Find Faces

Every morning I look at my sink and think it looks like a face.

I think, this would be a good photography warm-up activity to find (or make) faces out of common objects.

Never to Young

You are never to young to enjoy painting! Each year we make sure students get to paint with acrylic paints on canvas.

Lesson Ideas

I saw this chart in a brochure for vacation bible school curriculum. HERE is their website.

I don't particularly like store bought curriculum but this chart is a nice idea has to how to lay out the bible lesson plan for multiple teachers during the week.

Domino Puzzle

At Raising Olives, I saw THIS tutorial on how to make ornaments out of dominoes.

I had no idea you could draw on dominoes with permanent marker. I thought this would be a great opener if we taped several dominoes together to draw a puzzle on. This could also be a fun way to learn about famous artworks by copying a piece of a famous piece of work.

Mobiles

* Make the same origami animal out of different colored paper. Make into a mobile with sticks and wire to work on balance.



THIS mobile looks so beautiful. I would like to try it to see how difficult it is to get it to balance.

Clay Pictionary

* Pictionary with modeling clay or homemade play dough. Have different categories: animal (cat, dog, bunny, giraffe); places to sit (table, chair, boat); DIFFICULT (Mr. Tim, church, run)


The idea to try to sculpt a teacher to guess was inspired by this sketch by a student a few years ago.)

No-Bake Craft Clay
1 cup corn starch
1 1/4 cups cold water
2 cups baking soda
saucepan
food coloring (optional)
plate
damp cloth
tempera or acrylic paints (optional)
clear shellac, acrylic spray, or nail polish

Combine cornstarch, water, and baking soda in saucepan; stir over medium heat for about 4 minutes until mixture thickens to a moist mashed-potato consistency. (For colored clay, add a few drops of food coloring to the water before it is mixed with cornstarch and baking soda.) Remove from heat, turn onto plate, and cover with a damp cloth until cool. Knead until smooth. Shape as desired or store in an airtight container or Ziploc ba. Dry sculptures overnight, then paint with tempera or acrylic. Seal with shellac, acrylic spray, or nail polish.

This recipe is from The Toddlers Busy Book by Trish Kuffner.


This recipe is one of the best I have found- easy, cheap and looks good.

Ideas...

* Make a face from an object like the Wind Mask at the Sheldon made from air dryers. Try an item from the Dollar Tree (a flashlight, calculator, tape player).

The calculator from the Dollar Tree was difficult to get apart. The Dollar Tree glue I had needed to sit for 15 minutes before you could attach the pieces. I still like this idea but I need to try it with hot glue guns and an item that has more pieces.

* Draw animal caricatures of your family. Example: birds

Where We Started

Art Camp started the summer of 2006. We traditionally have Art Camp the second full week after public school is out for the summer.

I never went to vacation bible school as a child so when I volunteered to help with my church's VBS I didn't quite know what to expect. We were leaving to go on our second honeymoon the second day of camp but we helped make the props. We came the first night but I wasn't super excited by what I saw. It wasn't bad; it just wasn't fun for me. I saw a lot of kids that I knew or that I knew went to church.

So when the Children's Ministry Team discussed VBS, I said I wanted to help with something I could really be excited about: ART. We have several people in our church who are also talented in this area so it uses these people in a great way as well.

A subject based vacation bible school allows us to reach so many kids with the message of salvation in a way that is exciting to them and us as the teachers. God made us; He made us able to create and see the beauty of His world.

I am excited for Art Camp each year. I want to share Christ's love with our students in a way that is meaningful to them.

Lazarus Lesson- 2010

I came up with this lesson to work this multiple volunteers teaching and to give the volunteers some freedom while still allowing them to know what the other teachers were doing. This worked really well.

Teachers are to say the quotes. ...in their own interpretation and keeping in mind if it is the first day or the last day.

Bold text indicates what the teacher had to prepare ahead of time.

