Still life, fruit plates and old stories. We went in the past and enjoyed the process a lot. Children drew and cut out the fruits and then made different structures with various tools. They made some plates, some juice glasses and straws too. Voila!
Printing Elmer
We read a book Elmer the Elephant in the Mini class and we did some sponge dipping for the patchwork elephant and some brush painting for the carnival elephant.
Of course you have to read the book if you want to understand that!
It was fun!
Observational drawing
We had a lovely class on observational drawing of insects. I printed out different insects and children mostly decided for a bee. They observed, compared, counted and did all of that fur in a certain direction. Just as it grows. The wings were great too. If they drew them too hard and thick, pressing their pencils as they so often love to, the wings were not really wings but something hard and stiff, closer to an air plain parts. BUT! if they soften their lines… voila! Something else…
They enjoyed the whole experience very much and it was extremely relaxing. In addition these little bodies are so complex there is always something new to discover and add.
Imaginary playgrounds
There are projects on internet so perfect I can not only not avoid trying them out but I can’t even make myself change a slightest thing!! This original creation is by Artbar and it blew my mind.
It was a busy hour with a group of 3-6 year olds. Children had a blast with these squeezing paints that are also actually pretty good quality. One little girl started painting the paint. Ha! Can you do that?
The results of lovely little imaginary playgrounds are all here.
Collagraph printing
These beautiful autumn days have been high in printing spirit. Full of experimenting and anticipation, some disappointments, some surprises but mainly excitement. Printmaking just is like that!
It’s time to fly away!
These beautities were made at Minis, parent-child classes. There was some work and a lot of inventiveness on the mothers’ sides. Children did the deco, all the important buttons and helmets too of course.
I know they will have A LOT of good time inside of them.
Everyone needs a rocket once in a while.
Me too. Like my own one. In the kitchen. Doooh.
Getting familiar with clay
Mini classes had a chance to play around with clay. I find children always skeptic about it at first, not knowing what to do and not wanting to damage anything they’ve made but as they get familiar with it, realizing they can fix just about anything that seems they’ve messed up, it becomes such fun. It’s why I always think the classes should be repeated few times. Maybe not the projects but the materials and techniques.
Anyways, we’ve read a book at this class, The tiger who came to tea and children and their mums were invited to make tigers, saucepan and dishes, tiger food and also whatever children could think of. They are small, they should be able to just have an open clay play factory.
It was fun and lately they’ve been eager to get their sculptures back from that long firing. Sorry guys, here they come!
Summer Camp “What can you do with an old suitcase”
Our first summer camp at Raumerstrasse turned out wonderful. Our project was entertraining, merry and joyfull. Children would gladly prolong it until Friday and we could probably really be working for another week to make it all perfect and satisfy all the ideas and wishes.
Development of our project was really in stages and it involved everything: planing, drawing, sawing, measuring, gluing, use of all sorts of tools, printing, decorating, painting, building, sewing, assembling of mosaics. We made some chalk colour and painted the front of the suitcases.
Anyhow, children made beautiful little homes and they were very excited to exhibit them for their parents on our very last day. They also had great time with each other, made new friends, helped each other a lot and had the weather on their side.
Good new times!
Anyhow, children made beautiful little homes and they were very excited to exhibit them for their parents on our very last day. They also had great time with each other, made new friends, helped each other a lot and had the weather on their side.
Good new times!
Liquid watercolours and oil with pipettes
This fun activity is much about unconscious learning. Children have lots of fun using the pipettes, sucking the liquid in and out, leaving traces of paint on paper. By slowly adding another colour to the paper they can observe how colours mix and change. They are offered to blow on their papers. It´s such a coincidental activity, the results are sometimes really thrilling and truly beautiful.
I prepared extra pots of oil as well. Children were offered to use those on top of their watercolours and discover how the two don’t mix and what pretty bubbles are drifting above the surface leaving new traces on their oily way. Really entertaining. Good quality materials are as usually the secret of beautiful results, in this case ink and paper .
Birds’ nests
We read There is a bird on your head by Elephant&Piggie. The book is really funny and my mini course group had much lough. After the reading we spoke about the nests, what is in them, who is in them, what are they made of. The children then each got a paper and were challenged to make nests with it’s inhabitants. Photos do speak for themselves.
