Busy Mommy Media » Arts and Crafts

Hot Rocks Art for Kids

Rachel — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 01:09:58 +0000

I absolutely love simple, open-ended art activities for kids – especially during the summer. That’s why I was so thrilled to find this perfect summer art activity for kids from The Little Humbugs. My kids can entertain themselves with nothing but rocks for hours (well okay, at least for 10 minutes). This activity is so simple – heating clean rocks and drawing on them with crayons – but the process allows kids to experiment with a completely new art texture and the end result looks fantastic.

Materials Needed

Rocks – washed and dried

Old crayons – preferably with the paper peeled off

Baking Sheet

Age Recommendation

Because you are working with hot rocks (and a hot baking sheet) this activity is best for school-aged kids. My 4 1/2 year old did this activity with us, and while he enjoyed it, I had to keep reminding him to keep him to keep his hands away from the hot rocks.

Preparation

Go on a rock search. This is half the fun of this project. Take some time to have a nature hike or explore some place new. We walked along a new stretch of the beach where loads of rocks had washed ashore. I joked with my kids that we were going to take our decorated rocks back to the beach and mix them in with all the other rocks. I wonder if that’s considered littering or graffiti?

Bring your rocks home, wash them off, and allow them to dry.

Instructions

Place your washed rocks on a cookie sheet and put in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes. When the rocks have been heated, use crayons to draw designs on them. The wax will melt on the rocks as you draw creating a really neat texture.

For full instructions, check out this beautifully done video from The Little Humbugs:

Preschool Science Lesson – Egg Carton Butterflies

Rachel — Mon, 03 May 2010 18:37:01 +0000

The opportunity to explore the world around us is one of the best parts of childhood. I have rarely met a preschooler who doesn’t love exploring for bugs. My own kids will play with potato bugs for hours at a time and are thrilled to learn anything new about insects or butterflies. This simple preschool craft is a great opportunity to teach preschoolers the basic parts of an insect. While the scientific terms for each part of the insect may be a bit difficult for younger preschoolers, they can be introduced to the concept that an insect has three sections on it’s body.

Preschool Lesson Objective

Teach preschoolers that bugs can also be called insects.

Teach preschoolers that all insects have three body parts – the head, thorax, and the abdomen.

Help preschoolers understand that the eyes, antenna, and mouth is on the head of an insect.

Help preschoolers understand that the legs and wings are on the thorax of an insect.

Materials Needed

Empty egg carton
Paint
Paintbrushes
Pipe cleaners
Construction paper
Newspapers to protect work surface

Optional – Insect Lore Butterfly Garden Kit

Advance Preparation

Cut the empty egg carton into 3 segment pieces before this activity. If you are doing this with multiple preschoolers, cut one 3-piece egg carton for each preschooler. Styrofoam egg cartons would be easier to work with if you have them on hand but may not hold paint as well as cardboard egg cartons.

Preschool Craft Instructions

Ask preschoolers if they know what the word insect is. Explain that insect is another word for bug. Have preschoolers practice saying the word insect.

Give each preschooler an empty egg carton that has been cut into a 3 segmented piece. Tell preschoolers that all insects have three parts to their body. Have preschoolers touch the first segment in their egg carton and say the word “head”. Ask preschoolers what things they have on their head that might also be on an insect head. Tell preschoolers that an insect has eyes, antenna, and a mouth on it’s head.

Have preschoolers touch the middle section of their cut egg carton. Have preschoolers say the word thorax. Have preschoolers practice saying the word thorax. Explain that an insects legs and wings are connected to its thorax.

Have preschoolers touch the last section on their cut egg carton and say the word abdomen Tell preschoolers that they have an abdomen to and ask them to find the middle part of their body.

Have preschoolers paint their egg carton insects and allow them to dry.

Add legs and antenna to each insect. Be sure and add the antenna to the insect’s head and the legs to the thorax. You can stop at this point if you want to focus on insects. If you are doing this lesson as part of a butterfly preschool theme or to go along with a butterfly kit you’ll want to continue.

Have preschoolers fold a piece of construction paper in half and cut wings out. Wings can be taped or glued to the back or your insect to create a butterfly. The process is more important than the end result. Encourage preschoolers to be creative rather than try and create a perfect replica of butterfly wings. My preschooler had fun creating an entire series of wings so they could be changed to create a completely new butterfly.