LESSON ORDER:
Introduce yourself
Pray
Show children bible
“This is God’s word.”
“Our story is in the New Testament.”
“The New Testament tells about Jesus’s life.”
“This story is in John.”
“John is the book in the bible that tells Jesus is God’s son.”
“Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are called Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes the exact same wording.”
Read them the story of Lazarus directly from your bible
Repeat your part of the story
Ask open ended questions about your story
Why do you think Jesus waited?
How do you think Mary felt when Jesus arrived?
How do you know Martha and Jesus were friends?
Activity of your choosing related to the lesson
Practice memory versus with children- John 11:25. Write scripture on the white board. Erase one word at a time and draw a picture in its place.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies. John 11:25

-------------------------------------
Day 1) Mary at Jesus’s feet. Martha jealous
Day 2) told Lazarus dying…waited
Day 3) Martha tells Jesus he should have come sooner
Day 4) Lazarus raised
--------------------------------------

Example Activities:
Day 1) a pie chart of how you spend your day, pretending to clean for guests

Day 2) waiting to receive a prize until the end of the lesson
Day 3) things you tell a friend but not a stranger
Day 4) a team of children wrapping one child up in toilet paper

Lesson with each Activity

About 3 years ago, we tried having a bible lesson with each activity, instead of a specific bible lesson time. This did not work well for us. The students felt restricted in what they could create. And the teachers felt they had to focus so much of their lesson strictly on the biblical teachings they could not focus their lesson on the joy God gives us in creating and creating for Him.

I would like to see our bible lessons depict a bible story or the books of the bible at some point. But we will continue to have a set aside time for a special bible study.

Volunteers

Volunteers are SO IMPORTANT! This year at Art Camp (2010) we had 30 volunteers.

Volunteers help with students, keep Art Camp on time, make snack, hand out snack, teach the bible lesson, help clean, help set up the art show and run errands.

Helping with students:
Volunteers coming during camp time are mostly assigned to work with students. The teacher leads the lesson while volunteers are role models of listening and help one-on-one when needed.

Volunteers speak to children respectfully and at their level. Volunteering is more than just 'helping out.' God has a lot to teach you through the work that you do; come ready to learn while you are having fun.

*Your duties include: taking young children to the restroom, helping clean, serve snack, keeping groups on schedule, directing students to stay on task by using positive reinforcement, redirection and proximity control, and showing Christ’s love and patience to each child.
*You do not need to be an artist to help the students. Encourage each student to do their best. Please refrain from drawing on any student’s work. (If a small child asks you to guide their hand, you may.)
*There is always something to do! Look on the scheduled list or ASK! This is a time for the children; make it about them!

Snack:
Parents give me food allergy information beforehand. Children this age generally know what they can not eat. Children are more than welcome to bring their own snack if they would like. Keep in mind this is a 'snack' and it should be somewhat healthy to keep them going for the rest of the evening.

*Please have snack arrive before 5:45pm the day you are assigned.
*Enough for 35 kids
*Please provide something with some nutritional value and easy to serve.
*Please provide 1 item and juice or two items then water will be served.
*Please portion items to make them easy to serve- snack size baggies, pre-cut bars, etc.
*You do not need to provide napkins or cups.
Suggestions: cheese slices & crackers, trail mix & juice, dried fruit, celery with peanut butter and M&Ms on it, Popsicles & oranges (1 mandarin per child or ½ an orange per child.), homemade rice crispy bars or brownies (cut to correct sizes) & grapes.

Bible Lesson Teacher:
We have done a lot of different bible lessons over the past five years. Normally, I have one teacher with the little kids all week and one teacher with the big kids all week. This did not work out this year. I came up with the lesson, divided it and people volunteered to teach one day. This seemed to go well. The lesson changes to fit the teachers we have.

Schedule

A basic art camp schedule looks like this:

5:45 all volunteers present
kids start to arrive
6:00 OPENER ACTIVITY
6:15 First Lesson
6:30
7:00 Short Break/drinks/bathroom
7:15 Second Lesson
7:30
7:45 Snack
Bible Lesson
8:00
8:15
8:30 Final clean-up, Final activity, Good-bye


The little kids' bible lesson is at 6:45pm. The little kids schedule of activities is more open. We have two specific activities planned then add in additional activities as needed. We try to switch with indoor/outdoor and large motor/ fine motor activities.

Kids' Artist Rhyme

Seurat painted dots.
I mean lots!

Jackson Pollack split-splat.
Look at that!

Georgia O’Keeffe with flowers
And land without rain showers.

Monet loved lakes.
He painted as the day wakes.

Salvador Dali drew his dreams.
Things I have never seen.

Picasso painted in blue
And odd people too.

Chuck Close painted faces
Not places.

Van Gogh painted Starry Night
And in colors bright

--------------------------------------

The children LOVED this game. (I made it up the night before camp for a large motor activity. If you have any other rhymes for me, email me please!)

I printed color photos of each of the artists' work, then put them in clear folders. I put the pictures all in the grass and then read each rhyme one at a time. The children were lined up on the sidewalk then ran to the painting they thought was correct. I told them who was right, why, and then a little about the artist.

