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This is the best recipe for air dry clay. After it dries you can color it with markers and sharpie.

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You know the ingredients your kiddos like to stockpile for making slime? Use this simple DIY recipe to learn how to make air dry clay with everyday, household ingredients. This DIY clay is silky smooth and pure white; a super sensory activity no matter what you choose to make with it!

Air dry clay ingredients....

Grab some white glue. We buy Elmer's glue by the gallon because it so much cheaper than picking up the little bottles at the store. Head to the pantry and grab cornstarch and white vinegar. Lastly you'll need a bit body lotion and baby oil.

What a weird combination, right?

These air dry clay ingredients may sound a little odd and a lot sticky. But in the right proportions instead of slime you get a super smooth white clay that will air dry perfectly, no heating required at any step. And best of all is the fact that all of those ingredients common.

This DIY clay is a perfect replacement for the more expensive store bought air dry clay or polymer clay like Sculpey.

Updated to add this DIY clay will not be the same consistency of polymer clay. While it can be a substitute for polymer clay in some applications it is not meant to be a replica of polymer clay. This DIY clay is super soft. It is perfect for lots of arts and crafts projects and an amazing sensory experience just to follow the recipe and make your own clay!

How to make air dry clay, the easy way....

Mix all air dry clay ingredients together in a large mixing bowl till smooth. Chances are your DIY clay will still be sticky mess at this point. Do not panic- this is normal and it will get better!

Start with the ingredient amounts listed below and slowly add bits more cornstarch until the mixture can hold no more. Add just a little at a time. Soon the air dry clay will go from being sticky to smooth, stretchy, and super soft. You'll know you have added enough cornstarch when it becomes difficult to mix more in.

There's quite a bit of wiggle room for getting this mixture "just right" so don't hesitate to let your kiddos get in there and do the dirty work of mixing and measuring!

Prepare your counter....

Prepare a clean counter with extra cornstarch spread out much like you are rolling out a pie crust. Splash a little cornstarch on your hands as well. Turn clay out onto counter and knead it like dough. If it's still sticky- again with the cornstarch.

Add tiny bits of cornstarch at a time and the air dry clay recipe will absorb it. Try to stop adding cornstarch before the clay starts to feel dry and stiff. We have revived air dry clay that got a bit too dry with a tiny splash of additional baby oil.

This process totally reminds me of making a pie. Not that I make many pies of my own but I have great memories of my mom and grandma making them. The great thing about letting your kids take part in this mixing of the homemade clay recipe is that this isn't rocket science.

It doesn't have to be perfect for it to be super fun, a great memory, and a totally usable ball of homemade air dry clay to craft with!

Ready to use air dry clay....

At this point your DIY clay is ready to use. Mold it, make , let it dry- it's really that simple. The drying time will depend on the thickness of the finished clay product. Projects that are super thick will take longer to dry while thinner projects made with this air dry clay recipe should be dry in a day or so.

I've used many DIY clay recipes that looked awesome when they were wet but when they dried they left behind a cracked mess and tear stained cheeks of a little artist. Art that ends in tears is not my favorite. We have made this air dry clay recipe over and over and have never had a cracked project. I'm not saying that it can't happen but it's more than likely you'll end up with a great finished project. That's as much as you can ask for in the world of kid's art!

Preparing your air dry clay ahead of time...

If you're not ready to use your air dry clay quite yet or you have leftovers you can wrap it up and save it for later. Spread a layer of cling wrap with a squirt or two of lotion and wrap tightly around your DIY clay. This keeps the air dry clay from sticking to the wrap; not necessary but definitely helpful. Put in the fridge and store for up to a week.

Now that you know how to make air dry clay the possibilities are endless.

Air dry clay texture pendants....

These are such a fun, simple activity that results in the sweetest little necklace pendants. This is a great project when you're looking for a gift or finished product that really "pops" but isn't a cookie cutter craft! If you're working with a larger group these also take very little clay and very little storage room while they dry!

Leaf bowls from DIY clay....

These leaf bowls are another great example of how to use this DIY clay. These are so pretty and colorful. Nature provides the shape and details of these bowls. We finished ours with watercolor and oil pastel but there are lots of possibilities! These are a great project for any age or skill level. I can see these being really successful in class with kids or adults that may have special needs and need accommodations.

Colored air dry clay....

Another fun possibility is to learn how to make colored air dry clay! Add one additional ingredient and making air dry clay turns into a color mixing experiment. The finished product won't even need to be painted, the color is already there!

Every single share help me to bring you more free printables and fun projects like this DIY clay!

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Air Dry Clay- An Easy DIY Clay Recipe - The Kitchen Table Classroom

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You know the ingredients your kiddos like to stockpile for making slime? Use this simple DIY recipe to learn how to make air dry clay with everyday, household ingredients. This DIY clay is silky smooth and pure white; a super sensory activity no matter what you choose to make with it!

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If you ask kids to draw a flower most will draw a cartoon-y flower pretty confidently. Use these directed drawing tips as well as the free video tutorial (scroll to the bottom) to take a flower drawings from simple to colorful, complex drawings that will teach your kids that every drawing is made up of simple shapes and lines.

Drawing a flower 101....

I use these black Sharpies for everything and let my kids use them too. Introduce them as a special and adult art supply and your kids will treat them as such! Start by instructing your kiddos to draw a variety of sizes of circles all across the paper. Aim for about the halfway line, circles above and below.

Use your markers to draw another circle around each circle so they are double decker circles. Vary line thickness by tracing over some lines more than once.

