Art Lessons
Watercolor Tiles: Exploring Afghanistan Through Art
Craft Stick Collage
I’ve always got craft sticks in the supply closet.
We’ve used them for so many things, from picture frames to bracelets, and even for learning games like Math Fact Sticks.
There are so many things you can do.
This time, we kept it simple with a creative process art activity. We used a pile of colored craft sticks to make this Craft Stick Collage.
Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.
Supplies Needed:
Cereal box
Black paint
Colored craft sticks
White glue
If you don’t have any colored craft sticks, you can add an extra step to this project and paint plain crafts sticks in a few vibrant colors.
Prep your project
Since we were going to be gluing our craft sticks, I knew we needed something sturdy as a canvas. Plain paper would just not work.
So, we went to the recycling bin for a cereal box.
We cut off the two largest panels to use for our canvasses and painted them black. The colors of our craft sticks would pop so much more against the black than they would have against the cardboard brown.
Time to create your craft stick collage
Once the paint was dry, it was time to create.
We put the pile of crafts sticks in the middle of the table, pulled out a couple of bottles of glue, and got to work.
There were no rules and no suggestions. I walked away for awhile to get the girls to start creating without my input.
One of my daughters stacked and one laid them all side-by-side.
One started creating a colorful flower.
One had an idea in mind before she even started and the other went with the flow to see what would happen.
I love the way their craft stick art projects turned out. I love the way their minds work.
The contrast of the colored craft sticks with the black canvas on our craft stick collage was so striking. I’m so glad we used that instead of plain paper.
I think I need a pile of black cardboard around for creating. It would be a great canvas for chalk pastels and other collages. What would you use it for?
You may also like one of these fun craft projects:
Classic Crafts ~ Pom Pom Caterpillar
Are you looking for more preschool art projects? Check out Three to Five: Playful Preschool. Get over 25 activities, 10 printables, and links to even more play-based preschool activities in this new e-book. Download it here.
Loon Craft and Learning About the Lakes of Minnesota
Welcome to Minnesota!
The weather is finally getting nice. We’re know for our cold winters, with plenty of snow and temperatures plunging down below zero degrees Fahrenheit. But when the weather is nice, we get outside.
Minnesota marks the beginning of the Mississippi River in Itasca State Park. It begins as a small stream that you can walk across.
We’re known for our lakes and have over 90,000 miles of shoreline. That’s more than California and Florida – combined!
The lakes are where you often find our state bird, the common loon. And to celebrate our state bird, we’re going to make a fun loon craft.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book, Travels With Charlie: Across the Midwest, in order to create this post. All opinions and activities are my own. This post also contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more details.
The common loon makes its summer home along the shorelines of our lakes. We’re always so excited to see a loon family, especially when their babies are little as they often ride on their mother’s back.
Even when you can’t see the loons, you can hear them. Their call is distinct and sometimes quite haunting.
If you want to hear a loon, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds site. They have several recordings of a loon call.
We are already big fans of the common loon and wanted to their image in an art project. This project is easy to do with a very pretty result.
Supplies Needed:
Watercolor paper (this works best, but you can use any white paper you have on hand)
Watercolors
Black construction paper
Oil pastels
Scissors
Glue
Create your loon craft
We began by painting our background.
Loons are often found swimming on a lake, so we used blue and white watercolors to paint lake waters for our background.
While waiting for our background to dry, we worked on our loon.
We drew a simple silhouette on the black construction paper and cut it out.
We copied an image found in the book, Loon at Northwood Lake by Elizabeth Ring. It’s a wonderful book to read if you want to learn more about the common loon.
Next, we used our oil pastels to draw the details on the loon.
My preschooler drew a red eye and white details. She opted for spots instead of the checked pattern on the loons back and included the white belly. She’s never been one to get bogged down in the details!
Once our background was dry, we glued our loon to it.
I love the results of our loon craft and love learning more about Minnesota. Travels With Charlie: Across the Midwest served as our jumping off point for this project. It was so much fun to hear about some of the more quirky finds in our state, like the Giant Prairie Chicken Statue and the Jolly Green Giant Statue. I’ve got to see them both sometime!
About Booking Across the USA
Booking Across the USA is a collaborative project with over 50 bloggers participating. Stop by the landing page and see all the other stops on the route. You’ll be able to find a project for each of the 50 states. What fun! Hope you enjoy traveling across all 50 states.
You May Also Enjoy One of These Fun Projects:
Cereal Box Stencils
If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a recycle bin that is constantly overflowing. But did you know that some of the stuff in your recycle bin are perfect for crafting? We use recycled materials in crafts all the time. We even keep some of our craft supplies in cleaned out cans and plastic bins. Today, we’re going to make a fun crafting tool out of recycled cereal boxes: stencils.
Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.
I kept the stencils simple and made only geometric shapes. We had a square, circle, triangle, and rectangle. But, don’t stop there! Make hearts, stars, octagons, ovals, and more. This is a fun tool for kids who are just learning their shapes. Or, in the case of my girls, just a fun art tool. I set the stencils out with a pile of blank paper, markers, colored pencils, and crayons. Both girls created pictures of all kinds with the stencils.
How to make the stencils: Flatten the cereal box and divide into sections. I used the larger flat sides and cut each side in half. I drew a simple shape on each piece of cardboard. I used a little help to make my shapes. I traced one of our drinking glasses for the circle and used a ruler for the other shapes. I used a sharp pair of scissors to cut out the insides because I wanted to preserve the inner shape. We used those to trace around for a different type of stencil. The process of making the stencils couldn’t be easier.
For just a little work, you can have a fun set of free stencils. Learn your shapes, make pictures, and have fun. Miss 1st Grader loves to combine the circle with the triangle to make a whole pile of girls in pretty dresses. Miss Preschool was creating simple houses. Keep these on hand for a fun twist to art time and let your kids’ imaginations run wild.
Are you wondering what else you can use from your recycle bin? Check out this post: Favorite Craft Supplies From the Recycle Bin.