literacy

Paint Chip Watermelon Art

August 17, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Create beautiful watermelon art with paint chip samples. The colorful watermelon slices can be used in many different activities.

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Paint chip color samples with their gorgeous lined-up hues are truly something special. They come in every glorious color scheme you can imagine and make any kind of art activity extra beautiful. In this post, they shine in paint chip watermelon art that lends itself to a variety of fun activities for children.

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Not Just Red

The only color of watermelon I experienced as a child is red, but did you know that there are also yellow, orange, pink, and white watermelon varieties? All these hues are featured in this fruity art activity.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies to make paint chip watermelon art:

paint chip samples in hues of red, pink, orange, yellow, and green
black cardstock
hole punch
glue stick
scissors and pencil

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Paint Chip Watermelon Art Process

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To create this juicy art activity, trace and cut out half-circle shapes from paint chip swatches donated from hardware stores.

Note: Watermelon comes in at least five different hues, so multi-shade paint chip strips in yellow, orange, pink, red, and white all apply.

Next, trace and cut out thin half-circle watermelon rinds from green paint color samples.

Afterward, use a glue stick to affix the green rinds to the curved edge of the half circles to create watermelon slices.

Just add seeds to these fruity slices to create watermelon art. The juicy slices can be used in many differnt activities for litlle learners.

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Then punch dots from black construction paper for watermelon seeds, and glue a few onto each watermelon slice.

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Paint Chip Watermelon Activities

The created paint chip watermelon slices can be used in several ways with little learners:

Watermelon Slice Collage

Invite little learners to glue watermelon slices to a large sheet of paper for a pretty watermelon collage.

Craft watermelon slices with paint chip samples and use them in a pretty watermelon collage. A beautiful. all-ages art activity.

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Counting and Color Recognition Activities

Use the juicy slices as props for counting and color-recognition rhymes, songs, and charting activities.

Paint chip watermelon slices shine in this fruity math chart where little learners can count the seeds and add the corresponding number.

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Paint chip watermelon art used in a fruity color chart where little learners can practice matching color words to watermelon slices.

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Pretend Play Food

The crafted fruit slices make attractive pretend food for a play kitchen.

Paint chip watermelon slices make attractive play food for a pretend play kitchen.

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Watermelon Necklace

With a hot glue gun, affix small paper clips to the back top of three watermelon slices. String pony beads and paper watermelon slices onto a 24-inch piece of thin lacing cord and tie it off.

Supplies to make a beaded necklace with paint chip watermelon slices and green, red, pink, and clear pony beads.

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How to make a beaded necklace with paint chip watermelon slices and green, red, pink, and clear pony beads.

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Color Discussions

After little learners can recognize the basic colors, use the paint chip watermelon slices to discuss lighter and darker shades of color.

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Paint Chip Fruit Drink Art

It is easy to transition this paint chip watermelon art activity into a fruit drink craft. To do this, cut paper glasses from construction paper colors of choice. Then cut half circles from paint chip swatches in fruity hues. Offer each participant a paper glass, glue stick, and six or seven half-circle fruit wedges to create a lemon, lime, or orange paper drink. Add an additional fruit slice to the top of each glass.

Create a cute paper drink craft with orange, yellow, and green paint chip fruit slices glued onto drinking glass shapes.

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Watermelon Facts

Interested in finding out more about different kinds and colors of watermelon? Check out the post “Here’s the Difference Between Pink, Orange, and Yellow Watermelon” by myrecipes.com.

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Ideas to include paint chip watermelon slices in math, color recognition, art, dramatic play, and manipulative activities for early learners.

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Paint Chip Apple Craft

Watermelon Dramatic Play Center

Fun Ways To Serve Watermelon

Watermelon-Inspired Banner Craft

Watermelon Playdough Tray

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[Read more…]

Tree Art Bulletin Board

July 13, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This bright tree art bulletin board is inspired by the stunning storybook called “The Wind and the Trees” by Todd Stewart. I discovered the book at a local library and instantly fell in love with the tender story and vibrant illustrations. The picture book provided just the inspiration I was looking for to redo a bulletin board begging for a change.

