While the first few days of summer vacation are pretty easy to fill, by the time the kids have been home for a couple of weeks, they often begin to complain of boredom. It is often not feasible financially to sign your children up for a bunch of classes and summer camps, so consider creating your own at-home arts and crafts camp using some of the following suggestions.
Art comes in many forms, and it is fun to expose your children to all types of art. To make this possible, consider setting aside each day of your art camp with a special daily theme. You can even combine the theme with a field trip. For instance, head to a local park with walking trails and have children collect cool items they find in nature, such as flower petals or leaves. These items can be used to create a fantastic collage, and they can also try to identify the names of the plants from which these items came. In this way, the day includes exercise and outdoor activity, science and a fun art project.
Another option that includes a mini field trip is studying the works of a famous artist. Consider going to the library and grabbing some books that feature many different artists who create in many different styles. When the kids find someone they like, go home and create something based upon the style of a famous painter. For example, grab paints and brushes, head outside and splatter some paint on a canvas in the manner of Jackson Pollack. Cut a piece of paper into 12 equal-sized squares and have the children decorate them in the style of Kandinsky's Squares with Concentric Circles.
Along these same lines, you can also purchase a special PDF mural featuring the work of a famous artist and have children work on this project a little each day. These are inexpensive, and all you have to do is purchase, download and print. Each printed page is a section of the painting, and children simply fill in the lines with crayon, oil pastel, paint, colored pencil or other mediums. After all the pieces are filled in, you arrange the pieces in order and paste them down on a canvas or large piece of paper and you have an amazing work of art.
In addition to painting and collage, add in some cool projects using different mediums. For example, create something cool out of papier-mache, such as a new species of animal, an amazing mask or even something simple such as bowl. You can purchase some clay or colorful play-dough and have children create big or small sculptures. If you purchase white clay, you can dry it or perhaps baked it in the oven and then have children paint it later. You can even create quick homemade modeling dough, create a sculpture, bake it and paint it. This can be made using ingredients you probably have in the house.
If you plan ahead, you can save and rinse milk cartons and also save cardboard food containers. Have the kids cover these items with butcher paper or paint over them and create storefronts, skyscrapers, apartments and houses to create a homemade city. You can even paint paper to feature roads and parks and maybe even a river or a pond. This can be played with afterwards for many days and is a great way to use recycled items and create new, fun toys.
Art comes in many forms, and it is fun to expose your children to all types of art. To make this possible, consider setting aside each day of your art camp with a special daily theme. You can even combine the theme with a field trip. For instance, head to a local park with walking trails and have children collect cool items they find in nature, such as flower petals or leaves. These items can be used to create a fantastic collage, and they can also try to identify the names of the plants from which these items came. In this way, the day includes exercise and outdoor activity, science and a fun art project.
Another option that includes a mini field trip is studying the works of a famous artist. Consider going to the library and grabbing some books that feature many different artists who create in many different styles. When the kids find someone they like, go home and create something based upon the style of a famous painter. For example, grab paints and brushes, head outside and splatter some paint on a canvas in the manner of Jackson Pollack. Cut a piece of paper into 12 equal-sized squares and have the children decorate them in the style of Kandinsky's Squares with Concentric Circles.
Along these same lines, you can also purchase a special PDF mural featuring the work of a famous artist and have children work on this project a little each day. These are inexpensive, and all you have to do is purchase, download and print. Each printed page is a section of the painting, and children simply fill in the lines with crayon, oil pastel, paint, colored pencil or other mediums. After all the pieces are filled in, you arrange the pieces in order and paste them down on a canvas or large piece of paper and you have an amazing work of art.
In addition to painting and collage, add in some cool projects using different mediums. For example, create something cool out of papier-mache, such as a new species of animal, an amazing mask or even something simple such as bowl. You can purchase some clay or colorful play-dough and have children create big or small sculptures. If you purchase white clay, you can dry it or perhaps baked it in the oven and then have children paint it later. You can even create quick homemade modeling dough, create a sculpture, bake it and paint it. This can be made using ingredients you probably have in the house.
If you plan ahead, you can save and rinse milk cartons and also save cardboard food containers. Have the kids cover these items with butcher paper or paint over them and create storefronts, skyscrapers, apartments and houses to create a homemade city. You can even paint paper to feature roads and parks and maybe even a river or a pond. This can be played with afterwards for many days and is a great way to use recycled items and create new, fun toys.
About the Author:
Kate Halfey likes writing about art projects for kids. For additional details about art projects such as Kandinsky for kids or to discover recyclable art projects for kids, please go to the ArtProjectsForKids.org site today.
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