art

Spin Painting Poinsettia Craft

December 17, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Gorgeous new poinsettia varieties have been developed in recent years, and this spin painting poinsettia craft is based on a spotted poinsettia newcomer. Native to Mexico, poinsettias are prevalent during the Christmas season, and this craft is a beautiful way to include them. The craft gives children an opportunity to participate in two well-loved process art activities: spin painting and spatter painting.

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Supplies To Collect

Just a few supplies are needed for this simple speckled poinsettia craft:

pale green or creamy white cardstock paper
decorative cardstock paper
red and pink tempera paint
paint pots and spoons
old toothbrushes
salad spinner
scissors and pencil
glue stick or glue gun
adhesive gem stickers
art tablecloth

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Starting The Spin Painting Poinsettia Craft

To make this beautiful spin painting poinsettia craft, start by cutting a circle from pale green or creamy white cardstock. It should fit just inside the bottom of your salad spinner basket.

Next, place the circle at the bottom of the salad spinner. On a table covered with an art tablecloth, use spoons to drop in red and pink tempera paint.

Tip: If you do not have pink tempera paint, mix a little white tempera into a pot of red and you’ll have a nice pink color to use.

Give the salad spinner a good spin and take a peek. You can choose to add more spoonfuls of paint if you wish and give it another spin.

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Afterward, take the paint-filled circle out of the spinner and spatter pink and red paint on it using toothbrushes. Then let the process art project thoroughly dry.

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Carefully cut poinsettia leaves from the decorated circle. Feel free to download this poinsettia pattern to make your crafting easier.

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Poinsettia Craft Pattern PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Note: A little paint may chip off during the cutting. But you’ll have plenty left to give your poinsettia leaves a spotted look.

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Assembling The Poinsettia

To assemble the poinsettia, choose a decorative piece of cardstock paper to use as a background.

Then choose four painted and cut leaves and glue them on. Affix them in the shape of an X, leaving a little space in the center.

Afterward, glue the other four leaves in between.

Finally, add three to five medium-sized adhesive gems to the center.

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Variations of the Spin Painting Poinsettia Craft

In addition to making a great wall art project, this poinsettia craft would look superb on a holiday greeting card.

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Novelty poinsettias come in a wide range of colors, and the carstock leaves could be brush-painted in hues such as vibrant red or orange, salmon pink, or peach. The color possibilities for this poinsettia holiday craft project are endless.

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More Christmas Crafts

Paper Bag Christmas Ornaments

Monochromatic Christmas Tree Art

CD Case Christmas Craft

Christmas Sheep Craft

Washi Tape Christmas Pots

Handprint Angel Craft

Turtle Christmas Craft

Christmas Tree Art

Christmas Dove Art

Handprint Angel Christmas Keepsake

Woodland Fox Treat Holder

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Woodland Fox Treat Holder

December 16, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This woodland fox treat holder is inspired by gingerbread man stories, which I often read to my preschoolers in December.

The interaction between the fox and the gingerbread cookie is always a highlight of each story. One of the first years we read a series of gingerbread stories, we happened to start by reading tales wherein the gingerbread cookie outsmarted the fox. When we finally read a version in which the spicy cookie did get eaten by a sly fox, one little preschooler couldn’t believe it. After a round of gingerbread man stories this year, a little learner asked “Do you think the gingerbread cookie will ever really get away?”

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At the end of our current gingerbread storybook theme, I thought it would be fun to craft a fox treat holder for each preschooler. And to have a little gingerbread cookie in it. Below are instructions to make the treat holder, and a template to download for the craft.

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Woodland Fox Treat Holder Supplies

Gather the following supplies to make the whimsical fox treat holder:

rust-colored cardstock paper
cream-colored cardstock paper
light brown pipe cleaner
black pom pom
wiggly eyes
black felt pen
glue stick
glue gun
crafted gingerbread person or a gingerbread cookie
candy cane

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Making The Woodland Fox Treat Holder

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To make the woodland animal treat holder, start by cutting two fox faces from rust-colored cardstock paper. Feel free to download this fox template for the craft.

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Fox Treat Holder PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Then bend the cream-colored pipe cleaner into a half circle and use a glue gun to affix it to the ears of one fox head to create a handle.

Next, glue the edges of the fox together starting just below the ears.

Afterward, cut a heart shape from the cream-colored cardstock and glue it to the second rust-colored fox head. Then draw a mouth with a black marker.

Finally, glue on a black pom pom nose just above the mouth, and add two wiggly eyes.

