Collage Time!

I've been really, REALLY slacking on the projects with the kids lately.  They've been perfectly happy spending time in our "writing center" (post to come another time) creating their own art with printer paper, markers, scissors and glue.  So I haven't really been doing anything formal with them...but today, Micah asked first thing for a project.  What do you do when it's too early in the morning to think of anything creative or elaborate?  Collage time!

I gave the kids big construction paper pumpkins and grabbed a bunch of bags of craft supplies...gems, colored noodles, foam shapes, stickers, buttons, etc.  They've been really into gluing lately...especially Liliana (who recites "just a dot, not a lot" the whole time).  If your kids are too young glue, or just for a change of pace, you can use clear contact paper.  Just cut a frame/outline of a shape out of construction paper and stick it on the contact paper, then cut around it, and put it sticky side up in front of your kiddo.  It's also great for doing "stained glass windows" with tissue paper.

They worked really hard for a long time!  This is all you get to see of Liliana because she was wanting to create her art in a natural state this morning.  ;-)  She just learned how to write the letter L, and added L's all over her pumpkin.  I've been trying to teach it to her for a long time and she'd just get mad at me and want to do it her way...then all of a sudden at church yesterday, she says "down, over.  down, over.  down, over." and I check out her paper and she's writing perfect L's!!!!  So apparently, she listens when I talk to her even if she isn't following my directions at the time.

Collages may be a low prep craft project, but they take a long time to clean up after.  So much stuff!

I try to hang onto things I think might be good for collages in plastic bags or containers and keep them in one place to pull out quickly.  Beans, feathers, sequins, ribbon scraps, spare photos, pom poms, etc.  You can also use a muffin tin to put a few of each item in, in case your child is in a dumping phase and you don't want all of your stuff mixed together.