Can you see the painting glisten?  flour salt water food coloring (optional) small bowls brushes cardboard or heavy construction paper Start by pointing out to your toddler things that sparkle. Mix equal parts of flour, salt, and water. If desired, add food coloring.  Use brushes to paint the substance on cardboard or construction paper. Let […]
 sand glue cardboard empty salt or oatmeal container tape Prepare by poking holes in one end of an empty salt or oatmeal container. Fill with sand, and seal up the opposite end with tape. Use glue to make a design on the cardboard. This could involve geometric shapes, pictures (such as a house), or simple […]
 Help your child round up circular items and create art with them.  picture book about circles paper plates or construction paper tempera paint paint tray round objects newspapers old shirt or smock Share a picture book about circles with your child, such as Round and Round and Round by Tana Hoban. Use your […]
Hard-plastic drinking cups (clear cocktail variety works best) Markers Towels Hammer Nail Aluminum foil Cookie sheet Yarn Small branches or wood sticks in a variety of shapes  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Ask your child to predict what will happen when you put the plastic cups in the oven and what he thinks […]
Read the book “What Makes a Rainbow?” by Betty Ann Schwartz. Â Each page highlights a different color of the rainbow. It is a “magic ribbon book.” As you turn each page another color of the rainbow magically appears and on the final pages you get to see a complete ribbon rainbow. Then construct your own […]
 Kids will love creating these Jackson Pollock-inspired fashion statements.  Read a children’s book about the artist, such as Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg, Sandra Jordan, and Robert Andrew Parker. Gather materials for your shirt project.  cotton t-shirt fabric or acrylic paints squeezable bottles  Fill squeezable bottles with a colorful variety of […]
 The more children play with modeling materials, the more likely they are to want to help prepare, store, and even clean up — and soon your messy activities won’t seem so messy after all!  Playing with clay and other modeling materials is a tactile experience that benefits children in many ways, but it […]
 2 blue file folders 1 manila file folder Mod Podge (we used the Sparkle kind) blue tissue paper (we used two shades of blue) fish stickers (2 matching sets) glue scissors   First, I cut the manila file folder in half and then cut out the bowl shape. (I traced around an oval […]