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Gingerbread Person and Candy Cane Favors

When the woodland fox treat holder is finished, have your little learner craft a gingerbread person to put inside. Then add a candy cane. The treat holder holds a small crafted gingerbread person and a large candy cane nicely.

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Or you could add an edible gingerbread cookie and candy cane to the treat holder.

This crafted duo also makes a cute decoration to add to a Christmas tree.

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More Gingerbread Man Activities

Melted Candy Gingerbread Ornaments

Gingerbread Sensory Bin

Gingerbread Playdough

Scissor Skill Gingerbread Man

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Edible Playdough Turkey Craft

November 22, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Here’s a sweet, edible playdough turkey craft just in time for Thanksgiving Day. It is suitable any time of the year for a farm animal theme. It is simple to make and uses five easy-to-find ingredients.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies for this color-infused playdough turkey:

chocolate frosting
vanilla frosting
powdered sugar
candy corn
white candy eyes
small serving plate
large mixing bowl
large spoon for stirring
knife

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Making The Edible Playdough

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To make this edible playdough, first select a large bowl for the ingredients.

Next, empty half a container of vanilla frosting into the bowl.

Then scoop in an equal amount of powdered sugar.

With a large spoon, stir the powdered sugar and frosting together.

Afterward, knead the ingredients thoroughly, adding more powdered sugar or frosting if necessary, until the dough is a non-sticky playdough consistency.

Make a similar batch of playdough using chocolate frosting, incorporating powdered sugar with the brown icing.

Then form a ball of vanilla playdough and a smaller one of chocolate. Knead the two balls together to get a light brown shade.

Finally, add a little vanilla playdough to a ball of chocolate. Knead them together to get the medium brown shade.

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Little learners will love to help make this tasty edible playdough, and will especially enjoy the kneading part. Discussions about color mixing, spheres, and small and large sizes can be introduced during the playdough and turkey-making process.

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The Edible Playdough Turkey

Fashioning the playdough turkey is almost as easy as making the two colors of dough.

First, form a ball of medium brown playdough and flatten it into a circle on a dessert plate.

Next, make a light bulb shape from the light brown playdough and press it on top of the circle, designing a turkey head and neck.

Then add two candy eyes and a candy corn beak.

Tip: Slice off the wide end of a piece of candy corn with a knife to make a shorter beak if desired.

Finally, position candy corn pieces all around the edge of the large playdough circle.

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You may have noticed that this playdough is super sweet. It’s a good idea to encourage participants to design their turkey first and then snack on some of the extra supplies.

After the turkeys are made and participants have had the chance to do a little snacking, wrap leftover frosting playdough in saran wrap and place it in a jar or plastic bag. Store the playdough and part containers of frosting in the fridge to use another time.

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Festive Graham Cracker Turkeys

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The leftover frosting and candy eyes will come in handy for desserts, so nothing will go to waste. One idea is to spread a thin layer of chocolate or vanilla frosting on graham crackers. Add two candy eyes to each one, and five candy corn pieces around the upper edges. Slice off the wider end of some of the candy corn pieces and place them under the eyes for beaks. You’ll end up with festive turkey treats that will quickly be gobbled up by your little charges.

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Non-Edible Playdough Turkey

The tasty turkey can be made with a basic playdough recipe instead of the sweet, edible dough. You can leave the playdough uncolored to create a white farm turkey or add varying amounts of brown gel icing color to small batches of playdough to get similar turkey colors as with the edible playdough turkey.

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Thanksgiving Printables

Shop Thanksgiving printables in my Etsy shop “Skills N Smiles“:

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More Turkey Activities

Paper Plate Turkey Craft

Turkey Sensory Tubes

Coffee Playdough Turkey

Turkey Playdough Tray

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More Playdough Recipes and Activities

Apple Playdough Tray

Scented Playdough Activities

Pumpkin Playdough Activities

Orange-scented Playdough Invitation

Chocolate Mint Playdough

Santa Claus Playdough Tray

Valentine’s Day Playdough Activities

St. Patrick’s Day Playdough Tray

Easter Playdough Tray

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Q-tip Skeleton Craft

October 28, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Out shopping this fall, I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful skull art in craft and home décor stores. Pastel skull heads were one of my favorite finds, and this colorful dyed Q-Tip skeleton craft is inspired by them. It is super fun to do, so why not give it a try.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

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For this cute skeleton craft, gather the following supplies:

Q-tips
liquid food coloring
paint pots or small jars
paint brushes
black fadeless construction paper
white paper
paper in pastel shades
thin marker
scissors
paper towel roll
white glue
glue stick
glue paddle

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How To Dye Q-Tips

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Before setting out supplies for this craft, dye a package of Q-tips in various pastel shades.

