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.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Make Amazing Prints with Sunlight!

I’ve always been curious about Sun Print Paper and began experimenting with it this Winter. It feels magical to work with because you use the sun to create blue and white photo-like prints. In these samples you see both Sunprint Paper and Sunprint Fabric Squares. You simply place leaves, ferns and other interesting objects on a sheet of Sunprint paper, expose it to the sun for a few minutes, immerse the paper in water, and watch as a permanent image appears. In these samples I used small wooden letters and small plastic letters to create names. The plastic letters let a little light shine through and created a more mysterious effect than the opaque wood. Lace and stencils add more imagery. Sun Print Paper and fabric squares react to sunlight, creating unique patterns that are always white on blue.

This is a perfect Winter activity that teaches science and illustrates the powerful and tangible effects of the sun. Both fabric and paper versions come with simple instructions and are suitable for children ages 6 and up, or small groups of younger children. I particularly enjoyed the fabric quilt kit and highly recommend it for beginners.

3 Comments:

At 1:47 PM, Anonymous rev.patgold@att.net said...

I once made a quilt from therapuetic pre-school kits art using the sun fabric squares. I had them draw on paper with a black marker and then coped their drawings onto acetate and layed that on the fabric in the sun. It came out very nice.--
Patti Goldstein

 
At 4:16 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Hi Anna. Remember me? I've been trying to contact you. We are hosting a Therapeutic Recreation workshop for RT's and was wondering if you still do workshops? Would love to have you come. It's March 26th here in Balboa Park. Please contact me either way. Thanks. Kathy Aceves
kaceves@sandiego.gov

 
At 6:41 PM, Anonymous The Honorable Mention said...

I had no idea they came out so vivid!
I'm sold!
They are really beautiful.
I will have to get some.
Thank you so much, Anna.
I am really enjoying your posts.

 

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