Exploding Art -- The Best Kind

As mentioned in an earlier post, my classroom’s reward system was called the “Caught Being Awesome” Jar. When I saw kids following the classroom rules, they would get a slip to add to the jar. Well, we filled that jar for the first time on July 10^th! To celebrate, we did exploding balloon art!

Materials

• PAINT SHIRTS and OLD bathing suits (Trust the bold words!)
• Tempera paint in a variety of colours
• Balloons
• Funnel
• Garbage Bags
• Large Paper Roll

Steps

1. Using a funnel, add some paint to a balloons
2. Blow it up
3. Add it to a jumbo garbage bag for easy transport and a contained mess in case of a POP
4. Roll out some large paper outside and dump the un popped balloons
5. Unleash the kids!

This activity was sooooo much fun and the kids loved it. To add to their artwork, some of the popped balloons even stuck to the paper which we used as a mural for the inside of our classroom

NOTE: Make sure you are ok with paint splatter. We decorated the shed and windows of our centre, however it washed off after a few good July storms!

Window Art

“In order to act as an educator for the child, the environment has to be flexible; it must undergo frequent modification by the children and the teachers in order to remain up-to-date and responsive to their needs to be protagonists in constructing their knowledge." (Gandini, 1998)

When looking for ways to improve the classroom environment, I sought out an art project that would also provide an opportunity for learning. Taking advantage of an open window space, I found the idea of using recycled milk jugs to make art. Not only did it turn out beautifully, but it also sends the important message of environmental responsibility and sustainability to children. Instead of using brand new art supplies, we made use of what we already had.

Teacher Prep
1. Save milk jugs. At the centre we use 14/week so it did not take long. Educators may also ask parents to contribute.
2. Wash them out thoroughly. Unwashed plastic exposed to sunlight in the window will not produce a smell to enhance your classroom environment!
3. Depending on the age of the children, you might want to cut off the handle and the spout of the jug.
4. To make the "paint", mix together about 1 cup of glue, a few drops of dish soap, and as much food colouring/water colour to get your desired colour. NOTE: This amount of paint will go a long way! 

Process
1. Have children cut out any shape that they want.
2. Using paint brushes or glue spreaders, have them decorate their pieces. Some may choose to spread it out, or make a drizzle pattern.
3. Hole punch either end of the piece and string them together using fish line.
* We used a fallen tree branch to add an earthy component to our window art.

For more ideas on recycled art, check out the Recycled Arts and Craft Guide

This is what tables are for, right?

Materials

• Tempera Paint in a variety of colours
• Masking Tape
• PAINT SHIRTS
• Drying Space (each of our kids made 5 or 6 pictures)
• Prep Solution (Water and a few drops of dishsoap)

Steps

1. Divide the table with masking tape into painting stations
2. Create 4-5 palettes of paint to go in the middle of the table
3. Before painting, spray down the table with a water and dish soap (just a drop) solution.
4. Unleash the children! When they are done painting, imprint their design onto a piece of white paper.

Have fun! This is extremely messy, but the imprints that we pulled off of the table designs were              AMAZING! This is another great way to teach about colour mixing and imprinting techniques through inquiry and experimentation.

Marble Art

 Step One: Tape down some paper in a large Rubbermaid container. Add a few dollops of paint and a bag of marbles.

Step Two: SHAKE IT!

The kids did this one over and over again. A similiar variation is taping paper down to the table and doing the same type of art with cars. They will like making their own roads, painting the cards and making beautiful artwork at the same time.