Directed drawing step two....

Inside each circle instruct kids to draw some kind of flower shape. This step is kind of the "typical cartoon" flower they might draw without instruction. The goal is for each flower to be a little different. Suggest using a variety of straight and curvy lines to help create that variety.

Directed drawing step three....

Add a border to each flower. Outside the two concentric circles we started with add a design to each flower. These can be as simple as lines, dots, dashes, triangles, rectangles. It's fun to show kids a design that seems super complicated and help them see how it breaks down into a series of simple lines or shapes that are repeated. If kids get stuck on this step of their flower drawing suggest they mimic the shapes inside the flower and repeat them on the outside.

Drawing a flower with foliage...

Add simple stems by adding two straight lines. These are big flowers and they need sturdy stems to hold them up, right? Leaves are a simple football shape. The leaves that are lowest on the page will be in front, closest to the viewer. Leaves in the back are overlapped by leaves in the front. Make a mistake? Make it a doodle that is part of the design.

Encourage kids to trace over lines to vary the thickness to add interest.

Adding color, beautiful color, to your directed drawing.....

This technique of adding color to your flower drawing is both quick and easy and so darn pretty. Use plain old watercolor washable markers, think Crayola markers. This paint with markers technique is just one of my favorites. All you want to do here is add super simple dashes of color with marker. Leave white areas and don't worry about being precise.

Use a soft brush and add a little plain water over the markered areas. The color will follow the water and spread.

Drawing a flower wasn't so hard....

What I love about these directed drawings is that it takes the scrainess out of drawing. A kid doesn't have to think about all the pieces and parts and filling the entire paper. Directed drawing means one step at a time which can be a game changer for a lot of kids.

I also love the fact that directed drawing takes a complex subject and breaks it down into a series of recognizable parts. The point isn't necessarily to get really good at following directions but to help kids see that even complex things can be drawn by looking at them as simpler shapes that make them up.

That's it. This is an easy, one sitting lesson that will give kids some ideas and skills they are sure to be able to apply to their future projects!

Draw a flower the easy way with this free directed drawing hands on tutorial...

Somethings are so much easier to show than they are to write in words. If you've seen the above directed drawing steps and you're ready to try your hand at drawing a flower take a look at the tutorial below. I'll walk you and your kiddo step by step through each step of this directed drawing lesson. Listen to a step, pause the video and follow along. Then come back to the video whenever you're ready!

I hope that flower drawing tutorial was as fun for you as it was for me.

I'm so excited at the thought of flowers I can hardly stand it! Come on spring!

If your family enjoys video learning be sure to check out this free online mini course for a free drawing lesson about the difference between shape and form and my new online art course the Artists and the Elements.

Online learning presents o many amazing opportunities for art class without ever leaving your home!

Every single share helps me to bring you more free printable resources and fun projects!

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Draw a Flower- A Directed Drawing Exercise Video Lesson - The Kitchen Table Classroom

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If you ask kids to draw a flower most will draw a cartoon-y flower pretty confidently. Use these directed drawing tips as well as the free video tutorial (scroll to the bottom) to take a flower drawings from simple to colorful, complex drawings that will teach your kids that every drawing is made up of simple shapes and lines.

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Paper weaving is a simple and inexpensive way to teach young kids the basics of weaving. This can be a tricky skill to teach (and learn) but starting with a few simple tips will help your young artist to be successful!

Why teaching weaving is important...

I've taught lots of little people to weave and I will tell you it's not the easiest skill to teach, especially if you're in a classroom setting with one adult and many learners. Unlike many art processes there is a right and a wrong and kids can get frustrated easily! Never mind the challenges- teaching weaving is a worthwhile skill for your students to learn.

Weaving helps kids with fine motor skills, patterning, hand eye coordination, and listening skills.

Paper weaving supplies...

This paper weaving project really only requires paper and scissors. Easy, right?!? Colors, size, weight - all of these details are artistic decisions. Let your people pick their materials!

Standard 8.5 x 11 paper is a good size to start with. It's a reasonable size of paper weaving for kids to start and finish in one sitting without getting frustrated. Heavier colored card stock is perfect for this project. The sturdier weight makes it super easy to guide the strips of paper through the weaving.

If you have copy weight paper- use that. Always use what you have! You'll also need scissors and a glue stick if your artists want to secure those loose ends when the paper weaving is done!

Paper strips....

You'll want to prepare for this cutting some straight strips of paper. While you can weave virtually anything, for a first weaving experience it's best to start with straight, even pieces. Cut these in a variety of widths. Cut these so they are 8.5 inches long by approximately 1- 1.5 inches.

How to begin teaching paper weaving...

Take a full size paper and fold it in half the "hamburger way." That's art teacher speak for folding a paper down the middle the short way, making a squat rectangle. (The example in the pic is 8.5 x 11.)

Show kids how to position their scissor on the fold and cut almost to the open edge. Leave about a a fingers width of paper connected at the bottom of that cut.

Scissors are starting back at that folded edge again. Leave about two fingers width between the first cut and the new cut. Do this all the way from one side of the paper to the other. Making cuts closer together will not hurt anything but it will make the paper more fragile and the weaving more complex. If this is your artists first experience keep the spaces larger to make the process as simple as possible.

After your student is done it will be worth your time to check these cuts. Make sure they all end about the same distance from the edge of the paper.

Weaving paper strips....

