Over the rainbow

I have a few pics to share of projects done with kiddos...

The first is a process/experiment project.  We were talking about fruits and veggies, and I decided that it would be fun for them to play with their food and a bit of paint of course.  Thankfully, I covered the table prior to this experiment!

I cut a variety of veggies and fruit, poured some paint on a tray, and covered each kiddo with a paint shirt.  I demonstrated how each piece made a different mark or shape on the paper, and then stood back.  It was fun to see how many of them stamped with the fruit or veggie, and how many used it more like a paint brush to smear the paint around. 

This is from last summer, but the Chihuly lesson was so much fun!  The school kids watched a few videos about Chihuly and his work, viewed some photographs of the installation at the Joslyn in Omaha, and then got to work experimenting with color.

Painting like Chihuly.  He uses unconventional methods to apply the paint.  For example, he likes to squeeze the paint directly onto the paper using a drawing like motion.  Sometimes he uses brooms, paint brushes, and other tools to move the paint around. 

The kids first squeezed paint onto the paper, then they were able to select either a large spackle tool or a paint roller to move the paint.  I love how each piece is different...

We also created our own version of his ice sculptures, granted it was on a much smaller scale. 

I froze a bunch of water balloons in preparation for this project.  We took the ice balloons outside and began adding salt and drops of color.  Each student placed their ice piece to create a larger sculpture.  It was fun to watch the ice change as time went by... The salt created cracks and holes in the ice, while the colors flowed together to create new colors. 

This project provides additional opportunities to discuss science and ask interesting questions like "What makes something art?"  "Is it still art when it disappears?"

Here is a another look at the another ice sculpture.  This one, I colored the water prior to freezing...

It only took a few hours in the summer heat for the sculpture to melt.  I continued to photo it every so often...

Last week, I brought in the book Mouse Paint, and introduced the idea of mixing colors.  I call this the mixed up rainbow project.

I have been on the hunt for salad spinners at the local thrift stores, no such luck.  I ended up purchasing an art spinner from Crayola.  If you purchase this product, I recommend trimming down the tabs.  It made it much easier for the kids to push down on the button.

I held up the primary colors and asked my toddler group to name each one.  Blue, Red, Yellow.  Below is a pic of my daughter making her rainbow...

I loved the look of surprise when the spinner stopped, and new colors appeared.

Check back this weekend for pics of my quilting class!  My students got started with cutting fabric and piecing last week.  The first blocks looked GREAT!