Valentines Day Coloring Page

Rachel — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:46:24 +0000

This adorable Valentine’s Day coloring page will be a hit with preschoolers and can be used as part of a preschool Valentine’s Day preschool theme or as a fun activity to do at home with mom. We plan to use this page to decorate our homeschool classroom.

Have you colored this page? Send a picture of your picture to Rachel at BusyMommyMedia dot com with “coloring page” as the title and have your child’s artwork featured here.

Make Your Own Recycled Paper

Rachel — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:26:44 +0000

My kids love to recycle but until recently, they really had no idea what happened to our paper after they put it in the recycling bin. This simple activity is a fun and interactive way to teach kids how to recycle paper and can be a good use for the extra newspaper you have laying around from couponing.

We decided to make use of my toddlers destructive streak earlier this week and recycle the book that he destroyed. I’m hoping we didn’t unintentionally encourage his book tearing habit but at least my kids learned how to recycle something we weren’t using anymore. Kids love learning how things really work but there are so few opportunities for kids to see and understand the full process of things that they do everyday.

What You Need

Paper to be recycled – this can be old newspaper, junk mail (just avoid the glossy kind), leftover tradeshow material (that’s a big one around our house after CES and now as we’re getting ready for Toy Fair), extra construction paper, etc.
A blender – Don’t worry about using your regular blender for this. The paper washes out easily and after you are done.
A window screen – If you have old screen material laying around this would work just fine but be sure and put masking tape around the edges to prevent sharp edges from hurting your kids while they do this activity. I bought a cheap adjustable window screen with a metal rim that worked well.
Optional: Flower seeds – These are a fun addition if you want to plant your paper after you are done use it and plant it in your yard to show the complete process of recycling.

What To Do

This project takes several days for kids to complete because you have to wait overnight for several steps to be complete.

Step 1 – Tear paper into squares that are about 1-2 inches wide. This does not have to be exact. You just want to start the process of breaking the paper down.

Step 2 – Soak the paper pieces overnight in a bowl of water.

Step 3 – Take the soaked paper out of the water and place it in the blender. Fill the blender halfway full with fresh water. Blend the paper and water mixture until you have something that is about the consistency of pureed soup. Add water as needed to thin it out.

Step 4 – Lay the window screen over the sink or have a child hold it over the sink and slowly pour the paper soup over the window screen, trying to pour it in an even layer. We found it helpful to start in the center and pour the mixture in a circular spiral moving out towards the edge until you make a very unappetizing paper pancake. Use your fingers or a spoon to even out any uneven places immediately after pouring. The paper begins to dry almost immediately once the water starts to drain and it becomes less workable as it dries. If you are adding flower seeds to your paper, add them at this point before the paper dries. You can either gently push the seeds into the top of the wet paper or put them on the paper and then use a tiny piece of paper mixture to “plant” the seed by laying it on top so the seed is not visible.

Step 5 – Lay the window screen with the paper mixture on a dry towel and leave to dry at least overnight. Change the towel throughout the day as needed if it becomes soaked through.

Variation – Add natural food coloring to create colored recycled paper to be used for preschool art projects or crafts for elementary school aged kids.

Your homemade recycled paper can be used as part of a preschool science lesson, as a homeschool science project, as an Earth Day project for kids, to send a unique birthday card to a friend, or as a special Valentines Day card.

What will you use your homemade recycled paper for?

Preschool Art – Paper Bag Pumpkin

Rachel — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:06:56 +0000

Preschoolers will love making this paper bag pumpkin as a special Halloween craft activity.This is my favorite activity to do with preschoolers for a fun Halloween project. It is so easy that even a toddler can do it with some supervision.

This Halloween art project makes a wonderful holiday decoration for preschoolers desks at school or at home as a centerpiece for a festive meal.

What You Need

Brown Paper Bag
Orange Paint
Black Construction Paper
Green Pipe Cleaners
Safety Scissors
Scotch Tape
A Pencil
Newspaper

What To Do

Give each preschooler a brown paper bag and some pieces of newspaper. Have preschoolers use safety scissors to cut the newspaper into strips. Preschoolers can tear the pieces of newspaper if they prefer. Crumple up the newspaper strips and fill the paper bag about half way. Tie the bag shut just above the newspaper filling by twisting a green pipe cleaner around it. Show preschoolers how to wrap the ends of the pipe cleaner around a pencil to curl them. You can add additional pipe cleaners to create more pumpkin vines if you want.

