Posts

Olympic Art Activity: Popsicle Stick Gymnast

/0 Comments/in /by

The U.S. Olympic team is doing great so far this Olympic season! There are still 13 days left to cheer on your favorite athletes! You can start by making this fun gymnastics craft with simple materials you probably already have at home! This project may require help from an adult for the cutting and gluing! Kids can work on fine motor skills by writing and drawing on their gymnast!

Materials Needed:

Popsicle Sticks
Exacto Knife
Thick Paper (like cardstock)
Coloring Utensils (markers, crayons, colored pencils etc)
School Glue
Gynast Leotard Printable (print here)
A Face Photo (See Photos at End of Series)

Instructions:

Start by printing and cutting out the shape of your leotard. Next, cut about a quarter off one end of each popsicle sticks with the Exacto knife. You will generally just need to make an incision on each side with the knife and then use your hands to snap the end piece off. Doing this will ensure that the ends don’t hang too far off the paper.

IMG_0631 (1)  IMG_0647

Next, you’ll want to have your gymnast decorate their leotard! If you have a boy gymnast, cut out a pair of shorts from scrap paper (like the photo above) and have those get decorated as well! For the boy, I cut the bottom portion off of the leotard as well. It might be a good idea to show your little artist some photos of Olympic gymnast’s one pieces so they can get an idea of what they may want theirs to look like. Gymnasts often wear very colorful and vibrant (not to mention sparkly) suits. If you’re up to it, bring out the glitter as well!

IMG_0632   IMG_0649

You can either draw a balance beam close to the bottom of the page or rings from the top OR if you don’t want to attempt drawing, you can print photos and glue them to the cardstock. (It might be a bit harder to find photos that will match the size of your mini gymnast!) I ended up free handing both the beam and the rings.

IMG_0634  IMG_0648

Glue your popsicle sticks onto the paper in the position you’d want your gymnast to be in. Make sure you check to make sure your leotard and/or shorts will cover the ends of the sticks! I put mine upside down to look like she’s doing a flip on the balance beam. The boy version has his arms extended out and legs straight down so his shorts will cover his legs. Glue your leotard and/or shorts to the top of the sticks when you’re ready.

IMG_0635  IMG_0633  IMG_0650

The last steps involve decorating the gymnastics project! Kids can either draw a head or you can help them cut out a photo of the themselves and glue it to the spot where a head would go! Give your child some artistic freedom to draw a background or write some phrases on their sheet!

IMG_0651   IMG_0646

 

Letter Recognition Sensory Activity

/0 Comments/in /by

Shaping aluminum foil into letters is an activity that uses the tactile sense to build children’s knowledge of letter shapes. It also includes a fine motor component to support the development of children’s finger muscles.

Get kids thinking of how they would bend and fold the foil to make the shapes of certain letters. This fosters their problem solving skills and creativty!

This aluminum foil letters activity is simple to set up and will be enjoyed by kids who prefer hands-on and visual learning!

1a814bdc1e851edcea3b2e3c6796f05b

End of Year Wearable Art

/0 Comments/in /by

This is an adorable idea to end the school year! All you need is a white shirt, dress, skirt, etc., fabric markers, color protectant, and some kids who are ready to illustrate! You will literally be wearing your heart on your sleeves!

13263906_267368283617854_109646833216717011_n13254391_267368300284519_427997572961906269_n13244817_267368413617841_8302787912991074192_n

Memorial Day Craft: Pom Pom American Flag

/0 Comments/in /by

Looking for a craft for this Memorial Day? This will keep the younger kids entertained for a bit this weekend (or Monday afternoon)! Work on fine motor skills by having the children grasp clothes pins and stamp paint with pompoms in the shape of the American Flag!

ead4d4c63ae45ecf1121b0b8a6fd24c2Things you will need:

  • White Construction Paper/ Cardstock
  • Red, White, and Blue Paint
  • Cotton Balls or Pom Poms
  • Clothes Pins/ Chip Clips (to keep fingers from getting paint on them)

Start by clipping each of the cotton balls or pom poms onto a clothes pin. Dip into whatever color you will start with. Stamp paint from ball to paper in a stripe (or square shape–if you’re starting with the star corner). Keep dipping and transferring paint until you’ve got an American Flag!

This is such a cool homemade craft that can be given to a relative/friend in the military or to someone who may have lost a loved one in the military.

Art Activity: Glowing Campfire

/0 Comments/in /by

campfire-square

Materials for Glowing Campfire Craft

Directions for Glowing Campfire Craft

1. Work on fine motor skills by cutting your tissue paper up into little squares.

2. Scrunch up a piece of tissue paper and glue it to the outside of a clear, plastic cup.

3. Continue until the entire cup is covered.

4. As your tissue paper is drying, make a marshmallow roasting stick by gluing a cotton ball onto the end of a twig or thin craft stick.

5. Add some logs to your campfire by cutting strips of brown construction paper. Use a brown marker or crayon to add some details to your logs.

Now it’s time to set up your campfire! Start by setting up your logs. Place your LED tea light on top the logs and then put your tissue paper cup over the light.

Go somewhere dark and watch it glow. It looks just like a real campfire!

This is a great activity to talk about summer activities like camping, the importance of fire safety, and could even be used as a nightlight!