If the weather is nice you can sit outside with your kids as they happily (and safely) paint on your drive way or sidewalk. I know a lot of parks are closed but you could decorate the pathways around the parks for when families for for walks (6 ft apart).
Materials: cornstach, water, food colouring, an old muffin tin or yogurt cups etc. to create your paint, paintbrushes.
Step 1: Mix 1 cup of cornstarch with 1 cup of water and then pour into separate cups or compartments in a muffin tin.
Step 2: Add drops of food colouring and mix with a paintbrush making the colours as bright as you'd like.
Step 3: Paint away and brighten up the world!
SHADOW ART:
Crayons and paper are all you need to create some Shadow Art!
Step 1: Walk around (inside the house or outside) and serach for strange shadow shapes. When you find one lay a piece of apper on the ground and trace the shadow. Make a few.
Step 2: Colour the strage shapes with crayons! Draw the the sharpies and then tape to a window. Easy Peasy!
Social Distancing With Kids
ZENTANGLE WAVES:
Research Zentangle patterns online as a family before you try this one to be inspired. Here is a Pinterest Board with some ideas: Zentangle Patterns For Kids.
Materials: paper, (optional) pencil, black medium tip marker, other coloured markers.
Step 1: Draw some waves on a piece of paper. You can either work on one page as a family passing it between family members or have everyone create their own Zentangle page.
Step 2: Decorate each wave with different shapes and patterns (check online again for inspiration).
CRUMPLED PAPER ART:
It is better to use firmer paper for this craft.
Materials: firmer paper like construction paper; water colours, paintbrushes, child safe scissors
Step 1: Cut the construciton paper into smaller pieces.
Step 2: Crumble each piece into a ball.
Step 3: Choose one colour and paint all around the outside of the ball.
step 4: Carefully unfold the ball and then crumple it up again and paint the outside with another colour.
Step 5: Carefully unfold and press down. You can leave it with two colours or crumple ina call again and paint a thrid colour.
Step 6: Let the papers dry before displaying or using in antoher day. Your kids can use it to write notes or create a collage by glueing together to create another piece of art.
POINTILLISM:
The artist George Seurat developed Pointillism in 1886. Dots of colour are applied to create an image. Research online as a family and look at examples.
Materials: paints or markers; paper; q-tips or pencils.
One Step/ Two Ways:
The easiest way to do this is just to use markers and create dots of colour to create a big picture.
OR
Dip a q-tip or the eraser end of a pencil into paints and stamp/dot on the colour that way.
PRESCHOOLERS at HOME?
Learn letters, numbers, colours and shapes.
You can find all sorts of crafts, printables, and family fun with the themes on the Preschool Page.
Materials: twigs and sticks; acryllic paints; paint brushes, newspaper or plastic to cover table, old clothes or art smock to protect clothes.
Step 1: Go on a family walk to collect some twigs from the ground.
Step 2: Set out newspaper or a plastic table cloth and paint the twigs white. Let them dry on waxed paper so they won't stick.
Step 3:Now you can decorate the sticks in bright colours.
You don't have to be artistic to create art! There aer so many simple ideas to create something fun and beautiful!
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Materials: rocks; acryllic paints; (Optional) glaze to coat finished product; paint brushes, newspaper or plastic to cover table, old clothes or art smock to protect clothes.
Step 1: I find that most rock painting benifits with a white base coat (unless you are making lady bugs and using black rocks already). Paint your rocks ahead of time if you don't think your kids will have the patience to wait. Otherwise, paint one side; let it dry on waxed paper and then paint the other side.
Step 2: Now you and your children can decorate the rocks!
Step 3: Let the rocks dry and if you want them to last for years paint a glaze (from a craft store) overtop and let that dry as well. The glaze keeps the colours from fading, protecting them from the elements if you leave them outside.
Art Time
With two materials you probably already have at home you can make stained glass type art to fill up your windows and brighten the inside and outside of your house.
NOTE: You can research online to look at examples of stained glass for inspiration.
Materials: waxed paper, permanent Sharpie Markers
Step 1: Give each family member a piece of waxed paper. You can draw squares on it as we did and then decorate those or let your creative kids create their own design.
Step 2: Draw the the sharpies and then tape to a window. Easy Peasy!
WACKY WATERCOLOUR HAIR:
Materials: jar of water, watercolour paints, paintbrush, straw (preferably paper or reusable), waterproof markers, paper.
Step 1: Draw funny faces without hair on paper using waterproof markers.
Step 2: Use a clean paintbrush to dip in the jar of water and paint water along the top of the head...make sure that there is enough water so that it will roll away when blown with a straw.
Step 3: Dip the paintbrush in water again and then in the watercolours you want to use. Drip the colours onto the waterline you painted on the head.
Step 4: Blow through the straw to catch the water with your air causing it to roll away from the drawn head. This will create streaks of paint and the wacky hair!
FUNNY FACES MAGAZINE COLLAGE:
Materials: Old magazines that can be cut up, child safe scissors, coloured paper or plain paper, glue stick, damp cloth for sticky fingers.
Step 1: Together with your child look through old magazines and cut out eyes, ears, lips, noses, hair, etc.. Sort these into piles. (You could also be searching for animals for the craft below).
Step 2: Now the fun and creativity can begin. Have your child create his/her own funny face by gluing various body parts to the paper.
FINGERPRINT CREATURES:
I loved this one when I was a child. Ed Emberley's Thumbprint Drawing Book was one of my favourites!
Materials: Ink/stamp pad (or use paint but you will have to let them dry first), and fine tip markers or ink pens, paper.
Step 1: Press a finger into the ink pad and onto your paper and then add details with a pen to create animals, monsters, funny people etc. Be creative and have fun!