Have preschoolers paint the bottom section of the pumpkin orange. While the pain is dry, have preschoolers cut triangles out of black construction paper. Allow preschoolers to be creative. If they want to experiment with different shapes or formations let them.

When the paint is dry, use scotch tape to attach the black triangles to one side of the pumpkin to create a jack-o-lantern face. You can use glue if you want but tape works best because of the curve of the pumpkin and the paint underneath.

Preschoolers will have an adorable paper pumpkin to get them in the spirit of Halloween.

Toothbrush Painting

Rachel — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:50:26 +0000

Toothbrush painting is a fun twist on traditional painting and is a great way to teach toddlers and preschoolers about the importance of dental health. This activity was one we did every year during my years as a home daycare provider during our dental health preschool theme but it makes a wonderful homeschool health lesson or fun art activity for kids.

What You Need

Tooth template

Yellow paper

Toothbrush (regular or electric)

White paint

What to Do

Kids often don’t understand why it is so important to brush their teeth well at least two times a day. Many kids rush through brushing their teeth and miss spots that can develop into cavities. Kids can develop a better understanding of why they need to brush their teeth thoroughly every time by seeing a visual demonstration.

Give each child a yellow piece of paper. Tell the kids that yellow tartar can form on your teeth and cause cavities if you don’t brush it off. Put some white paint on a paper plate or in another container and instruct kids to use the toothbrush to brush the “tartar” off their paper tooth by painting it white.

As the children paint their tooth white, you can discus the importance of good dental health.

Cookie Sheet Print Painting

Rachel — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:12:09 +0000

Art can be created using materials found around the house. This open-ended art activity can be altered to fit the needs of kids of all ages and can be used to fit nearly any subject matter. Using an old cookie sheet, kids can create a simplified version of a printing press and come up with a creative work of art.

My son chose to create a classic masterpiece . . . a Star Wars lightsaber. Star Wars is popular around our house and is has found it’s way into our homeschool art lessons but it helps my 6 year old stay excited about art and gives him a starting point to express his creativity. Allowing kids to be free to create, no matter what the subject matter, can help them to develop as an artist and be encouraged to try new things.

Materials Needed

Old cookie sheet
Non-toxic paint
Paintbrush
Paper

Instructions

Provide kids with an old cookie sheet and several colors of paint. Encourage kids to paint whatever they want to on the cookie sheet, If you are doing this art project as part of a preschool theme or as a curriculum supplement provide kids with some direction as to the subject matter but try and avoid dictating what they should create.

Once the painting on the cookie sheet has been completed, have kids lay a piece of paper down flat on top of the painting, being careful not to wiggle the paper once it has come into contact with the paint. Gentle pressure can be applied to the top of the paper to be sure that all parts of the painting have been printed onto the paper. The paper can be slowly peeled off of the cookie sheet and flipped over to dry.

Gingerbread Playdough

Rachel — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:43:08 +0000

Preschoolers will love this festive touch to traditional play dough. The wonderful gingerbread scent of this play dough adds an additional dimension to this sensory play activity and helps preschoolers to celebrate the holiday season.

What You Need

1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of salt
2 tsp. Cream of tartar
1 cup of water
1 tsp vegetable oil
cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, etc.

What To Do

Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar together. Blend the mixture well. In a separate bowl, mix the spices together until you get the scent and color you want. When you are happy with the scent and color of your spice mixture add it to the dry ingredients. In a small bowl mix the water and oil together. Add the water and oil mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Cook the mixture in a pot for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. The play dough will start to pull away from the sides and form clumps. Remove the dough from the pot and allow it to cool. Knead the play dough until it becomes a smooth consistency.

Give each preschooler a piece of gingerbread play dough to experiment with. You may want to provide preschool sized rolling pins, cookie cutters, or dough stamps to create an exciting sensory experience for preschoolers.

Alphabet Practice

Print large bubble letters on pieces of cardstock. Have preschoolers form play dough snakes and then lay the pieces out on top of the letters to create three dimensional play dough alphabet letters.

Preschool Pretend Play

Have preschoolers pretend to make some holiday treats with their gingerbread play dough. Provide preschool sized rolling pins, plastic knives to cut the dough, and a metal pie plate. Have preschoolers pretend to make holiday cookies or pumpkin pie.

