Holiday Gift Bags

In my last post I talked about the crafts that my art class made. Those crafts were given to people in a local convalescent home who could not spend the holidays with their family. After the crafts were dry, I put them in brown paper bags that I decorated. Each bag contained a Christmas tree ornament, a gingerbread man ornament, a holiday wreath ornament, and a holiday flip-book (see last post for instructions on how to make the crafts). The gingerbread men ornaments were an old project I had from Oriental Trading Company. I used stickers to decorate the bags and foam snowflakes and gingerbread men as gift tags ($1 for ten snowflakes or gingerbread men at Target). I taped the bags shut and punched a hole into both the bag and the tag then tied the two together using yarn. I am so proud of the kids. They did a great job and the convalescent home is extremely appreciative of the gift packages. Hope everyone has a happy and safe holidays!

Easy Holiday Crafts

Looking for some easy, simple, last minute holiday crafts that the kids can make that can be given as gifts? Well, you've come to the right place! My art class recently made holiday craft packages for people in a local convalescent home. Inside was a gingerbread man ornament, a Christmas tree ornament, a holiday wreath ornament, and a holiday flip-book. I will be posting more about the gift packages later, but for now here are three crafts you're kids will love making and giving!

Holiday Wreath Ornaments

Materials:

• small paper plates (one per ornament)
• green and red crepe paper (found at dollar stores or party stores- can use tissue paper)
• pipe cleaners (red and green)
• scissors
• glue (bottled)

Directions:

1. Cut out the middle of the paper plate so that the rim is intact. (I have a set of scrap booking cutters with circle templates that I used to get a nice clean edge- it also allows me to save the centers for future projects.)
2. Cut small squares from the crepe paper- they don't have to be the same size or perfect squares.
3. Glue the squares of crepe paper to the paper plate. Kids can do this in any way they want- let them have fun with it and be creative. See examples of what my art kids did below.
4. Make a bow out of a red pipe cleaner and attach it to the rim using another pipe cleaner. (see photos for instructions)

Christmas Tree Ornaments

From the book, Look What You Can Make With Paper Plates

Materials:

• large paper plates (approximately one per ornament)
• crayons and markers
• scissors
• glue (bottled)
• yarn (any color)
• optional: beads, sequins, pipe cleaners, stickers, etc.

Directions: 

1. Cut the rim off of the paper plate; you can save the middle of the plate for future crafts.
2. Cut the rim into sections starting with bigger pieces and working your way to the smallest piece- the top of your tree. It is best to angle your cuts so that when layered it looks like a tree.
3. Arrange your pieces so that the largest is at the bottom and glue them together.
4. Color and decorate your tree.
5. Tape a piece of yarn to the back to hang the tree.

Ideas:

• String beads onto pipe cleaners and wrap the pipe cleaners around the tree, tapping the ends to the back.
• Place stickers and sequins on the tree.
• Make the tree different colors- no one says that a Christmas tree has to be green.

  

 

Holiday Flip-Books

This is a craft I found at Parents.com. It is made out of lunch bags and is super easy and came out really cute. Instead of using photos of the kids and other items the site suggests, I had the kids make it a generic holiday themed book because we did not know exactly who each gift would be delivered to. Use scraps of wrapping paper, pom poms, beads, pipe cleaners, and stickers. The kids loved using the holiday foam stickers I provided and fiber fill that when pulled apart looks like snow. Click the link to find out how to make the craft and see below for photos of what the kids in my art class created.

http://www.parents.com/holiday/christmas/crafts/holiday-gifts-kids-can-make/?rb=Y#page=3 

      

Halloween Masks

Halloween is just days away meaning it is the perfect to make some spooky crafts! In my art class last weekend the kids made masks. Masks can be expensive and may seem like a lot of work, but when you pull a few tricks and add some treats, it is a great activity that allows kids to express there inner Halloween spirit.

When I was looking for ideas for making masks, I was surprised by how complicated most of the tutorials I found were. Many craft books will say that you need thick cardboard, foam, plastic mask bases, elastic, paint, and a whole bunch of other materials to make a mask. Well, I say all you need is a paper plate, construction paper, some sequins, a popsicle stick, and of course creativity! It's really that simple! And the best part is that once the paper plate is prepared, all ages can do the craft!

Halloween Masks!