The strips you weave will be the width of your paper, approximately 8.5 inches long in this case and between 1/2″- 1″ wide. I recommend providing these strips already cut. If they have jagged edges or aren't straight edges it can make the process much harder. Eliminate that frustration by providing straight, even strips.

I recommend working with at least two colors so there is a definite contrast in pattern that kids can see developing as they work. Start with one long strip weaving under, over, under over, each of the white strips.

Push the skinny strip down to the bottom of the weaving. If your artist is having a hard time keeping the strip pushed down add a touch of glue to either end with a glue stick. Grab another strip and begin weaving it in the opposite pattern. If the first strip started under this one should start over. Try to check kids work before they move on. This is where they "get" the patterning. If they haven't gotten the hang of it yet it helps to catch it before they've invested too much time.

Adjust and keep working.

Teaching weaving is really about teaching patterns....

Weaving is all about noticing and creating the under over pattern. Strips alternate starting either "under" or "over" the base piece of paper. As the strips get woven they go up and down, over and under the weaving base.

It's a lot to pay attention to for kids as they work through the fine motor skills as well as the logistics. But when they get it- they really get it! This simple paper weaving project takes super simple materials and turns them into a bold artwork!

Let's learn how to weave paper together...

Follow along with the above video and I'll walk you through learning how to weave paper in a step by step video tutorial!

More weaving projects for kids....

This paper weaving is a pretty straight froward one day project. Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to get fancy with weaving the first time around. Think simple.

Once kids get the hang of weaving the possibilities are endless. Check out these projects to get more ideas for weaving both paper and textiles!

Weave together two paintings for a way more sophisticated than it looks finished product!

Explore paper weaving, printmaking, and patterning with the kente cloth project!

Every single share helps me to bring you more fun projects and free printables!

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Paper Weaving- Step by Step Lessons - The Kitchen Table Classroom

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Paper weaving is a simple and inexpensive way to teach young kids the basics of weaving. This can be a tricky skill to teach (and learn) but starting with a few simple tips will help your young artist to be successful!

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Watercolor paints are some of the most accessible art materials out there. Any dollar store or grocery store carries them. Clean up is minimal. Two wins, right? What if I told you I have nine watercolor techniques for your kiddos to try that will bring new life to that tray of dried up watercolor paints? Explore texture and color through watercolor for kids!

Check out these nine creative ways of using watercolor for kids! Allow your people to experiment and find even more new and playful watercolor techniques for kids!

Everyone has them. Watercolor paints, that is....

Whether you're an art teacher or a mama making with her kids at the kitchen table chances are watercolor paints are on hand. These are some easy techniques to manipulate watercolor paint. There are dozens more, I'm sure. Don't use these ideas as constraints but rather as a jumping off point.

In the interest of full disclosure I used liquid watercolors to achieve such bright colors. I used this Color Splash set of liquid watercolors. The bottles are tiny but they are concentrated so they last a long time. They are not a big investment and make some really beautiful, bright paintings!

Other than the "vivid" factor all of these processes will work exactly the same with plain old Crayola cake watercolors. I've used these for years both in the classroom and at home! They're inexpensive, washable, and have lots of great colors. Use what you have. That's my motto, art and otherwise.

Watercolor for kids...

Painting doesn't always have to be done sitting primly with a brush. (You may not want to share that tidbit with your kids. If that's the only way painting is done at your house that's okay too!) Experiment. Once kids see how fun it is to make marks by dropping things into paint, laying objects in wet paint, and making "invisible" pictures they won't want to stop.

Watercolor techniques for kids....

I started with an oil pastel resist. The first pic above shows watercolor done on top of a simple white oil pastel scribble. The oil pastel resists the watercolor which makes it kinda' magic to paint right over your marks, see the paint bead up, and slide back off onto the paper. Off course any color of oil pastel will work for a resist. In this line exploration project the kids used allll the colors. The fun of using white though is your drawing seems "invisible" until it is painted over. It's like disappearing ink.

This watercolor resist process can also be done with plain crayons. Oil pastels are just soft enough they make a larger mark, making the watercolor resist technique that much more dramatic.

Add a little salt to your paint...

This watercolor technique begins with a quick watercolor painting. Any colors will do but the it must be done quickly enough that the paint is still wet.

While the watercolor paint is still a little wet throw some salt on there. I'm not talking about fine, iodized table salt. I mean the crunchy, chunky kosher salt; the good stuff. Then once the salt has been tossed the brushes must go away. Let the salt sit, undisturbed, until the watercolors are dry. The salt will soak up a little of the color. When brushed away it leaves pretty little crystal-ish marks. This is an amazing technique to add texture in portions of a larger painting. T

And maybe some plastic wrap...

This watercolor technique requires you to get some bright colors and maybe even a little water pooling in places. This is the perfect time to throw a little plastic wrap onto your painting.

That's right, good old cling wrap from your kitchen pantry. Wad it up loosely and lay it in a wet spot. Leave it there until it's completely dry. When you remove it you will see some really cool shapes and lines formed by the colors pooling as they dry. This watercolor technique is a little unpredictable but makes some really cool textures and shapes.

Back to the kitchen pantry...

This watercolor technique also begins with a trip to your pantry. Grab some wax paper- no fancy art supplies are needed. When you have plenty of wet paint and water pooling on your paper tear some wax paper up into shapes that make you smile. Place them in the wet paint and go drink some coffee or a juice box, whatever. When it's all dry and the wax paper is taken off the shapes remain because of the color pooling under the wax paper.

This is a slightly more controlled effect than the saran wrap. Wax paper allows a little more intentionality in placement.

Drip drop into the paint....

