

At the entrance you will find Gertrude the Penguin.

Each sculpture comes with an I spy activity, urging visitors to find objects hidden within. They range in difficulty from plastic bottles (of which there are many) to tiny toy cars and cell phones. The girls loved trying to find the hidden objects. It encouraged them to examine how the sculptures were made.

The displays also share facts about plastic pollution in our oceans and the dangers to animals within this ecosystem.

Outside the aquarium are Weedy the Sea Dragon and friends.

My favourites are at the back of the aquarium. I love the detail in the coral reef and walking underneath the plastic bottle jelly fish.

The theme of plastic pollution is present throughout the zoo. The marine exploration centre has many activities encouraging visitors to learn how to be more responsible in our plastic consumprion and creative ways of using non-recyclable plastic, like these botte tops with magnets attached for creating pictures.

The zoo’s new Wild West show, shares a clear message of Refuse, reuse and recycle and the shop and café no longer use single use plastic, including plastic straws and cups.

Washed Ashore — Finding out more about plastic pollution

Once you have seen the sculptures, there are plenty of other things to see. If you haven’t been to Point Defiance before, it has a strong focus on marine animals and an aquarium full of native species and others from warmer climates. Who could resist this little guy?

You can stroke a stingray, anemone or starfish, watch puffins, walruses, seals and polar bears from above and below, ride a camel or hand feed birds.

Our day out really helped the kids think about the things they throw away and the effect it has on the environment. If we were a little closer, I’d love to check out some of their summer events.

art, art and crafts, books, early education & play, parenting, parents, review

What is a Dangle?

June 23, 2017 rightfromthestart Leave a comment

Disclaimer: contains Amazon Affiliate Link

My kids are captivated by this book, The Art of Drawing Dangles. I’d never heard of dangles before, so what is a dangle exactly?

Dangles, are a from of embellishing lettering by adding charms and patterns that dangle for the letters or shapes. If you love pattern, design or intricate colouring, you will love dangles.

At first, I thought dangles looked complicated, but my 6 and 8 year old latched onto the book immediately. They followed the step by step designs and used them as inspiration for their own letter designs, patterns and pictures. Some they coloured with gel pens and watercolour pencils.

dangle letters — Dangle letters by 8-yr old

My 8-year old exclaimed,
“I love drawing dangles. I just like drawing random shapes that don’t mean anything but look nice. I don’t do their designs (in the book), I do my own.”

To be honest, I’m completely blown away by their creations. These were created within the first few days of using the book; I’m excited to see how their skills and creativity will develop with practice.