To dye Q-tips, pour liquid food colors of choice into small paint pots or jars, and mix in a little water. My chosen colors were turquoise, orange, violet, and neon green.

Next, quickly dip each soft Q-tip end into a jar of liquid color and lay the Q-tips out to dry onto paper towel strips.

When dry, gather the Q-tips and sort them by color into a compartment tray.

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The Q-tip Skeleton Craft

The first thing to do when making a Q-tip skeleton is to select or craft a skull to use. Here are three options:

Draw a skull on white or pastel paper using a marker, and fill in the eye socket and teeth details. Then cut it out.
Select a sticker or crafted skull.
Use a skull rubber stamp/ink pad to print the skull.

On a last-minute shopping trip, I was happy to find a package of skull-themed paper doilies, from which I cut a few skull heads. They work perfectly for the craft as they can be painted.

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After picking out a skull design and painting it with a pastel shade if desired, use white glue or a glue stick to tack it near the top of a black piece of fadeless construction paper.

Next, lay out Q-tips in the shape of a skeleton below the skull. Whole Q-tips work fine for the rib cage and backbone, and Q-tips cut into various lengths with a pair of scissors are best for the arms and legs. Q-tip ends are perfect for the little fingers.

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When you have a design that you are happy with, use a glue paddle to add white glue to the Q-tip ends, and carefully affix them one by one to your skeleton design.

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A group of crafted Q-Tip skeletons would be eye-catching if displayed together, as each pose is bound to look different.

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Q-tip Skeleton Arm

Instead of making a whole skeleton out of Q-tips, trace an arm from black construction paper, cut it out, and glue Q-tip pieces to it. This Q-tip craft version draws attention to the many bones in the hands, and the two bones in the lower arm.

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Q-tip Skeleton Transient Craft

If you are short on time but would still like to offer a Q-tip skeleton-building experience, this craft project could be set up as a transient craft invitation.

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More Skeleton Activities

Skeleton Preschool Theme

Glam Skeleton Sensory Bin

Skeleton and Eyeball Waterplay

Glam Skeleton Playdough Tray

Floral Decorated Skeleton

Skeleton Treasure Blocks

Spaghetti and Eyeball Sensory Bin

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[Read more…]

Eye Dropper Pumpkin Art

October 26, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This eye dropper pumpkin art project is super easy to set up and loads of fun to do. Participants will want to make a few watercolor-painted pumpkins, so you will end up with a bunch of pumpkin art to display at home or in the classroom.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning activities.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies for this no-fuss pumpkin art project:

liquid watercolors
eye droppers or pipettes
paint pots
non-permanent black marker
permanent black marker
paper towel roll
pumpkin template
scissors and pencil
newspaper or waterproof tablecloth

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Eye Dropper Pumpkin Art Preparation

Preparation for this eye dropper pumpkin art project is super quick. Start by tracing pumpkins onto one or two sheets of paper towel. Choosing a thick paper towel brand is recommended.

Next, mix liquid food colors and water into paint pots, and add an eye dropper or pipette to each one. In this project, my colors of choice are orange, yellow, and magenta, as they go nicely together.

Afterward, cover an art table with newspaper or a waterproof tablecloth.

Then set up art stations with liquid watercolor pots, eye droppers or pipettes, and paper towel pumpkins.

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The Eye Dropper Pumpkin Art

To create the gorgeous eye dropper art, invite your little learners to draw a mouth, nose, and eyes on a paper towel pumpkin using a black permanent marker.

Then direct your little charges to use the eye droppers or pipettes to squirt all three colors on their pumpkins. In no time the large fruits will be covered in brilliant hues.

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Let the arty pumpkins dry in the spot they were created or move them to a new place to do so. The painted pumpkins will likely be very wet, but by the end of the day, they will be totally dry.

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Eye Dropper Scary Pumpkin

If children use a non-permanent black marker to draw a face on their pumpkin before wetting it with liquid watercolors, the marker color will bleed during the art process. The pumpkins will have an ominous, scary look.

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Rainbow Pumpkin Art

You can choose to skip having your little artists draw a face on the paper towel pumpkin and get them right to work squirting liquid food colors on it. Adding a few more watercolor hues makes creating a rainbow pumpkin possible.

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Paper Towel Rainbow Art

If you run out of paper towel pumpkins for your eager art session participants, allow them to spread watercolors directly on rectangular or square sections of a disposable towel roll. They’ll be happy to use these as a canvas to continue exploring this watercolor painting technique.