I'm going to put rubbing alcohol and lemon juice watercolor techniques in the same category. The process with both of them is the same and the effects are very similar as well. Use a pipette or a loaded paintbrush to drop rubbing alcohol on to semi wet paint. The effect is an immediate ring in the watercolor paint. Doing this repeatedly can get a bit hypnotic. It is seriously so satisfying. I'm sure there's a youtube video of it somewhere.

Dropping lemon juice into semi wet watercolor paints doesn't produce such an immediate reaction. But if left to sit until it's dry the citric acid in the juice will bleach the colors of the watercolor paint producing super interesting shapes.

Both are interesting processes to experiment with watercolor for kids.. In a closed room or a classroom situation the lemon juice is far less noxious.

Remember rubber cement...

Okay, rubber cement is something you don't see everyday. But...picking a jar up for this is totally worth it for this! Use the brush that comes in the glue bottle and drizzle rubber cement all over the place. This feels against the "rules" so it is naturally fun.

Let the drizzly awesomeness dry before you paint over it. When it's completely dry paint generously with vibrant colors right over top of the rubber cement.

When the watercolor paint is dry take your finger and gently rub the rubber cement off; leaving behind a brilliant white outline. It's so pretty- like magic. I could do this one over and over.

They do make a special little rubber cement pick up tool. Unless you're making a mural or you have hyper sensitive digits you'll be okay.

Seriously, you didn't close the pantry door did you? Go back there now. Grab some rice, any kind, and throw it in your wet paint. Place it carefully or toss it in the air and see where it lands. Both work for me, as I don't have to clean your house.

Let it lay in the paint till dry., without touching it with the paintbrush. This watercolor technique is especially interesting if you have more than one color of watercolor working together. Colors mix and pool around the rice creating some awesome texture to the finished piece. Of course, the rice brushes off when dry!

And don't forget the leaves....

Let nature do the hard work and place some pretty leaves in your wet paint. Drying can take a long time but is so worth it to see the pretty leaf prints in your paint.

I did a whole blog post rundown on this one. I had to add it in here because I think it's an unusual addition to the watercolor techniques but such an easy and fun one! The results are still pinned above my desk. I could look at them all day. This leaf printing process in a perfect intro to watercolor for kids of any age. The leaves leave behind such intricate shapes it looks waaaay harder than it is.

Every single share helps me to bring you more fun projects (like these watercolor for kids ideas) and free printables.

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Watercolor for Kids- 9 Watercolor Techniques for Any Age - The Kitchen Table Classroom

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These nine new watercolor techniques for kids will bring new life to painting in watercolor for kids. Learn to paint watercolors in a whole new way!

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This geometric heart painting is inspired by stained glass. Watercolor paints and black glue make this multimedia project bright and beautiful!

Supplies for this geometric heart painting...

The star of this project is black glue. The black glue doesn't serve as an adhesive at all but rather serves as a drawing tools that resists the watercolor paint. Check out this post on black glue to see how to whip up your own bottle of black glue.

You'll need somewhat sturdy paper to handle the glue and the moisture of the watercolor. Student grade watercolor paper is ideal but card stock is a reasonable substitute.

The color is thank to watercolor paints. These watercolor paints are my favorite- they're so brilliant and have so many beautiful colors. If you're looking for a student grade watercolor I love these Crayola paints!

How to draw a geometric heart...

Start by discussing the basic heart shape. It's symmetrical so whatever your kiddos draw on one side they'll need to repeat the mirror image of that shape on the other side of the heart.

A heart is generally curved but for this stained glass inspired project each curved edge is going to be replaced with a flat line. That means lots of short straight lines will replace the smooth outline of the heart.

Encourage your kiddos to draw the outline of their geometric heart big, big enough to fill the page! Draw lightly, with pencil. (My lines are drawn with Sharpie for the purposes of showing you all my drawings a little more clearly!)

How to add dimension to a geometric heart...

Once the jagged outline of the heart is complete it's time to add some dimension to the inside of the heart- think facets of a diamond. There's no one right way to divide up the interior space. You can either set your kiddos free with a pencil and ruler and allow them to imagine how those different facets might meet up or work together, starting from a center point.

While drawing more facets will make the geometric heart more interesting too many lines too close together will make it difficult to outline the lines with black glue.

Using a ruler, continue those facet lines from the edge of the geometric heart off the edge of the paper. Dividing up the background will allow a greater number of spaces to be filled with colors!

Creating the stained glass effect with black glue...

Before beginning to outline your heart experiment with the bottle of black glue on a scrap paper to find the sweet spot for how open the glue nozzle should be to get that smooth line. Practice drawing lines with the nozzle never touching the paper but hovering just above it.

Once you're comfortable it's time to outline each of those lines in the heart drawing with the black glue. I suggest starting toward the center and working outwards. This makes it less likely for a hand to land in the wet glue.

When all lines have been traced with glue remember that these drawings will need to lay flat to dry. Most traditional drying racks tilt paintings which, in this case, would result in a puddle of glue!

Choosing a color scheme for your heart painting....

This is a great opportunity to let your kids choose a color scheme of their own or come up with one together. In the example below I've used cool colors to paint the heart itself and warm colors to paint the background. I think this really makes the heart shape "pop" from the background.

I considered doing tints and shades of one color for the heart and different values of another color for the background. There's no wrong answer to choosing a color scheme but it is worth putting a little thought into before beginning to paint!

Painting your heart...