In the storybook, an old pine tree teaches a young sapling about the benefits and dangers of wind. Over the course of the story, the old pine weakens and deteriorates and the young sapling slowly grows bigger. By the end of the story, a storm wind has knocked the old tree down, and a seedling soon takes its place.

The vivid silkscreen illustrations in this heartwarming children’s book show the same scene on each page in different weather, seasons, and times of the day. Tree trunks, needles, and skies are designed in beautiful, varying color schemes. Woodland animals are included subtly in silhouette form on many of the pages.

A pink and red-leafed woodland tree design that fits in with a spring blossom theme.

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As I am accustomed to doing an art-themed bulletin board using the same tree in different seasons or times of day, I soon realized that drawing inspiration from the color combinations in the book would work nicely for a new tree art bulletin board. The tree art design is easy to replicate in a space you have available.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Colored tree trunks prepared for a picture book-inspired tree art bulletin board project. An easy-to do, all ages art activity.

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A selection of quality sturdy paper and a few other supplies are needed for this woodland papercraft project. Gather the following:

tree template
9-inch x 12-inch fade-resistant construction paper in a variety of colors
cardstock in an array of colors
glitter cardstock
glue stick
paper punches
woodland animal stickers
pencil and scissors

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Preparing The Tree Art Craft

To plan out this tree art bulletin board, decide on a few different color schemes. I chose eight, but you can easily go with four. View the picture book “The Wind and the Trees” by Todd Stewart for color palette ideas.

Select a background color, tree trunk hue, and leaf colors for each tree art design. Use the paper choices you have available to pick color combinations.

Tip: Acid-free or fade-resistant paper is worth investing in for papercraft projects. The colors stay bright much longer.

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Then use a template to cut out paper tree trunks. Feel free to download the template below to make your craft preparation easier.

Download this free, user-friendly tree template for art and craft activities. The template is perfect for bulletin board art.

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Tree Craft PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Use two different-sized heart paper punches to create leaves. A few metallic paper leaves add a little glitz and are often children’s favorite collage pieces to use.

Note: The tree in the picture book is a pine. I chose a deciduous tree for my designs because its leaves work well for collage projects.

Next, glue a tree trunk to each background piece of paper.

Afterward, invite children to affix heart leaves to their trees using a glue stick.

Sunset-themed woodland tree art inspired by a picture book.

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Finally, participants can add paper punched and/or sticker woodland animals to their tree scenes. I used paper-punched birds and butterflies, and sticker deer, foxes, rabbits, raccoons, bears, squirrels, and porcupines.

Night-time woodland tree art inspired by a picture book.

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The Tree Art Bulleting Board Display

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Displaying the tree art is easy when using a rectangular bulletin board. Arrange the art in a sequence of color designs, and repeat the pattern for the whole display. An alternative is to display the art randomly or in another pattern of your choice.

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More About “The Wind and the Trees” Picture Book

In addition to being an inspiration for art projects, this gorgeous picture book by Todd Stewart is perfect for a tree or nature theme. Through colorful pictures and wisdom-filled print, it communicates the life cycle of trees. It also shares the following details about how wind benefits and hurts trees:

How The Wind Benefits Trees

tree roots grow deeper
tree bark becomes stronger
messages and signals are carried from one tree to another
seeds are scattered so new trees can grow

The Dangers Of Wind To Trees

roots are stretched
tree trunks and branches dry
older trees get knocked down

Lastly, the pictures also depict a variety of woodland animals for children to spot and name, such as bats, owls, squirrels, bees, eagles, a raccoon, and a porcupine.

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A blue and green-leafed woodland tree art design with the colors of a cloudy everning.

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Related:

Spin Painting Maple Leaf Art

Book-Inspired Tree Art

Horse Chestnut Leaf Art Activities

Neon Fingerpaint Tree Art

Maple Leaf Activities

Fall Leaf Salad Spinner Art

Eye Dropper Leaf Art

Christmas Tree Art

Christmas Tree Decorating Center

Monochromatic Christmas Tree Art

Candy Cane Tree Experiment

Chinese Money Tree Activities

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[Read more…]

Light Table Leaf Exploration

October 29, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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One of the nicest places to observe colors and shapes in fall leaves is on the light table. Early learners get the chance to investigate natural materials indoors. The leaves get illuminated and their stripes, spots, and beautiful colors become even more noticeable. And best of all, there are a lot of learning possibilities in this light table leaf exploration activity.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Fall leaf matching on the light table is easy with silhouettes drawn on overhead transparencies.