On the second day, we reviewed the paintings with names and how to use memory tools to remember the pictures. Simple: "Seurat and dots rhyme." "Dail had clocks melting, so I picture melting baby dolls." "Chuck Close painted faces up close." "I know a kid named Jackson. He is crazy. I can imagine him splashing paint everywhere." They line up on the sidewalk again with the photos in the grass. They get a sticker for each one they get right, if they get 4 right they get a prize (Twizzler).

On the third day, we reviewed again. I don't read the rhyme, just the artist name. They must get 6 right to get a prize. (We used the review time to discuss helping the other students so they can all get them right! This is not cheating. You are discussing the answer and working together.)

On the fourth day, I put out new paintings by the same artists. These paintings the students had never seen before! They had to get 5 right to get a prize. (They could get them all correct because they had learned them so well.)


If we held up just the painting they could immediately say the artists name. It was amazing. This was such a great way to get the kids excited about famous artists. We will be using it again!



Here are the photos that I used. I put 1-3 on a sheet. I printed a second sheet for the final day.

Seurat painted dots.
HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Jackson Pollack split-splat.
Look at that!
HERE and HERE

Georgia O’Keeffe with flowers
And land without rain showers.
HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Monet loved lakes.
He painted as the day wakes.
HERE, HERE and HERE

Salvador Dali drew his dreams.
Things I have never seen.
HERE and HERE

Picasso painted in blue
And odd people too.
HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE

Chuck Close painted faces
Not places.
HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Van Gogh painted Starry Night
And in colors bright
HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Name Plates

On the final day of art camp each child is given 5 name plates.

Name:
Material:
Title:

They are allowed to choose 5 pieces of artwork to display in the show.
They are to fill out their name, the material they used, and a title for the piece.

Before we hand out the name tags we discuss naming the piece by what it looks like or trying to make the viewer think of something else. We give the children one card to start with and have them fill out the name plate for their photograph.

The name plates are a great way to quickly identify which pieces the students want in the show.
They are a great way to have the child title the piece so it is finished.
They are often funny and add to the piece of artwork. Misspellings and long explanatory titles give insight into the child.

Finger Painting

This image was found HERE.

I like the idea of teaching the students how to make an animal by painting with their fingers.

Watercolor Trees

These images were found HERE. I think either one of these ideas would be useful for a little kids guided watercolor.

Zoo Photo Scavenger Hunt

Here are two other photo scavenger hunts I have used with other students.

Zoo Photo Hunt
Let’s go have some photo fun
If you get them all done
I’ll give you bubblegum
Snap a photo of you and me
And animal in a tree
Now go and find two giraffes, a marmoset and tapir
Paw prints, spots, 3 birds, and a grey ear
A trunk, strips, and a tail
At our zoo there is no whale
letter ‘S’
Do your very best


Scavenger Hunt
If you’re bored with nothing to do,
Find these things for a prize or two.
All these things can be found
A straw, a napkin, a penny on the ground
One thing small and lost
Something that has no cost
A paper cup, a zoo map, squirrel food
Have fun dude!

Photo Scavenger Hunt

In 2009, we took a field trip to the local art museum. After a tour of the inside of the museum, we did some outside activities. This photo scavenger hunt was one.

Here are the poems we used for the photo scavenger hunt.
(We divided the students into four groups. The students took turns taking the photos.)

Photo Scavenger Hunt #1
It is time to start
Taking pictures of art.
It might be harder than you think
To find something that is pink.
I found a sphere and the number 3.
Then the letters M, J, and T.
Also, a tree that can’t grow
And the word, “NO.”
Now I need a picture of us
Then a heart drawn in the dust.
I’m all done.
We won!


Photo Scavenger Hunt #2
I have to take these photos in order?
Where am I going to find a quarter?
Now, it can’t grow but it’s a tree
And the alphabet letters B, N, and T.
Next I’ll make a green heart
Its my little piece of art.
Three things left to snap
I wish I had a map
An open-toed shoe
And a circle or two!


Photo Scavenger Hunt #3
I spy a leaning tower
And a purple flower.
I spy an animal’s home,
An orange construction cone.
I spy the number four
And a door.
Now, I see something red
And a person missing their head?
Last, I must find stairs
And a place to sit, but not chairs.
I’m all done.
What fun!



Photo Scavenger Hunt #4
I love this game
I don’t know its name
I’m a little kid but I can play too
First I’ll take a picture of a shoe
A tall tower
And a yellow flower
A silver tree
And a picture of me
I’m almost done
I’m having fun
I still need to click
Pictures of the letter K, a pipe and a stick!