I love combining black glue and watercolors. Watercolors tend to run into each other and can sometimes get muddy. The dry lines of glue create a "fence" that keeps the watercolor paint wherever your student puts it.

The glue outlines provide the perfect opportunity for placing contrasting colors next to one another- with no fear of getting muddy, mixed colors. Colors will stay clear and bright and where you put them!

Other projects that feature glue in a starring role....

This chalk leaf drawing features glue outlines.

Draw a spiderweb with glue.

Use paper snowflakes as stencils for this snowflake chalk drawing.

If this heart painting inspired you I hope you'll share this post on your favorite social media channel!

Every single share helps me to grow and bring you more fun projects and free printable resources!

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How to Paint a Heart that Looks Like Stained Glass - The Kitchen Table Classroom

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This geometric heart painting is inspired by stained glass. Watercolor paints and black glue make this multimedia project bright and beautiful! The star of this project is black glue. The black glue doesn't serve as an adhesive at all but rather serves as a drawing tools that resists the watercolor paint.

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Super fun drawing activities to do when bored.

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Super fun drawing activities to do when bored.

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With kids and parents sheltered at home during these extremely difficult times, I've been reflecting on what Illustoria has to offer and how we can contribute to families in a small way. Since we launched the magazine in 2016, a guiding ethos has been to inspire creativity across generations; to get grownups and kids to slow down together to read, write, make, draw, play, and get into the mood for creative experiences together off screen. Now as we find ourselves in our homes, finding brilliant new ways to stay connected virtually, it seems technology has never been more appreciated and needed. And yet-the tactile act of making, baking, crafting; the joy of snuggling together with a book (or kids' mag); the pleasure of dancing to music and the beat of our own drums...many, who are fortunate to, are finding more time and space for these simple, timeless activities.

Whether you are needing a break from the kids (these pages can keep them occupied for hours!) or looking for more inspiration for activities to engage in together, I hope families will find some fun distraction and joyful art-making here. This 42-page collection represents some of our favorite activities from Issues 1-5-all out-of-print issues that we're so thrilled to revisit and bring back to life in this way-and represent contributions by amazingly talented writers, artists, and staff through the years.

Feel free to print out a copy of this activity collection, staple it together, and have your kids customize the cover with their own colorful drawings. If you don't have a printer, many of the activities can still be referenced and enjoyed off your device. For those with a home printer, please consider printing an extra copy or two for a neighbor or kids you know who might enjoy these activities.

Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, for your support through the years and for being a part of our community.

******DOWNLOAD BELOW*******
PRINTABLE EDITION (single pages; PLEASE PRINT DOUBLE-SIDED + STAPLE TOGETHER) DIGITAL EDITION (double pages; BEST FOR VIEWING ON SCREEN-not for print)

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Free Activities from the ILLUSTORIA Archives - ILLUSTORIA

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With kids and parents sheltered at home during these extremely difficult times, I've been reflecting on what Illustoria has to offer and how we can contribute to families in a small way.

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Really fun paint and draw along tutorial from Patty Palmer

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Really fun paint and draw along tutorial from Patty Palmer

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This is where I share my most popular art projects and art techniques for kids. If you like color, drawing, painting and creating with your kids, you’re in the right place! You’ll find kid’s art projects that use tempera paint, watercolors, pastels and markers...simple supplies that you already have…

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(Scroll down for earlier lessons!) Hello! Welcome to Lesson 4! Today you will create faces from nature with Lynn Whipple! Have FUN, and we look forward to seeing your faces online (either at the Facebook group or Instagram #kidsartweek). Thanks so much! Carla and Lynn ____________________________________ LESSON 4 SUPPLIES Today...

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(Scroll down for Lesson 1!) Hello! Welcome to Lesson 2! Today you will create a Night Sky with Diane Culhane. Have FUN, and we look forward to seeing your skies online (either at the Facebook group or Instagram #kidsartweek). Thanks so much! Carla and Diane ____________________________________ LESSON 2 SUPPLIES Today...

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Sidewalk Cracks - Carla Sonheim Presents

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APRIL 2020 Sidewalk Crack: april2020crack _______________________________ What to Do? Here's a Step-by-Step: 1. Click the link above for the APRIL 2020 Crack of the Month. 2. The photo PDF will begin uploading in your browser window. It might take 20-30 seconds to load. 3. Print the photograph on heavier paper, such as card stock or [...]

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We LOVE shaving cream marbling. Love it. We love any marbling, really, but shaving cream marbling is especially fun (it involves shaving cream, after all) and beautiful liquid watercolors (the colors are just so vibrant)!

We've done shaving cream marbling so many times over the years, both on our own and with friends, for no special reason and to make handmade gifts. We've even done it with a variety of paints.

A couple weeks ago, when Maia was sick and sleeping away most of the day, she even requested a shaving cream marbling session during a brief awake and not-too-feverish period.

When I looked back at my old posts on shaving cream marbling, though, I realized that they were way overdue for an update.

So here you go.

Shaving Cream Marbling with Liquid Watercolors

With better photos, added tips for success, and years of experience under our belt...
MATERIALS INSTRUCTIONS
If you're wondering about the art trays

in the photos, they are wonderful for containing art messes and we use them all the time! And those little paint cups in a base

are great for holding liquid watercolors. You can read more about both in my tools for success post, but neither are necessary for this project.

Step #1. Spray shaving cream

Spray shaving cream into your dish (if your kids are anything like mine, they'll love doing this step on their own) then smooth the surface a bit with a spatula (or spoon, hands, etc).