Materials:

• large sturdy paper plates (1 per mask)
•  popsicle sticks (1 per mask)
• construction paper
• crayons/markers
• scissors
• glue sticks/glue bottles
• yarn, sequins, pipe cleaners, etc.
• tape

Directions:

1. Before letting the kids make their masks, cut out two holes for the eyes in the paper plate. Draw the eye shape with a pencil on the plate and then carefully cut it out- you can either mark where your child's eyes are exactly or estimate. I used a template I found online and then printed. Note: The front of the mask is the raised side of the paper plate (the bottom).
2. Now let the kids make any kind of mask they want! They can use the construction paper to make ears or hats, use the markers and crayons to color in the face, and use the yarn and sequins to embellish. (The yarn is best taped onto the mask; the construction paper is best glued using a glue stick; the sequins are best glued using a glue bottle.)
3. Once they are done decorating, tape a popsicle stick to the back of the paper plate.

Mask Ideas:

• Witch mask: Make the hat out of construction paper; tape yarn to the plate for the hair (the girl who made the one pictured above braided pieces of yarn together); add sequins around the eyes or on the hat; color the face green.
• Cat mask: Make ears from the construction paper; use sequins around the eyes or as whiskers.
• Pumpkin mask: Color the mask orange; draw black lines to represent a pumpkin's ridges or color around the eyes and draw a mouth for a jack-o-lantern; cut out a stem from construction paper.

The kids in my art class loved this activity! Since it was all girls this time, most of them made witch or cat masks, but they were all so different and creative. They especially loved adding the sequins and yarn to the mask. :)

Fun with Paint!

Hey everyone! Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. I have been extremely busy with the school year starting and art class and many other things, but I promise I will be posting more frequently. Today, I thought I would do a quick post about one of my favorite things- paint! I taught an art class today and due to some scheduling conflicts with the library I hold the class at, I took the kinds outside to do some painting projects. Even though it was hot, humid, and windy, the kids still had a great time and made some beautiful masterpieces.

Marble Painting

Materials-

• paper (any color; size depends on the container you use)
• washable paint (variety of colors)
• marbles
• plastic spoons
• egg cartons or any other type of container to hold the paint when coating the marbles
• foam trays, shoe boxes, or any other type of container that has a lip on the edge

Instructions-

1. Pour paint into the egg cartons (one color per compartment) and drop in the marbles (one per color). Place a spoon in each compartment or container so that there is one spoon per color/marble.
2. Put the paper on top or or inside the foam tray or shoe box.
3. Choose a color and coat a marble with it, then using the spoon scoop out the marble and drop it onto the paper.
4. Tilt the paper back and forth so that the marble rolls around and creates a pattern.
5. Repeat this with as many colors as you want until you get your desired design.

Note: This activity is best done outdoors, that way when the marbles fall off the paper they just fall into the grass.

Other painting projects:

Splatter painting- Use straws and paintbrushes to flick the paint onto the paper- creates a cool 3D effect.

Kaleidoscope effect- Dab and splatter paint of different colors to create a layered effect that looks like a kaleidoscope. (The picture above is an example of what one of the kids created. Beautiful!)

Olympic Art Class: Day 2

There are so many different things to do with the Olympics, in terms of art projects. From the sporting events to the opening ceremony to the venues, the possibilities are endless. I personally love the opening ceremony, specifically the Parade of Nations. Today's project features the flags of the competing countries. Although this project is simple, it gives kids the opportunity to explore the flags of countries they might not be familiar with.

Flags of the World

Materials:

• Construction paper*
• scissors
• glue stick
• markers
• Optional:
• construction paper crayons (or regular crayons)
• tissue paper of various colors cut into small squares
• star and circle hole punchers

* You will need several different colors of construction paper- a base sheet (or sheets) in the color of your choice, primary colors, and any other colors to match the flags. Many of the kids in my class liked using white paper to draw on and then cut out and glue onto their base sheet.

Instructions:

1.  Choose the color of construction paper you want to use as your base to glue/color all of your flags on.
2. Pick the flags you want to recreate. I used this site to pick an assortment of flags to print out. The site also has great information on the history of the flags and countries.
3. Start making your flags! Cut out pieces of construction paper and glue together and onto your base paper or use the markers and crayons to draw the flags. They can be any size you want. In my art class some kids made several small flags while others made one or two large flags. You can also use the tissue paper to create the flags or any other materials you might have around the house. Make sure to label the flags once you are done.

This project received great feedback from the kids in my class because they were able to have fun and be creative. And that's the best part about art- it can be whatever you want it to be! Art shouldn't be about being perfect; it should be about expressing yourself and having fun!

Question of the Day:

What is your favorite part of the Olympics?