Large Motor Rhyme

Straight line (stand up straight)
Squiggly (wiggle)
Turn around and JUMP (turn around in a circle, jump up)
I drew a camel (move your hand like drawing)
He had one hump (put up your finer for the #1)

Straight line
Squiggly
Turn around and HOP
I drew my sister
Spinning a top

Straight line
Squiggly
Turn around and WIGGLE
I drew a polka dot tract
It made me giggle

Straight line
Squiggly
Turn around and CLAP
I drew a baseball player
I forgot to draw his cap

Straight line
Squiggly
Turn around and SHAKE
I drew a froggy
Swimming in the lake

Straight line
Squiggly
Turn around and YAWN
I drew my daddy
Mowing the lawn


(LAST VERSE before starting activity)
Straight line
Squiggly
Turn around and SIT
I drew a doggy
And I got bit!

Photo Scavenger Hunt

Photograph these things!
An animal with wings
A star , a dog , the number 2
A boat , a car and a shoe .

Still to find- a 9
A flower , a door and a sign
A mailbox and the letter B
Lastly, the bark of a tree .

---------------
I wrote this photo scavenger hunt for the little kids photo lesson. I inserted clipart next to each boldfaced word to help the children who could not read.

We have done this type of activity two years in a row (2009 and 2010). It is always popular.

Painting the Street

We recently learned you can paint the street in our town if you have neighbors sign a petition to allow you to do so. We would love to try this next year (2011)!

Sidewalk Chalk and Paint

This was a simple fun closing one of our very first years of Art Camp. We painted the sidewalk around the church for the art show after talking about Jackson Pollack.

We simply mixed food coloring, water, and corn starch in small yogurt cups and the students splashed them outside. As long as you aren't afraid of a mess and you have a garden hose, you will be fine!

HERE are the instructions to make homemade sidewalk chalk.

What a cool idea this would be to use these to create a collaborative piece of artwork outside of the church. Maybe on a field trip!

Marbelizing Paper

THIS was fun and simple (2010). Both the younger children and the older group enjoyed it.

You MUST purchase the Sta-Flo liquid starch, otherwise it just won't work.

Plaster Sculpture

We are always looking for sculpture ideas. I am interested in using plaster for a sculpture.

HERE and HERE are the sites that interested me in trying it.

I have also seen THIS recipe several places:

Ingredients: 1 part water, 1 part Plaster of Paris, and 1-1/2 parts vermiculite (found in a building supply store). Mix in a plastic bucket. Caution: DON'T pour any of the mixture down the sink! Pour the mixture into a clean milk carton and let set for four or five days. To harden quicker, reverse the process by using more Plaster of Paris. Clean bucket with paper towels.

Carving can be done with simple kitchen tools. Use your imagination and have fun. After drying for about a week, your sculpture can be painted or left in its natural state.

But I am still concerned about the breathing in of vermiculite particles. I don't understand if they are or are not harmful.

UPDATE:


This looks so great! I am excited to try it with the kids.

I would like them to draw a card to make it more complicated. The card could say: make it have one hole. They could also draw an animal to make. My mother-in-law has several small wood and stone animal sculptures they could look at for examples.

Recipe:
2 cups water
2 cups Plaster of Paris
3 cups vermiculite

I purchased vermiculite at Earl May gardening center. Make sure you get the kind without fertilizer. The students should be fine if they aren't eating it or breathing in the dust. The mixture should be thick enough that there isn't any dust.

Pour the mixture into your containers to dry. We used plastic yogurt and sour cream containers.

We let ours sit for an hour and it was pliable with our fingers. After four days it was completely dry and ready to carve.

The best item to carve it was a nutcracker pick.

It can be painted but I like how it looks like stone!

Silhouette Sculpture

This image is from HERE. We are always looking for sculpture ideas. We already have all the supplies for this project in our art cupboard.

Cardboard Lines

The little kids loved making THESE cardboard line sculptures.

We simply used tape and they bent the pieces. I don't know why they enjoyed it so much but it was a fun and inexpensive activity.

Famous Painting Collaborative Project

Every year we talk about dividing up a famous painting for the children to each paint a square. Hopefully, one of these years we will actually do it!

HERE and HERE and HERE are some inspiration.

Checker Board

Making THESE checker boards looked like fun.

The children might make the playing pieces out of Sculpey or by choosing stones from the dollar store.

Portrait Tracing

I am curious to try this and see if it looks like a finished project from a child.