Step #2. Drop paint on shaving cream

Use the dropper

to transfer the liquid watercolor paint

to the surface of the shaving cream.

Step #3. Swirl the colors

You can use a craft stick or wood dowel (shown here) to swirl the colors together to create a marbled effect. Or use the tip of your dropper (as we usually do).

Step #4. Press paper on shaving cream

Lay a piece of paper on the surface of the painted shaving cream.

Step #5. Lift paper

Gently lift the paper off of the shaving cream.

Step #6. Scrape shaving cream

Scrape off the shaving cream with a craft stick or a piece of cardboard.

Step #7. Dry

Set paper aside to dry and repeat with more prints!

You can make several prints each time you add paint to the shaving cream. And you can add more color to existing colored shaving cream. When you're ready for a clean slate, you can either add a new layer of shaving cream to the top (as shown) or scoop the colored shaving cream out with a spatula and start fresh.

If your kids are anything like my kids (heck, like almost any child who has been to our house), this will be the highlight of the shaving cream marbling experience-shaving cream as a sensory experience.

*5 Tips for Success

What to do with your beautiful new shaving cream marbling paper?

Have you done shaving cream marbling with your kids yet? If not, it's a must-try art project!

1. When you buy shaving cream, make sure it's the foamy stuff. NOT gel. I've made that mistake more than once. We've had more success with the traditional men's shaving creams, such as Barbasol and Gillette, plus they can be cheaper. Whenever there is a sensitive skin option, I usually get it.

2. You can do shaving cream marbling with just about any paints, not just liquid watercolors. We've done this with tempera paints, BioColors, food coloring, and acrylics. BioColors and liquid watercolors work especially well, though.

3. Scraping the shaving cream off the paper right away is important. You don't want to let the shaving cream soak into the paper. It'll get gunky and stain the paper. For scraping, use something with a wide, straight edge. We've used everything from a piece of cardboard to the side of the table. This time we used a large wood craft stick, but I wouldn't say it was ideal. A ruler would also work well.

4. Keep a wet washcloth and/or bowl of water handy for washing shaving cream-covered hands.

5. To make clean up easier, spray off all the dishes and art trays outside with a hose. Or use a rubber spatula and scrape it all into the trash first, then rinse off.

Children's Art Enabler, Mother of Two, Lover of Cherry Pie and Nature
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Shaving Cream Marbling with Kids - Instructions & Tips for Success

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We LOVE shaving cream marbling. Love it. We love any marbling, really, but shaving cream marbling is especially fun (it involves shaving cream, after all) and beautiful liquid watercolors (the colors are just so vibrant)! We've done shaving cream marbling so many times over the years, both on our own and with friends, for no special reason and to make handmade gifts.

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We love using recycled art materials for our art making, and especially like to use cardboard for kids art.

My kids call dibs on any cardboard box that comes through the house and use them for all kinds of creative ideas, including forts, dollhouses, trains, a fishing game, homes for their guinea pig, any kind of pretend play, and more.

Sidenote :: If you haven't read Not a Box by Antoinette Portis, you must check it out. Your library is sure to have it. Such a creative book!

Besides pretend play scenarios, using cardboard for art just makes good sense.
There's so much cardboard around us... It's FREE... It's sturdy...
So go rescue some cardboard boxes from the recycle bin and get creative with these art ideas...
And it's begging to be used.
12 Cardboard Art Ideas (2-D)

These are mostly 2-D art ideas using cardboard...

1. Self portraits on cardboard (on Meri Cherry)

2. Make textured paintings with cardboard (on Jennifer Rizzo)

3. Make and decorate a journal from a cereal box (on One Good Thing by Jillee)

4. Collage cardboard to make hanging hearts and abstract art

5. Nature shadow boxes (on Teach Preschool)

6. Turn a self portrait into a puppet (on Kids Activities Blog)

7. Collaged faces (on Mary Making)

8. Make your own cardboard stamps (on Housing a Forest)

9. Credit card art on cardboard (on Housing a Forest)

10. Use cardboard circles as suncatcher frames (on Art and Soul Preschool)

11. Painting with balls in a large box (on Kids Activities Blog)

12. Make abstract paintings with paper towel rolls and a box (on Casa Maria's Creative Learning Zone)

7 More Cardboard Art Ideas (3-D)

These are mostly sculptural art ideas using cardboard...

13. Create an artful birthday tree (on The Imagination Tree)

14. Building and creating with curves (by Teach Preschool for The Artful Parent)

15. Make a flower petal art box and suncatcher frames

16. Build and paint a box tower (on Meri Cherry)

17. Build your own art with a homemade cardboard construction set (on Happy Hooligans)

18. Color in your box! (on Berry Sweet Baby)

19. Getting 3-D :: painting boxes

20. Plus, bonus!, here's how to make a portable cardboard easel and art caddy (on Maya*Made)

And if you're ready to get serious about your cardboard use, here's a great article on Ikatbag on acquiring, storing, and working with cardboard ... including all the different kinds of cardboard out there.

Children's Art Enabler, Mother of Two, Lover of Cherry Pie and Nature
Do you have some cardboard boxes around your house that you could use for one or more of these kids art ideas? Pin It for Later

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20 Cardboard Art Ideas Kids can Make from a Box

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We love using recycled art materials for our art making, and especially like to use cardboard for kids art. My kids call dibs on any cardboard box that comes through the house and use them for all kinds of creative ideas, including forts, dollhouses, trains, a fishing game, homes for their guinea pig, any kind of pretend play, and more.