Make Use of Leftover Dough

Use leftover gingerbread play dough as a base for a Pine Cone Christmas Tree

Pine Cone Christmas Tree
Preschoolers will love making these open ended pine cone Christmas trees. Let preschoolers use their imagination and decorate their Christmas trees using a variety of leftover sequins, beads, and other craft supplies.

Additional Play Dough Activities

(Taken From - Toddler Sensory Play: Homemade Play Dough for Your Toddler)

Sand – Mix sand into your homemade play dough to give your dough a grainy texture. You can adjust the amount of sand that you add to your play dough to give your toddler a variety of textures.

Cloves – Whole cloves can be added to play dough to create an uneven texture and add lumps to the dough. Toddlers will have a different play experience using the uneven dough and the scent of the cloves adds another dimension to their play.

Be Creative – Nearly any material can be mixed in to your homemade dough to alter the play experience for your toddler. Be aware that if you use an add in that your toddler is used to eating it may encourage them to eat the dough but one taste of the heavy salt in the dough and they are not likely to try it again.

Runaway Snowball – Preschool Science Activity

Rachel — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:51:22 +0000

This is a great winter preschool science activity that uses a really cute poem. This poem is one that I used to use with my daycare children and it is such a fun way to teach about different states of matter. This activity requires very few materials but preschoolers love collecting a snowball and watching it melt. The next time you have a snowy day, take advantage of the snow to teach a basic preschool science lesson.

Supplies Needed

Blue Construction Paper
A Cookie Sheet with an Edge
Snow

Snowball Science Instructions

Type or print this poem on the bottom of a piece of blue construction paper:

I made myself a snowball,
As perfect as could be.
I thought I’d keep it as a pet,
And let it sleep with me.

I made it some pajamas,
And a pillow for it’s head.
But then last night it ran away,
But first.. it wet the bed.

Have preschoolers go outside and collect a handful of snow to make a snow ball. Bring the snowball inside and place it on the middle of the piece of construction paper. You may want to place the paper on a cookie sheet with an edge to prevent water from leaking onto the counter. Talk about what happens to snow when it gets warm. Ask each preschooler to guess what will happen if the snowball stays inside.

Leave the snowball on the piece of paper for several hours. Let the preschoolers watch as the snow melts and leaves a wet, darker colored spot on the piece of paper. Send the paper home with each preschooler to share with their family.

Activity Extension

Place an extra snowball in a bowl on the counter and let it melt. Preschoolers will be able to clearly see what happened to the snowball. Ask preschoolers to guess what will happen if you put the bowl of water in the freezer. Ask preschoolers to guess what will happen if you boil the water on the stove.

Place the bowl of melted snowball in the freezer and let preschoolers see what happens after it freezes. Fill a pot with some water and let preschoolers watch what happens to the water as it starts to boil.

Tips for Carving and Keeping Pumpkins

Guest Writer — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 06:37:07 +0000

Carving pumpkins is a Halloween tradition in many families. What’s more fun for little ones than getting to stick your hands inside a pumpkin and pull out its gooey sticky insides? It’s typically then the parent’s job to slice and dice the big orange ball into something that remotely resembles a spooky or goofy looking face. If you’re looking for the easiest way to carve and keep a great pumpkin try some of the recommendations below.

1. Purchase a pumpkin carving kit. Most stores carry them and they are often pretty inexpensive. Many kits come with not only all of the carving tools but also a scooper and even patterns for more intricate carvings. The patterns are usually taped on the pumpkin and cut through to create the design although it may be more fun to let the kids draw their own design in pen or marker for you to cut out.

2. When gutting out the pumpkin remove all of the loose flesh and seeds, but don’t take too much of the hard flesh off the sides. If the pumpkin is too thin it will rot more quickly.

3. Do not cut shapes to close together. If there is little room between your Jack-O-Lantern’s mouth and nose it will rot more quickly.

4. After your pumpkin is carved, rub a thin layer of Vaseline on the parts that have been carved like the inside of the eyes, nose and mouth. The Vaseline helps the pumpkin retain its moisture and helps it to keep longer.

5. If your pumpkin starts to shrivel, place it in a sink or bucket full of water for a few hours. This will help it regain some moisture. Be sure to dry the inside with a paper towel after soaking so that it won’t get moldy more quickly.

6. The safest way of lighting your pumpkin is to use artificial candles that are battery operated. This allows no chance of anyone getting burned or anything catching on fire. If you really want to use a candle be sure to cut a small hole in the back, top section, of the pumpkin to allow the smoke to escape.

by Nicole E. Nappi