Say Cheese

If you think that all of the pictures that go along with these art projects come out perfect the first time you are mistaken. Here is a sampling of what it took to get a picture to go with the last post...

And Finally... 



Crazy Animal House - Toddler Art Project

Crazy Animal House

Age: 18 Months - 5 Years or older (younger ones need more supervision)

Time: 15 min (+ Prep)

Theme: Doors, Windows, Houses

Books: The Doghouse by Jan Thomas, A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker

Materials:

Construction Paper
Glue Sticks
Small pictures or silhouettes of animals (I used recycled wrapping paper, but it is easy to find and print images)  
Adults get to use Scissors, Exacto Knife and a Ruler

Prep: The house is made from a half sheet of construction paper (6 x 9). You can freehand or use your own measurements for the house, window and door or use mine. Mine were cut with an exacto knife as follows: Mark the Center (3”) of the top of the sheet. From 2” down on each side cut to the top center, creating the ‘roof’. Cut parallel lines 1” and 3” below the roof edge (3” and 5” down from the top) and about ½” from each of the edges. Make a horizontal cut in the middle (3” from edge) to create two window shutters.  The door is 1” below the window (6” from the top), the horizontal cut (top) 2” long and the vertical edge cut to the bottom of the page. The animals are easier – size them so they can ‘hide’ behind the windows and door and cut them out.

Activity: Each child gets a full sheet of construction paper (or copy paper), a pre-cut house, an assortment of animals to choose from and a glue stick. Glue the house to the full sheet of paper (an adult can help fold the windows and door open so they don’t get glued closed). Choose and glue animals inside and outside of the house. Color if desired. 

Notes/Tips: Putting the animals out on a large paper plate will help them from ending up everywhere. The kids I did this with had a lot of fun playing ‘peek-a-boo’ with the animals in the houses, as well as inviting the adults to ‘guess’ where they were.

Peek-a-boo Crab - Toddler Art Project

Peek-a-boo Crab

Age: 18 Months - 5 Years (younger ones need more supervision)

Time: 10 min (+ Prep)

Theme: Crabs, Hermit Crabs, Sea Creatures

Books: A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carl, Hamsters to the Rescue by Ellen Stoll Walsh (somewhat long so better for older kids)

Materials:

Red Construction Paper
Craft (popsicle) sticks
Reinforcement Labels (little donut shaped stickers used to reinforce pages in ring binders)
3oz Paper Cups (‘bathroom’ size)
Glue Sticks
Adults get to use Scissors, Pinking Sheers & Exacto Knife

Prep: Cut out crab bodies and claws from the red paper. By folding a full sheet in quarters like an M you should be able to make 4 bodies and 4 sets of claws per sheet. The claws should look a little like a lollypop when they are first cut, then the pinking sheers  are used to cut out the ‘pinchers’. All parts are cut with the fold at the top so that they ‘match’ easily. Prep the cups by cutting two small parallel slits in the bottom of each cup with an exacto knife. The resulting hole should be just large enough for the craft stick to slide through.

Activity: Each child gets a crab body, claws, a craft stick, and a glue stick. Put glue all over the ‘inside’ of the crab body. Place the arms near the bottom of the body then fold the body over the stick.  Trade in the glue stick for a paper cup and 2 labels (for eyes). Add the labels for eyes. Gently fold the crabs arms forward so that he appears to be clapping, then slide the stick into the hole in the cup. The crab should be able to ‘hide’ in the cup, then peek over the rim by pulling the stick up and down through the bottom of the cup.

 Notes/Tips: By including the step of trading the glue stick for the eyes and cup, the glue has an extra minute to dry. This will help prevent the crabs from pulling off the stick in case of an overly zealous first round of ‘peek-a-boo’.  To make this a ‘big kid’ project, add different colors of paper and only prep the cups. Demonstrate the technique of creating a ‘body’ then challenge the kids to create their own ‘peek-a-boo’ characters. (Aliens work great!)