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Gather the following supplies for this low-prep, economical nature play invitation:

leaves in different colors, shapes, textures, and sizes
overhead transparencies
black permanent marker
“leaf” word strip
transparent alphabet letters
magnifying glasses
artificial flowers in vases

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Light Table Leaf Exploration

To collect the leaves, take your little charges on a nature walk. Give everyone a bag and ask each participant to find leaves in different shapes, sizes, and colors.

Back at home or in class, set some of the leaves on a light table for the children to view. Invite everyone to explore, sort, and arrange the foliage.

Extra leaves can be placed in an indoor DIY mud kitchen or added to a sensory tub.

Include magnifying glasses for early learners to see leaf veins and midribs clearly.

Fall leaves look extra pretty on the light table. And this leafy center has many learning opportunities.

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Place a word strip with the word “leaf” on the table, and include transparent alphabet letters. Encourage children to say and spell the word.

Fall flower sprigs in vases add ambiance to the center.

Exploring leaves is super fun on the light table. Magnifying glasses and the word "leaf" add learning possibilities to the center.

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Overhead Transparency Leaf Silhouettes

Trace some of the leaves onto overhead transparencies using a black permanent marker. Invite your early learners to match the light-enhanced leaves to their silhouettes.

Leaf matching on the light table is easy with silhouettes drawn on overhead transparencies.

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Light Table Leaf Exploration Benefits

This simple sensory activity has so many learning opportunities. Here are some possibilities this leaf light table setup offers:

recognizing leaf colors
counting and sorting leaves
shape matching
ordering leaves by size
alphabet letter identification
learning to make and spell a word
discussing leaf midribs and veins
creating designs with leaves

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More Leaf Activities

Eyedropper Leaf Art

Fall Leaf Crown Paper Crafts

Make a gorgeous leaf crown craft with one of these leaf crown printables.

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[Read more…]

Glow Art Words Of Affirmation

September 20, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

This black light "Words Of Affirmation" Glow Art activity is a must-try. It is a science, art, and language self-esteem-building project.

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Words are powerful, and they can be super uplifting to early learners. At the beginning of the school year, supportive, self-esteem-building words help students get off to a good start. A creative and oh-so-easy way to introduce them is by inviting little learners to use highlighters to color around positive ones printed in heart shapes. Afterward, the fancied-up words can be viewed and discussed in a “Glow Art Words Of Affirmation” language and science activity.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

For this confidence-boosting glow art activity, gather the following supplies:

chisel-tipped highlighters in a variety of colors
white cardstock paper
black felt marker
scissors
tape
portable black light fluorescent tube and holder
small coffee table

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Glow Word Art

First, draw heart shapes on white cardstock paper with a black felt marker, and add a word of affirmation to each one. Or design the project digitally. The words chosen for my art project are:

creative
friendly
kind
brave
helpful
teachable
awesome
unique
cherished

Steps to perform a black light "words of affirmation" glow art activity. The art project is perfect for the beginning of the year, the end of the year, or anytime in between.

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Next, invite little learners to decorate a word heart with highlighter markers, and then cut their hearts out. Leaving some parts of the designs uncolored is fine, as white will glow too.

Note: Highlighter ink is a tiny bit toxic, but using it is not considered a health risk. If your little charges are prone to sticking things in their mouths and/or coloring on themselves, it is advisable to choose another art medium for this activity.

When decorated, tape the embellished hearts to a wall in a room that can be made totally dark.

Afterward, place a fluorescent tube black light on a small table next to the art wall, and turn it on.

Then invite everyone to the room to view the art with all lights on. Discuss how the words apply to your little learners.

This "positive words" glow art activity incorporates language and science. It is a confidence-boosting art project perfect for any time of the year.

