Originally posted on Design in Play:
Snowmen at Night is one of my kids’ favorite wintertime books. It’s become a bit of a tradition to pull it out in January, just like reading seasonal and holiday-themed books other times of the…
Every October, my young children look forward to going to the pumpkin patch to select their individual pumpkins and several “crazy looking” gourds. While the whole family enjoys this annual outing, this year we reflected on how little the kids … Continue reading
This year, picking Valentine’s Day cards for school was a challenge. While my six-year-old hoped to find whale-themed cards, my nine-year-old insisted that cards prominently featuring Guinea pigs must be available somewhere. Well, they were not so easy to find. Using simple cut … Continue reading
Snowmen at Night is one of my kids’ favorite wintertime books. It’s become a bit of a tradition to pull it out in January, just like reading seasonal and holiday-themed books other times of the year. The story is entertaining and the … Continue reading
Drawing with shading and highlights is typically taught later in elementary art. However, this easy snowman drawing technique is simple enough for a preschool art project and has a big visual impact when complete. Using basic geometry, and just two colors, a … Continue reading
First of all, what is a thaumatrope? A thaumatrope, roughly translated from ancient Greek as “wonder turn,” is the most basic of paper movies. By simply moving a handle, a thaumatrope creates the optical illusion of two images merged into one. Since … Continue reading
Just in time for Halloween party crafts, but fun for kids any time of the year, these “monster” paper crafts combine origami, cutting skills and zentagle-style pattern making to create clever monster-themed bookmarks. Monster Bookmarks – Basic Supplies: 1 1/2- 2″ strips … Continue reading
Using art and physics, this simple craft plays with an object’s center of gravity to make a fun little toy that surprises and delights little engineers! Throw a ball in the air and gravity pulls it right back down, but not everything falls straight … Continue reading
Paint chips are not only an easy way to start exploring the basics of color theory. They provide a they a great material for creating colorful and sturdy building blocks! Start with a variety of colorful paint chips, showing 7 levels … Continue reading
In February, it seems that so many creative projects for kids gravitate toward making Valentines or painting simple heart shapes. We decided to go a step further in our Valentine crafting and explore positive and negative space while creating simple heart shapes. What is Positive and … Continue reading
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