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Isn't this ice sculpture lovely and colorful?! I'd like to say it was completely intentional, but it actually came about by accident as I tried to rescue another (failed) activity with the fake snow.

How to Make Colored Ice Sculptures

MATERIALS

Cups, muffin tins, and bowls of various sizes and shapes

Water

Food coloring or liquid watercolors

INSTRUCTIONS
We made these colored ice sculptures by freezing water dyed with liquid watercolors

(food coloring would work, too) in various containers. We used the muffin tin, various small bowls, a cake pan, and some plastic cups.

Once they were frozen, I ran the containers under warm water to loosen and remove the ice.
This part was a success. We loved all our colored ice shapes!
I planned to use these colored ice shapes for building and playing in the fake snow we made the other day. It was a great plan, but the fake snow did not act like real snow (big surprise).

The fake snow clung to the ice in funny ways, covering it so you couldn't see the color anymore. Also, the moisture and color from the melting ice started affecting the texture and color of the fake snow.
Not good.
So I rinsed them off in the sink and we took the ice outside instead.

And we stacked them into an outdoor ice sculpture.

I thought it turned out to be a pretty great rescue.

Afterward, we stuck the whole thing in the freezer to freeze the pieces together in formation since it wasn't cold enough outside.
Isn't this colored ice sculpture beautiful in the sunlight?!
Now I want to fill the freezer with containers and containers of colored water and use the colorful ice to build big. Too bad there's food in the way. I don't think Harry would go for a second freezer dedicated to art...
I love the potential of these jewel-like ice pieces! What's your favorite winter art projects for kids? Leave it in the comments, I'd love to hear! Pin It For Later
Children's Art Enabler, Mother of Two, Lover of Cherry Pie and Nature

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How to Make Beautiful Colored Ice Sculptures with Kids

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Isn't this ice sculpture lovely and colorful?! I'd like to say it was completely intentional, but it actually came about by accident as I tried to rescue another (failed) activity with the fake snow .

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The kids and I made extra colorful toothpick sculptures yesterday, using spring-colored marshmallows, colored toothpicks, and translucent pony beads.

I shared a couple of photos on Instagram, but wanted to follow up with a proper blog post, more pictures, and a round up of kids toothpick sculpture ideas.
First of all, if you haven't tried toothpick sculptures with your kids, definitely give it a try!
It's a construction project that can be as simple as poking a bunch of toothpicks in playdough for young children or as challenging as building a geodesic dome or tower for older kids and adults.

And with all the different great ways to build with toothpicks, everything from traditional marshmallows to Model Magic to sculpture as snack, you're sure to find one to suit your family.

We've made toothpick and marshmallow sculptures a fair number of times by now but this time I added some translucent pony beads (left over from umpteen melted bead projects) to the table. We threaded the beads onto toothpicks, in between marshmallows, for an extra pop of sparkly color.

Maia's an old pro at marshmallow sculptures, but Daphne (4.5yo) really got into it for the first time this round.

The kids gathered their little animal figurines and dolls to populate the toothpick buildings and scenery.

12 More Toothpick Construction Ideas for Kids

Edible Toothpick Sculptures

An invitation to play with your food and create as you snack! (By the way, I know marshmallows and gumdrops are technically edible, but I try not to let my kids know that when we're making these sculptures.)

Building with Toothpicks and Dough

Doughs work too for making toothpick sculptures! We've used playdough, Sculpt-It air dry clay, and bread dough. And The Helpful Art Teacher used Model Magic with her kids, with great results.

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Children's Art Enabler, Mother of Two, Lover of Cherry Pie and Nature
Have you tried toothpick sculptures with your kids yet? Any other ways to make them that you would add?

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Toothpick Sculptures for Kids 17 Toothpick Construction Ideas!

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The kids and I made extra colorful toothpick sculptures yesterday, using spring-colored marshmallows, colored toothpicks, and translucent pony beads. I shared a couple of photos on Instagram, but wanted to follow up with a proper blog post, more pictures, and a round up of kids toothpick sculpture ideas.

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Learn how to weave on your own DIY Loom!

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Learn how to weave on your own DIY Loom!

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I've been a wee bit obsessed with weaving lately, ever since May when I saw these beautiful pieces made by Rachel Denbow. After seeing cardboard looms all over Pinterest this summer, which totally fueled my fixation, I decided to make some looms myself for my little campers.

This week I had five girls at art camp ranging from ages five to seven (and one 14 year old helper extraordinaire). Since I had never tried weaving with young children, I wasn't sure what would happen, or if they could even handle weaving, but I decided to just give it a try.

Turns out, they LOVE WEAVING! My daughter and I did it with them so it was complete side-by-side, art-making bliss. I love that in the end, you couldn't even tell the difference between my weaving and theirs (I'm only showing you theirs in this post). In fact, I loved theirs even more than mine because they were way more free with their choices and their technique. (Isn't that true for most art making? Those little ones are so unhindered by vision and plans. They just enjoy the process.)
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Here's what you'll need to make your own looms and weavings:

~ A piece of cardboard about 6" x 8", and two strips for the top and bottom.

~ Exacto knife or scissors

~ Ruler

~ Yarn (I buy mine at Michael's, but these little guys are super cute for a project like this)

~ Plastic needle

~ Masking tape & Scotch tape

~ Pom-pom maker (optional)

~ Pony beads (optional)

~ Twigs

How to make the loom:

1. Take your ruler and put it across the top of your piece of cardboard, about 1/2" from the top. Draw a straight line with a pencil. Now measure in 1" and make a hash mark. Continue on and make 12 hash marks about 3/8" apart all across the top. Do the same at the bottom. You can space them out however you would like, but this is just what I did for my looms.