As mentioned above, I love the opening ceremony! Even though London's wasn't as spectacular as China's, I still enjoyed it. The floating rings with cascading fireworks was a beautiful sight. But, of course, once the actual events start, they are all I can think about!

Olympic Art Class: Day 1

I recently did a week-long art class that centered around the Olympics. To start the week, the kids made gold medals and Olympic torches. Both are fairly easy projects and may seem to have little room for creativity, but by allowing the kids to personalize both projects it elevated the final results. Making these projects is a great way to get kids pumped about the Olympics!

Personalized Gold Medal

Materials:

• white paper plate (1 per medal)
• scissors
• gold paint
• paintbrush
• hole punch
• markers
• gold glitter glue
• red, white, and blue strip ribbon (a little over 2 feet per medal)
• needle and thread

Instructions:

1. Cut off the outer rim of the paper plate, leaving the center circle intact.* (This will be your medal.) Discard the outer rim.
2. On one side of the medal, have kids write their name (using the markers) and what they would want the medal for. It can be for anything. Some examples of what kids in my class wrote: social studies, baseball, tennis, singing, etc. Younger kids may need help writing on their medal.
3. Paint the other side of the medal gold. Depending on the paint used, you may have to apply a couple of coats.
4. Once dry, have kids decorate the painted side of their medal with gold glitter glue. They can write a number one or put circles around the edge, or just put a thin layer of the glitter glue all over that side of their medal so it's sparkles.
5. After the glitter glue dries (depending on the amount used, this may take at least a day to dry), punch a couple of overlapping holes in the top of the medal. (I punched 3-4 holes together to create one large hole.)
6. Cut a piece of the ribbon (a little over 2 feet long) and sew together the ends of the ribbon.
7. Take the sewn piece of ribbon and put the non-sewn end through the hole of the medal and complete a lark's head knot.

* I have a circle cutter for scrap booking and used this to cut out my paper circles. By doing this it left the outer rim intact and useable for a future project. But scissors will work just as well.

Olympic Torch

Materials:

• beige construction paper (1 sheet per torch)
• red, yellow, and orange construction paper (at least one sheet per color per torch)
• glue stick
• scissors
• gold glitter glue (optional)

Instructions:

1. Roll the piece of beige construction paper into a torch shape and secure using the glue stick. Don't be afraid to use lots of glue to make sure it holds.
2. Using the other colors of construction paper, cut out the flames of the torch.*
3. Once cut, glue the flames into the bigger opening of the torch and hold them down so they stick.
4. Optional: Squeeze a little of gold glitter glue onto a plate or newspaper and using their fingers have kids spread the glitter glue over their torch.

* They can make a couple of huge flames, lots of small flames, flames that look like leaves, or any other kind of flame they can think of. One girl in my class decided to make princess flames: yellow construction paper cut to look like Rapunzel's golden locks, with a red face and rainbow hair using markers.

Question of the Day:

Have you been watching the Olympics?

I love the Olympics, especially the Summer Olympics. As a huge sports fan, I enjoy the competitive atmosphere and it's a great way to discover sports that aren't usually televised on major networks. This Olympics I am really getting into beach volleyball. The swimming and gymnastics events as always are fun to watch and they have been providing great entertainment so far!

Welcome! And Olypmic Preview

Hey everyone! My name is Lauren and welcome to my blog, Art Inspirations for Kids! I teach an art class for kids ages 4-9 at my local library and over the past couple of months I have collected and created several art projects and ideas. So, I thought, why not share them so that kids all over can have fun and be creative with art?! I typically separate my class into themes such as exploring oceans and outer space, and to keep with the themed structure I will post round-ups of each class along with some individual projects. The projects I do with my class use all kinds of materials from paper plates and cups to tissue boxes to straws and due to the library's limited budget they are fairly cheap to produce. I try to find and create projects that allow the kids to be creative while not making a mess since the class is held in a new room that is carpeted. I enjoy seeing the kids come up with things I never could have thought of and seeing the joy on their faces when they show their family at the end-of-class art show.

I recently finished a week-long Olympic themed art class. Throughout the Olympics, I will be posting the projects we did, but to start things off here is a preview of what's to come in the next few weeks!

Personalized Gold Medal

Olympic Torch

Origami Olympic Rings

Weaved Olympic Sport Frame

3D Olympic Sports

Flags of the World

Stay tuned for these projects and other Olympic ideas!

I hope you enjoy the upcoming projects and that your kids will too! Feel free to comment if you have any questions or feedback! I would love to hear what you think!

~Lauren