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Lastly, make the room dark and leave just the black light on. Students will be wowed by the glowing, worded hearts.

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Safety Tip: Tell children that they should only be near a black light for a short period of time. Prolonged exposure may lead to eye and skin damage.

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Discussing The Glow Art Words Of Affirmation

Here are some ideas for discussing decorated word hearts with the children:

Assure early learners that they are brave in coming to school and meeting new friends.
Affirm the specialness of each child by saying they are “unique, awesome, and cherished.”
Compliment students for being creative and teachable.
Highlight that being “friendly, helpful, and kind” are ways to work as a team and get along with each other.

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The Science Behind Black Light

Black lights are designed to block out visible light and emit invisible, ultraviolet (UV-A) light. They illuminate natural and man-made materials that contain phosphors. Phosphors convert the energy in UV radiation to visible light by re-emitting it at a different wavelength, one that our eyes can see.

The dyes from highlighter pens contain phosphors. When highlighter art is positioned in a dark room near a black light, it glows.

This black light character trait art activity incorporates language and science. It is a confidence-boosting art project perfect for any time of the year.

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Glowing Names

Instead of focussing on words of affirmation, invite your little learners to color around their names with highlighters. This is also a terrific beginning of the year activity. And it works well at the end of the school term to remind children that they have been valued members of the class.

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Related: Scented Moon Playdough

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[Read more…]

Skull And Crossbones Art

September 15, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Most years a pirate theme finds its way into our curriculum offerings. The theme involves action figures, boats, and lots of treasure, so what’s not to love? This year we included skull and crossbones art, which led to interesting discussions!

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Oh, so easy skull and crossbones art project your little learners will love. Two free printables are included for the scissor skill activity.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

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What I like most of all about a pirate theme is the way it enhances children’s language. Near the beginning of the school year, dramatic pirate language (demonstrated in storybooks) helps draw children out of their shells as they practice it in pretend play. Later on, it presents opportunities to work on sounds children may still be having difficulty with (think letter R / “arrr”.)

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International Talk Like A Pirate Day

An International Talk Like A Pirate Day is held every year on September 19. Celebrating it in the classroom fits in well with the benefits of imitating pirate talk at the beginning of the school term (which is in September where I live.}

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The Skull And Crossbones Art Project

Near the end of my latest pirate theme, I offered a little skull and crossbones art activity. (A skull and crossbones symbol was one of the designs used on pirate ships.) Although the main goals were to discuss symmetry and practice scissor skills, the activity also inspired lively group conversation.

Oh, so easy skull and crossbones "creepy art" activity your little learners will love. Two free printables are included for the scissor skill ainvitation.

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Children cut out a skull and crossbones from a printable and then used felt markers to decorate it.

Invitation to create "creepy art" with two free skull and crossbones printables. Scissor skill practice is also a goal.

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My preschoolers loved the decorating phase. And they called their designs “creepy art.” That term (which rolled off their tongues numerous times) was the inspiration for drawing spiders and dripping blood. (There were a few hearts to soften the look.)

This led me to tell them that there is such a thing as creepy art and that it is perfectly legitimate. Skull and crossbones art fits the label, and some of it is even described as “gorgeous” and “pretty” online.

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Skull And Crossbones Printables

The simple pirate-themed art activity was so well-received that I thought it was worth sharing in a blog post. It’s easy to pull out on International Talk Like A Pirate Day, or any time of the year.

Here are two free printables to download so your little learners can make creepy art too.

This first printable can be cut out and decorated. Or you can skip the cutting phase.

Skull and crossbones template to download for scissor skill practice and art.

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Skull And Crossbones PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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The second printable is designed to be folded in half lengthwise and then cut. It’s a good activity to discuss symmetry.

Skull and crossbones template to download for scissor skill practice and art. Learning about symmetry is also a possibility.

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Skull And Crossbones Scissor Skill PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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The work of Salvador Dali is an example of exquisite creepy art. An artist theme on Dali would be a great follow-up to this skull and crossbones art activity.

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And for more pirate-themed fun, try this “Exploding Treasure Chests” science experiment by FUN-A-DAY.

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Related: Pirate Treasure Bin

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[Read more…]