Dress-up Dinosaur Claws - Toddler Art Project

Dress-up Dinosaur Claws

Age: 18 Months - 5 Years (younger ones need more supervision)

Time: 10 min (+ Prep)

Theme: Dinosaurs

Books: Dinosaur vs the Library by Bob Shea, How do Dinosaurs Count to Ten by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague, Dinosaur Roar! By Paul & Henrietta Stickland

Materials:

Heavy Paper (Something that feels about the weight of a manila office folder)
TP Tube
Crayons
Adults get to use Scissors and an Exacto Knife

Prep: Fold heavy paper in half and cut out pairs of dinosaur claws. The claws should be roughly the size of a child’s mitten, fitting 2 pair per standard size sheet. Feel free to modify the design for each pair – Number of fingers, pointy or rounded tips etc. On the wrist portion of each, cut two parallel slits roughly ¾” long using the exacto knife. The cuffs will be threaded through here. To prep the cuffs, cut a TP roll lengthwise then into 4 ‘rings’. Take care that the cut pieces retain their round shape

Activity: After demonstrating their best dinosaur roars, each child gets a pre-cut pair of claws and crayons. Decorate, draw, scribble, make them colorful! When done, have an adult help weave the cuffs through the pre-cut holes. Fit them on wrists and Roar! (I bet it will be even louder than before).

Notes/Tips: TP roll cuffs will lose their ‘grip’ as they lose their shape. You can reshape them several times by coiling the cuff into a tight circle.

Hurrah for Mom! - Toddler Art Project

Hurrah For Mom!

Banner & Flags

Age: 18 Months - 5 Years or older (younger ones need more supervision)

Time: 15 min (+ Prep)

Theme: Mothers Day (Or any celebration)

Books: Are You My Mother by PD Eastman, Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney, I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt

Materials:
Copy Paper
Straws
Crayons
String/Ribbon/Yarn
Glue Sticks
Adults get to use Scissors and a Ruler

Prep: Mark and cut out the banner pieces. On one 11” side of the paper measure 5-1/2” and on the other measure 2-1/4” in from each edge. Make a line from corner to 2-1/4” mark, then back up to the 5-1/2” mark, down to the other 2-1/4” then back to the top corner. This will give you 3 banners or flags (and 2 smaller triangle scraps). Measure and cut however many you want for your banner (3 for ‘Mom’ – 5 for ‘Mommy’ etc). Make at least one additional to use as a flag. After they are cut, fold the wide edges down about ¾” and trim the corners flush with the banner edge.

Activity: The banner: Each child gets banner pieces and crayons. Decorate, draw, scribble, make it colorful! An adult can help with letters too. When done, have an adult cut a length of ribbon/yarn/string then help attach them by folding the already trimmed wide end over the string and gluing the fold closed. Be sure to leave enough ribbon at the ends to make loops for hanging.
The flags: Each child gets a banner piece and crayons. Again decorate, draw, scribble – but remember that this time the design will be horizontal instead of vertical. Using the same technique as with the banners, glue the flags around straws to hold as you wave them.

Notes/Tips: Remember to double check the order you are putting them on the string before you glue. This is easily made into a multi-age multi-kid project because each child can decorate a banner piece to contribute to the whole – and you can make it as long or as short as you want!

'Big Kid' TP Roll Puppets

I did a 'Big Kid' version of the Owl Puppet  at a recent event. The kids covered the rolls with colored paper, then used items to decorate them such as feathers, googly eyes, and fake flowers. Most of the kids were 7 - 10 years old. The project was a big hit!

Umbrella in the Rain - Toddler Art Project

I am not a big fan of plain old coloring pages, but I do use them as a part of a project fairly regularly.

This time our theme was rainy days.

I found the image at: http://www.activity-sheets.com/coloring_page/spring/02-spring-08.htm  We used a glue stick added a coffee filer umbrella with a construction paper handle then colored it.

Simple, Quick Fun!

Hint: If you fold the coffee filter in half, it is a regular umbrella but if you twist and fold a little more, it looks like an umbrella that got caught in the wind.