press here collages

Another year, another group of awesome collages inspired by the book Press Here. I wish I had photos of the set up (it was a provocation), but the kiddos jumped right in and I had no time to grab the camera! I had the materials at the art table all pretty and laid out but I think it was the glue stick that drew them in. Either way, our collages are up on our art wall making the classroom an extra cheery space!

For more Press Here inspiration click here, here, and here! Have fun!

art inspired by press here

We spent a week exploring circles and primary colors for our week of Press Here by Hervé Tullet. As a part of our weekly journal art we made spotty collages on small sheets of paper that were six inches square. We began doing our art directly into our journals but I have found that the pages are too large for the children to focus on so we shrunk down the work surface for them to fill.

Kiddos used glue sticks to layer and stick their circles of choice to their paper. Some of our circles were punched at the art table by the kiddos themselves while others were prepunched by me from various scrapbook papers and some painted newspaper.

stormy collage art

 

This is what happens when I set out paper plates, cotton balls, glue, liquid watercolor, and eye-droppers. I also added a shake or two of glitter to the paint. The kiddos loved this process. The green tongs up there were actually a part of our pom-pom sorting activity but one of the kiddos decided to use them on the cotton balls and then their glue bottle which prompted the other children to clamor for their own tongs of course. It was fun all around and the art looks fantastic up on our wall! 

Happy Boxing Day!

Don't throw all that gift wrap out! Make a nifty gift wrap collage!

What you need:

*gift wrap scraps
*ribbon scraps
*gluestick, tape or kid friendly glue
*carboard, cereal boxes, paper plates, gift boxes
*scissors
*glitter and other bits of fun
scrumdilly-do it!

Gather up all your gift wrapiness. You know, that pile of torn paper and ribbons and tags. Set out a selection of the goods for your wee ones to art it up with along with scissors and adhesive and something to glue it all onto.Have your wee ones cut or tear pieces of their favorite paper and arrange them onto their work surface for some collage fun. You can use broken-down gift boxes, paper plates, cardboard or heavy paper for your work surface.They can do random placement or make a torn picture. Cut, tear and glue away, add some glitter for fun and you will soon have a nifty memorable holiday collage! Don't forget to recycle the rest!
Other ideas:

**Collage onto a gift box and refold so that your wee one can have their own nifty treasure box for all those stocking-stuffers.

**Cut the scrap gift wrap into strips and make some more paper chains!

**Cut long strips of paper and have your wee ones collage onto a paper plate. Don't forget oodles of ribbon and you can make a paper plate hat not unlike the baby shower hats we so love to force new mamas to wear!

You may even want to save a box of scraps to keep around for when inspiration strikes. Kidlets can even art up the blank backs of the paper.Have fun!

Collage time, berry style!

This is a great activity for anytime. You can do the leg work yourself or hand your kidlet a pair of scissors and a stack of magazines and let them go to town. I used to do this when I was 5. Yay! Allowing your kidlets to scavenger their berry pages helps with color recognition and of course building that good ol' self-esteem. Besides, maybe your kidlet doesn't want to make a strawberry, maybe they want to make a blueberry or perhaps a nanoberry. The hunt though can be a lot of fun and can also give you a few extra minutes to throw in that load of laundry, write a quick blog entry or grab your golf clubs from the garage. You can also do the scavenger hunt with letters, animals and shapes. Just make sure your kidlet is scissor ready and/or the scissors they are using are child safe. If you are able to go through and dismantle a magazine your self you can cram all the bits into a storage container or resealable bag and have your wee ones color sort into cute bowls or onto squares of colored paper. Having a couple of bags or containers on hand can be a lifesaver for when you need those extra minutes especially when you name them something spiffy like "Bea's Magic Rainbow" or "Simon's Secret Color Stash" You get my drift, and always, have fun!

What you need:

*magazines or paper scraps from mags in berry colors

*additional collage scraps in berry colors (optional)

*scissors

*glue stick

*yarn or string

*cardstock

*red or pink construction paper (optional)

*cayons, markers and/or paint (optional)

*hole punch

scrumdilly-do it!

Set out your supplies. If your kidlets are younger, have your scarps ready for them. I went throguh 2 magazines and tore out pages with red and pink colors and then cut them into strips and squares. I also did a page of green for the top of the berry.

Draw a strawberry shape onto the cardstock and cut out. Glue red construction paper to the top and trim if you want to use a colored base.

Let your wee ones go hog wild with the glue stick, covering the entire surface with adhesive. Now they can add all the scraps they want. You can also give them ribbon, tissue, beads, glitter, feathers, etc.

Once they are done, have them do another piece with the green scraps, attach the top, punch holes, thread with string and voila! A giant strawberry to hang or wear! (Because it's fun!)

Penguin inspired collage

So, have ya hunted through yer casa for penguin colored supplies? The easiest project to do is to make a penguin inspired colalge. This is one all kidlets can make. It is pure creativity. Check it out!



What you need:
*black or white paper or white paper plates
*glue
*black, white & yellow crayons, chalk, paint, and/or markers
*odds and ends in the penguin colors like felt, fabric scraps, tissue, pipe cleaners, glitter, etc.

scrumdilly-do it!

Set out yer splat mats, cover up any must cover clothing, roll up sleeves and have a go!


If your wee ones lile a lot of paint nd glue, go for some sturdier paper. Paper plates are awesome for this. Set their collages somewhere safe fro drying. Once they are dry you can transfrom them into many things! Refrigerator art isn't the only thing. Frame them, hang them, cut them up for more fun. Let your kidlets guide you and have fun!