2. Using an exacto knife, or scissors, cut along each hash mark, stopping at the 1/2″ line.

3. Glue on the strips of cardboard so that the top of the strip aligns with the 1/2″ line (strips are about 1/2″ wide).

4. Cut 12 pieces of yarn and thread each notch, making sure to leave a tail of about 3" on the back. Tape these ends to the back with scotch tape. Make sure the threads are fairly tight (but not so tight that it's stretching the yarn). These vertical threads are called the warp. You have your loom!

How to weave:

1. Cut a piece of yarn about 2 feet long. Thread it through the plastic needle and then tie a knot at the top of the needle.

2. Starting with the first warp thread, slide the needle underneath and then up over the next thread, and then back under the third thread, and so on. Use this under-over pattern until you get to the last warp thread. When you get to the end of your first row, pull it through all the way, leaving about a 3" tail. You can tie this tail in a knot around the first warp thread to secure it for the little kids, but after they weave two rows it won't be in danger of coming out anymore.

3. For your next row, go back the other way by doing the opposite over-under pattern as you did for the first row. (If you go under and over in the same way as the first row you will be undoing what you just did. This mistake does happen with the littles so make sure to check on them before they begin each row in the beginning, Eventually they get the hang of it).

4. Once you have a few rows, use your fingers to push up the weft yarn so that it's snug. Be careful not to pull too hard on the weft yarns after each pass through because your weaving will start to cinch in at the middle. Of course, this did happen to all of us, but I thought I should warn you anyway! First time weaving mistakes.

5. When you are done with your first color yarn, or if you decide you want to switch colors, simply end it with about a 3" tail remaining. It might start to look sloppy with lots of tails hanging out all over, but don't worry ~ all of them will be taped to the back at the end.

6. Start the next colors in the same way you started the first, leaving a tail of about 3".

7. When you get to the end, just cut off the yarn that you are working with. Not to sound too redundant...but don't forget to leave that tail. 🙂

Taking your weaving off of the loom:

1. When you are finished, undo the scotch tape in the back and carefully pull off the warp threads. I didn't take any pictures of this process for some mysterious reason, but it's fairly straightforward...it's just that you have to be careful because the weft threads could come off easily.

2. When your entire weaving has been pulled off of the loom, tie all of the warp threads together at the ends. Tie 1 & 2 together, 3 & 4 together, and so on. You should have six knots at the top and bottom. Double knots.

3. At this point, it's time to deal with the tails coming out of the sides. The reason to leave the tails on the longish side is so that you can thread them through the needle, and then gently weave them through the back a few times before trimming them. If you don't want to take this extra step, you could just tape the tails to the back with masking tape.

4. Also use masking tape to tape down the top and bottom warp threads to the back of your weaving. (If you don't want a messy looking back, you can also weave the bits back through instead.)

Finishing your weaving:

1. Technically, you are now done with your weaving. Hooray! But if you want to embellish with pom-poms and beads, and hang it on a twig, then read on. Just a note: The kids didn't do any of the finishings, except for the pom-poms. I did all of the taping, beading (kids picked out their colors) and attaching it to the twig. They watched as I did it all, but it was too finicky for their little hands.

2. We made our pom-poms with a pom-pom maker (I highly recommend these things...they are good for life!). But you can also do it the old fashioned way: around your fingers. Here is a good tutorial for that way. Don't forget to leave a longish tail with the piece of yarn that you use to tie the pom-pom. You will thread this tail through the needle and then attach it to your weaving by going through the bottom (front to back) and then taping it on the back. You can add beads to your pom-pom before you attach it to your weaving.

3. To attach the weaving to the twig, cut a piece of yarn, about a foot long, and string it through the needle. Starting on one end, loop the threaded needle through the top of the weaving and around the twig, wrapping the twig all the way until the end. Tie knots on either end, then trim and use masking tape to tape the ends to the back.

4. Lastly, to attach the hanger, simply cut a piece of yarn about 18" long (this will be trimmed, but better too long than too short), and fold it over. Loop the folded end around one side of the twig and make a knot. If you want to add beads, now is the time. To finish off the other side just tie it around the twig in a double knot and trim.

I know there are like a million steps, but the steps for the kids are pretty simple and fun. It's the making of the loom and the finishing that involves some busy work on the part of the adult. I personally LOVE busy work...and I'm betting that if you've read this far, you do too.

Here are some other versions that we did without pom-poms and using popsicle sticks. I didn't have time to collect twigs for this group and we didn't have time for pom-poms, but they are still so cute!!

One thing I forgot to mention is that this project is a great way to introduce some new vocabulary for the kids. They learned warp & weft, and they learned about woven fabric vs. knit. We talked about how so many things in their world are woven: the shorts they are wearing, their sheets and pillows, towels, tablecloths. It was such an eye opener and so fun to see all of this new knowledge sink in.

I hope you try weaving, it really is so cool.

xo, Bar

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Did you like this post? Here are some more weaving ideas to try:

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I've been a wee bit obsessed with weaving lately, ever since May when I saw these beautiful pieces made by Rachel Denbow. After seeing cardboard looms all over Pinterest this summer, which totally fueled my fixation, I decided to make some looms myself for my little campers.

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Yarn Painting... and if you don't have contact paper you can just use glue

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Yarn Painting... and if you don't have contact paper you can just use glue