Art in Your Classroom
Posted by Kim Murphy on 26 Jan 2009 | Posted in: Preschool, Student Activities, The Mailbox
There’s nothing quite like the texture of cotton balls mixed with glue and food coloring! I found 
myself experiencing this slimy, gooey texture when preparing to write the process art unit in the February/March issue of The Mailbox®, preschool edition. (Look below for the actual idea!) Testing the projects helps me write up the final idea—plus, as you can see, it’s a lot of messy fun! My office is currently messy, so I’m sure the paint splatters and piles of sensory goop just blend in.
Talk to me about art in your classroom. What is your favorite art project to do with your youngsters? How messy do you get with your art projects? Do you use strictly process art in your classroom or do you have students make craft-oriented projects as well? (Often teachers, centers, and schools have strong feelings toward one or the other.) I look forward to hearing your comments, ideas, and thoughts!
Your messy but enthusiastic blog cohost,
Kim Murphy
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Cotton Ball ColorsHere’s a unique three-dimensional art exploration! Have each child tear cotton balls into small pieces and place them in a disposable bowl. Next, help her mix white glue and food coloring with the cotton. Prompt her to place the mixture on a sheet of construction paper and then mold and spread it as desired. Then allow the project to dry. (From the February/March 2009 Mailbox magazine, preschool edition) |
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25 Responses to “Art in Your Classroom”
More Comments Pages: « 1 [2] 3 » Show All Comments
More Comments Pages: « 1 [2] 3 » Show All Comments
I tried this one with my class and they loved it. Take knees highs, and put popcorn seeds in them. Tie them put paint on the paper and let them bounce them on the paper my kids loved a ot of laughing going on while painting
It looks like a lot of fun! I just worry about the food coloring staining their fingers. Yes, some children in preschool have no desire to get their hands messy, maybe they could pick up the glob with tongs and place it on their paper.
I can’t wait to try it. I am going to do it for pink day. I agree with everyone that preschoolers don’t like to get messy, but I like to do activities with them like the cotton ball one so they are really exploring as they create.
To Ruth C.
Because your preschoolers do not like to touch anything messy, is a big reason you should have them do it a lot! Too many parents do not take the time or want the mess. Kids need to explore and do messy, tactile activities.
I’m the “messy” teacher at our school. I love to touch and explore everything. My class especially love to dip “squishy” balls into paint and throw them at a paper covered wall. This is best done outside for easier cleanup.
The open-ended projects we do often reinforce the theme just by the shape of paper we use, the type of “paint”, or what we paint with (pine boughs, feathers, hot wheels…) I have a degree in art, so I have to do some “real” art projects like still life and self-portraits. I do very few craft projects where a specific outcome is expected, but when these are done with little influence from the teacher, they each have a funny Picasso quality that is precious when displayed together.
I love messy art projects. Just today my preschoolers and I painted trees. I spooned a glob of brown paint on their paper, gave them a straw, and had them blow away at the glob of paint. It makes a crazy shape and the kids love it! Beware of paint splatter!
Cotton ball colors looks like fun — but very messy!
It would be a great sensory experience for preschoolers! In my class we do what I like to think of as “balanced art” — there are always open-ended activities (i.e.chalk, easel painting, drawing) but there are also crafts to reinfoce concepts as well. One of my favorite messy projects — I did it for the first time this summer–
is baloon painting. Using baloons instead of brushes to paint is very fun and creative!
Thanks for the new idea. This year I tried painting “snow” on pictures using a mix of shaving cream and glue. The children painted their snowmen shapes with it and added features.
I also tried a frosty effect with espom salts and a little water mixture. Painting it on a piece of paper is supposed to make it frosty. Mine did not work out . I may try again using a bit of hot water to more completely disolve it before painting.
The messier the better!!
Have you ever heard of Lisa Murphy ( any relation?) The Ooey Gooey Lady? She has awesome ideas.
I teach special needs preschool age children who have many sensory issues. We do finger paint with sand it it, shaving cream, pudding, glurch, etc. Scraping out our pumpkin with our hands was the best- the looks on the kids faces were priceless!
We also do activities for oral motor sensitivity. Putting something sticky (honey) around their lips to lick off, licking icing off of a printed christmas tree with no hands, gummy worms, etc.
Be messy, don’t be afraid, have fun!!! That’s what smocks, soap and water are for.
It is our responsibility to get messy in the classroom since most parents do not want the mess at home. If parents only knew what they are deprieving their children of? Getting messy is the best way to learn!
This is an awesome idea! I teach ECFE and having the parents get their hands dirty is the challenge for me. Since I love getting messy and dirty, it’s easy for me to show the parents and children that getting messy is GOOD for you. We also provide gloves for the parents and children with sensory challenges. I have some who think that it’s not enough to get their hands in! They’re the one’s with the goop all the way up their arms, on their faces, in their hair, and that’s not enough. I have a “messy” project at every class. It satisfies the sensory deprived and challenged! Plus…I LOVE it!