I don't know how much window space we have to accommodate tracing. I will also have to explain to children what lines to trace and what not to.


These directions are HERE:
1.On a sunny day, tape the photograph to a light-filled window and then tape the vellum over the photo. Using a pencil, trace the photo, making the picture as detailed as you'd like, then remove the tracing from the window.
2.To paint each person in the photo, apply the skin color first. When dry to the touch, add facial features and clothing. Once dry, fill in the background.
3.Glue the portrait to a sheet of white paper and slip it into a frame.

Grid Self-Portrait

For these self-portraits, I took photos of the students. I printed the photo in black and white with a one-inch grid over the photo. I also drew a light pencil grid for each child. It worked well and I liked the results but it is very time consuming.

One young students felt too intimidated to try to draw on the grid; he could not write is own name yet. So he made a self-portrait out of clay and we put a photo of it in the show!


I would like to see the children do a photography self-portrait. I would also like these images printed and then try to have them draw the photography they took of themselves.

I think a self-portrait is always a great lesson. It is difficult to draw a person but it is even more difficult to face yourself and your own imperfections.

Adirondack Ink Tiles

THESE tiles are so COOL. We did this for an opener (2010). The kids LOVED them. They are almost impossible to make a mistake.

I found the Adirondack ink at a local craft store in the stamping aisle. The three colors were about $10. The alcohol blending solution was located next to these inks for about $6.

I found the tiles at the local home improvement store for 16 cents a piece. I simply used a clear waterproof spray paint. It was $3. The tiles did need 5 coats of clear spray but it didn't need to dry between coats.


For my personal ones, I adhered felt to the bottom for coasters.

These are worth doing again!

Mod Podged Dish

THESE mod podged candy dishes were easy to make and the kids loved them. Some of them pretended they were hats.

I made sure to cut the scraps small enough to dunk in a small yogurt container filled with modpodge. Clean up was easy with the saran wrap. We let ours dry for a full 24 hours.

Mod Podged Collage

Mod Podge has a distinct smell! I tried THIS mod podged collage.

To do this project with a large group of children I need to find scrap pieces of wood to adhere these too. I would like to find some frames or display pieces on clearance at a local store sometime in the next year.

Window Clings

I thought THESE window clings looked simple to make.

They need time to dry but that wouldn't be a problem for an opener.

I am curious to see how these look when not made by an adult.

_______________________
UPDATE:
Oh my gosh, these did not look good and took three days to dry! My two year old's did not work at all.

String Bowl

I can not get THESE yarn bowls to work! I have seen them on several websites and magazines. I have tried them with Elmer's glue and with Stiffy fabric stiffener. I have tried them with thick and thin yarn. I have tried them with balloons and with Saran wrap covered bowl.

If you have anyway to make these work or if they aren't as cool as they look in the photos, please let me know.

Watercolor with saran wrap & plants

THESE pictures turn out well no matter what your age. (Just make sure your 3 year old student doesn't dump their whole container of water on their paper!)

Guided Drawing & Painting

I often do guided drawing with the little kids. They feel successful drawing when guided step by step.

THIS guided drawing idea for a watercolor seahorse is similar to guided drawings I do with the students.

THIS guided drawing idea for a watercolor of an owl also looks like something the children would enjoy.

HERE is a guided drawing for a humming bird. In 2009, we did guided drawing of fish with both the little kids and the older students. The younger students often respond better to it. We did a guided drawing of a fish then had them look at a photo of a real fish to try and draw it. They worked well in pairs.

Batik Pillows

The little kids loved making their own pillows. They were simple to make and the children even enjoyed stuffing their own.

See the directions HERE.

Kandinsky Circles

I saw THIS so I tried it as a simple guided lesson with the little kids this year (2010).

The little kids were so fascinated by the pastel chalk. They could have cared less about drawing circles passed the instructed ones they drew in pencil.

Little Kid instruction:
Set-up:
Large sheets of paper taped to the table, one for each child
A pencil at each seat
Paint, oil pastels, pastel chalk, crayons, and colored pencils close by

1. Draw a line across the middle of your paper to divide it in half. (Demonstrate)
2. Now draw two lines up and down on your paper. (Demonstrate) Now you should have 6 boxes.
3. In each box draw a circle. (Demonstrate) Now you should have 6 circles.
4. I want you to take your paint and pastels and draw lots of colorful circles over top of these circles to make a beautiful picture. (Demonstrate on your page. Do not show them a finished product.)
5. (Pass out colored drawing utensils.)


I think, this could be a fun opener to explore color.