Art and Creativity

Art is important for children especially during their early development. Research shows that art activities develop brain capacity in early childhood; in other words, art is good brain food! Art engages children’s senses in open-ended play and develops cognitive, social-emotional and multi-sensory skills. As children progress into elementary school and beyond, art continues to provide opportunities for brain development, mastery, self esteem and creativity.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Scraper Art, Arts & Crafts with BioColor - Video

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Child-Sized Art Gallery

Don't forget to display children's art at their own eye level. This "gallery space" is a great example that uses black butcher paper and black constuction paper to create a dramatic background for preschool artwork. The gallery is further enhanced by combining 3-D art (coffee filter art) with 2-D art (paintings and yarn collage). Change out your art
displays as often as possible - and make sure everyone's art is represented.

This second photo shows what hangs overhead in this same room, a 3-D hanging display of CD covers painted with BioColor®. These simple but effective gallery display ideas are from the Hill n Dale Preschool in Santa Monica, CA.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Recycle a Tomato Trellis & Make a Wishing Tree

Here's an artful way to put a tomato trellis to good use... turn it into a Wishing Tree! Simply take a metal tomato plant trellis, put it into a soil filled pot and have children design their own wish to attach it to the "tree".

These wishes were created on rice paper, but you could also use handpainted paper or construction paper with collage materials on top.

With summer coming up, you could even create this to decorate an outdoor vegetable garden.

This creative idea came from a volunteer at A Window Between Worlds, a shelter for battered women and their children in Venice, CA.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Blotter Art, Fun Arts & Crafts Activities with BioColor - Video

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Paper Towel Quilt

I love watching simple paper towels come to life with Liquid Watercolor.
To create this "eye popping" paper quilt, we filled bingo bottles with Colorations® Liquid Watercolor and dabbed the color onto folded paper towel squares. These detailed patterns were created by school aged children, but younger children will create more free-form patterns with equally beautifully results. For best results use "2-ply" paper towels (better quality versions) since they soak up more color than "1-ply" paper towels and give your artwork a richer result.

In the paper quilt shown here we also created circular coffee filter art using the same materials and techniques. Find directions for these in the Smart Art Lesson for Coffee Filter Art shown here. Finished paper squares and circles were laid out onto a piece of white cooperative mural paper, ready to be mounted with simple white glue. This simple paper craft shows off the beautiful brilliance of color. Isn't it wonderful eye-candy?

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Free Preschool Arts & Crafts, Stamping with BioColor - Video