Fine Art Lessons on Pastels, Ages 2 through 6 and Up

Recently at the Little Wonders of Wonderland Studio, both the toddler class and the ages 3-6 group have had lessons on pastels.  They learned after a lesson that typically pastels have a higher quality and amount of pigment than their typical sidewalk chalk, which make the colors much more vibrant.  After watching some demonstrations and learning about blending, the kids especially enjoyed using a paper towel to wipe or blend colors to add a softer texture. We will be selling prints of their finished art on the website after they have had a couple more sessions.

Fold a paper towel and use a corner to blend sections of your pastel drawing

Usually we have a demonstration during a brief circle time, and then the kids go and find a seat at a table where the material is already set out for them.
~Angelique Bowman

Group Painting on an Old Window Pane

Acrylic Painting on Glass by the Little Wonders of Wonderland, Ages 2 through 6 

The window pain was purchased at the Scrap Exchange, a creative reuse center in Durham, NC.  To learn more, visit the Scrap Exchange Website

Recently, my students, a.k.a. the Little Wonders, enjoyed a group project where they took turns painting with acrylic paint on a window pane. Small groups of kids, about 6 to 8 at a time, sat around the window pane which was laid down on the floor with small globs of paint scattered on the glass.  The kids were each given damp brushes and encouraged to take their brushes to the paint that was placed closest in their reach.  In between sessions with each group of kids, we let the paint dry for a day before working back into it so that it wouldn't get muddy.  Also be cautious that if the acrylic paint is not completely dry, it can peel off of the glass when a brush is working new paint into it.  Just to be safe, I encouraged the kids to only paint areas that have not yet been painted.  We considered it finished once all of the glass was covered up. 

Until we decide where to hang it, we have the glass on display at the school in front of a big window.  It looks really pretty on sunny days as the colors brighten up like a large sun catcher.

My Art Studio Expanded for Kids

My students now have their own space to create art in my studio!

In older posts, I mentioned that there was some renovations to make my art studio kid friendly.  The kids have had their own space for about a month now.  Here are some photos where they've been spending their time getting creative.

I have offered several stations for the children to branch off and do their own thing, such as painting, drawing and sewing.

Crafting/hand sewing station

Children have the opportunity to use the sewing machine with assistance, one at a time

Stay tuned as I plan on updating this post with photos of what the room looked like before!

~Angelique Bowman

Artistic Yarn Wrapped Bottles by the Little Wonders of Wonderland

Art classes have been up and running in my art studio for my students, ages 2 through 6.  We are well into the school year and starting to get into some more creative art with the kids.  Below are some decorative bottles and jars crafted by some of our 2 and 3 year-olds.  They enjoyed putting a creative spin on wrapping the bottles in yarn.  They chose their own bottles and yarn and each one had a great original look with a glowing translucency when displayed by warm lights.

This project is fun for kids and adults!  If you are interested on how to make these yourself, please please visit my DIY blog below.

How To Craft Yarn Bottles & Jars

City Art: Craft Activity by Kids

City Art Project Taught to Ages 3 through 6

The summer program has begun at Wonderland Arts, here in Durham, NC.  While we art teachers love to focus on art, especially while school is out and summer is here, it is also important that we continue to teach global education to our kids.  That said, after a fun lesson on cities around the world, I thought that building our own cities would be a creative way for the lesson to sink in.

The Process:
I had lots of pre-cut shapes that I cut from craft paper to offer the little ones who are still learning to cut, and each child could paste them on a sheet of construction paper however they wished.  But first, I gave a quick demo to the kids to give some ideas on what to do with the shapes.   My students were given markers and crayons as they were free to draw whatever they wanted.  They could also use scissors to cut up extra craft paper if preferred.  I offered to draw a vertical line on the construction paper to represent the ground, like a straight horizon line near the bottom of the paper, for kids wanted help determining where the ground was.  Others could draw their own with rulers.

Some children based their cities off of specific cities that we learned about, while others invented their own cities.  They all got really involved and felt really proud of their original artwork.  We displayed each city side by side for everyone's eyes to enjoy during the week.

Creating craft paper cities is a fun way to encourage kids to be original.  

Thanks for visiting!  Feel free to email me about signing your child up for our summer program at Wonderland Arts.

~Angelique Buman

School's Almost Out!

Just a few more days before Summer Camp begins!!  I should be posting some fun crafts very soon so stay tuned!

Kids Art Turned Into Toys!

A friend posted this on my facebook today.  Toys that are made based off of children's drawings.  It inspired  me and reminded me how cool and creative kids drawings really are!

Check it out:
http://todayilearned.co.uk/2012/04/28/there-is-a-company-which-makes-toys-based-on-childrens-drawings/