I am really excited to be on this book blog tour for Susan Schwake’s book Art For All Seasons (Kids Art Series)
Activity 1: Cozy Animals. This project was inspired by printmaker Amy Rice
My 5 year old chose this activity to do, but she was very clear about wanting to do a pig in the summertime.
She drew her pig in with a pencil
I outlined the pig body with the blue as that is difficult for her age, but then handed the brush over and told her to fill in the rest.
While we waited for the pig to dry, we decided to deviate a bit from the instructions and cut out colorful shapes with scissors and a hole punch and use them to create flowers in the grass.
Grace was very excited with her creation of what she called “colorful trees for her garden”
I cut out the fabric for the pig’s outfit. It was actually fabric from a Free People shopping bag when I bought something there. I had cut it up and saved it for projects with the kids. You never know when you need a colorful piece of fabric! Grace thought it was perfect for her pig. Grace also came up with the idea of adding a button. I suggested adding buttons all the way down, like a shirt. But she absolutely did not want to do that and said the button is the pig’s bell. I’ve learned with my kids that it’s best to let them take the project in the direction they want rather than impose my ideas or sensibilities. It is their art after all!
And here is her finished painting. I just love it and so does she! It is now hanging above her bed.
As part of this blog tour I will give away a copy of Art For All Seasons. All you need to do is a leave a comment here or on any other place you may find me. Instagram, twitter, or Facebook. I will do another post next Thursday, June 11, sharing an activity we did with my 8 year old son and draw the name. I can’t wait to share that one as it turned out really well too and has a much looser feel than this adorable piggy. So please comment between now, June 4th and June 11th.
To Get a Free copy: please leave a comment answering this question: what is your favorite art activity to do with kids OR you can ask me a question about doing art with your kids.
As a former teacher and as a mother now, I have observed and experienced that kids have a tendency to argue with their moms than they do with their teachers. It’s just a fact of life. I know, it can be daunting and sometimes may turn out to be a nightmare (picture paint all over the table or glitter explosion everywhere), but it is such a good thing for all involved. Really!
I am currently loving making touch murals/ sun catchers with contact paper and cut paper, glitter, confetti, recycled paper shreds, tissue paper and anything else you want to throw in… I love how the contact paper records every action, is a sensory exploration, and can easily be modified as they like. Basically you are laminating their mixed media design… and then you can hang it in a window, on the wall, or on a flat surface for exploration. Here is an image of a group mural created this way: http://www.meetatgather.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/garden-banner.jpg
touch murals! I love that. Thanks Angela
Betsy said “that’s really cool” and she really likes it!! And, I thought “Bridgette has a lot of patience to be using paint with GGrace and using a hole punch to make a mess….I prefer crayons and no vacuuming! But, it is a cute activity to have my babysitter do!” 🙂 (And, why am I not surprised Grace chose a pig????!!!! Betsy’s bday card had a pig on it too!)
Thanks Betsy! I think because I have a studio and am a bit of a mess myself, I am good with making messes! As long as they help me clean up. Although I am STILL finding little plastic thingamabobs in my garden that Betsy and Grace used to make their magic potion. oy. I think i will be finding those things for years!!
My favorite activity is sculpture. I did cityscapes sculptures with recyclable mayerials. The students drew they building then they pour some paint in the bottle and then they shaked it get color for building walls. Then they drew with a shapie the building details .
thanks Zoila- that sounds really interesting! How big were these?
Thank You very much, the ideas are very nice and interesting !!!
I’m sorry I have a simple answer, but my favorite art activity with my kids is painting. Actually, i’s watching them paint. I let them tell me which colors they want to work with and then let them do whatever they want, then I watch. Sometimes I have to ask them to explain their work so that I can see what they see. After seeing how they work, Olivia is our painter, she asks to paint almost every day. Isabela likes to draw and tell stories through her pictures. Jack (only 3) likes to cut then glue the pieces onto something else, even his sister’s paintings or drawings. Again, simple, but a book like this would help us out a lot! we would love to try new things. Isabela asked me today, “can we do arts and crafts when we get home?” and I always feel limited in my ideas. Even if I don’t win the free copy, I would still buy one for us and for a friend of mine and her kids. She is an artist and works with mixed media 🙂 Congratulations, Bridgette!
Thanks Nicole. You know, I don’t think that’s a simple answer. A lot of people shy away from painting with kids because of the mess factor. I ask my kids this “tell me about your picture” or “can you describe what you made for me”. i’ve made the mistake of assuming something that was completely off mark and made a littler person disgruntled! I am sure you have found that same thing to be true for you. thanks for sharing how each of your kids are creative in very different ways. Wonderful.
My granddaughter is always amazed at my art. I sat her on my lap at 2 yrs to do her first embroidery stitching. I would love to have this book for her. Even though she lives in another state we can do projects with FaceTime.
We’ve been playing with sculpey lately and my son has been teaching me different art techniques he learned in art club. I love how much he enjoys sharing what he learned.
This book will give us even more ideas. Thanks!
that sounds like fun! we haven’t done much with sculpey yet.
To take a child or children for a walk on the beach and collect stones and bring them back and have them use their imagination to paint on them. Also, to walk with a child or children and collect drift wood, sea glass or other such items that catch their attention and come back and use in art projects.
I like that too Shirley. My daughter has an eagle eye and find the best treasures
Sorry about the last post…I misunderstood. Wanted to leave a reply:
This little girl and her pig are SO beautiful. She can see the creativity and works with it until it suits her. My niece has nine children and I try to instill in (some) of them the pleasure of being an artist. They would relish your book and learn so much from you. We love to do collage and hang them all over the house like an art show. You can see the love in each one.
Thank you mary! I love that you hand up their artwork- it really gives them a sense of pride in their work.
I make art with my two grandsons. My favorite thing to do with them is painting. I enjoy it as much as they do!