Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Summer Fun

Make sure to look back at last year's entry about different art activities that can be done at home this summer. It would be under June 2008. When all the rain comes, kids find themselves inside with very little to do, unless they are glued to video games, the following are some fun art activities they might be able to do with simple supplies that are found around the house. HAVE FUN! GET CREATIVE!

1. Find scrap cardboard. Use one piece as the back piece and use scraps to glue onto it into different shapes. When finished, rub a litte glue over the surface and cover with a layer of heavy duty foil. Rub carefully to make the shapes come through the foil clearly. use a dull pencil to draw into the foil to make thin line designs. If you have black temperal paint (with a small amount of liquid soap added), black ink, or even black shoe polish, then rub it over the surface of the foil and then rub off with a paper towel. The effect is the look of tarnished silver.

2. Get a bar of soap and use a plastic knife to carve it into a new shape. Be very careful to carve slowly and to take off only a litte bit of soap at a time to keep from braking the soap. This is a very relaxing activity. You wont want to stop.

3. Scrap paper, such as wrapping paper, construction paper, notebook paper, newspaper, and any other kind of paper you can find, can be torn into interesting shapes and glued onto a background sheet to create a fascinating collage. Draw on top with crayons to add interesting details. Subject matter could be landscapes, animals, food, flowers, still lifes, ....just about anything.

4. When on vacation, keep a visual diary of where you went and what you did. Draw a picture with a lot of detail that tells the story of your trip. Have fun getting other people to "read" the drawings to find out what you did.

5. Using photographs, create interesting collages that tell the story of an event; a beginning, middle, and end. Photographs could come from magazines or from personal pictures. Use and many as you can to create a sequence that creates a short story.

6. If you have access to a digital camera, see if you can take some interesting shots that show different perspectives of ordinary things. How interesting and creative can you be with what you see?

7. Using wood scraps and/or parts and pieces of old broken jewelry or toys, use a strong glue (with parental help) to build a new sculpture. See how you can make it balance. You could build an imaginary animal or a fun looking robot.

These are just a few ideas. I bet you could come up with some of your own. Leave me an comment to let me know what you came up with. How did you use what you have around your house to create a wonderful piece of art??????