Happy Earth Day!

Here's a quick art project that only uses a coffee filter, markers and water!

 

I start by flattening a basket style coffee filter and coloring with markers. A word of caution: it is easy to rip the filter by putting too much pressure with the tip of the marker.

 

  

 

I used a spray bottle to help encourage fine motor skills, but I also encourage to have the artist dip their fingers in water in a bowl and flick their fingers onto the filter. Once it is fully saturated the colors will start to spread, bleed and blend.

 

 

 

Here's my finished project. I would love to see yours!

 

What is a Sensory Bin?

The easiest way to answer the question is a Sensory Bin is a container filled with different materials that stimulate different senses.They have 2-3 basic components: a filler, tools and some extras. They can be random or themed. The most common example I think that everyone can relate to is the small child that is given a pot, a spoon and a few toys to "stir".

So, before I give a more detailed listing of all the potential possibilities for fillers, tools and extras, you might be asking yourself, "What is the purpose of a Sensory Bin?"  This article from PBS, Sensory Play: Early Exploration Through the Senses, is the best explanation I have found so far. The only thing I would like to add is that these bins are not only for toddlers and preschoolers. With small accommodations, all ages and abilities can benefit from their usage.

The beauty of the use of the Sensory Bin is there is no right or wrong way to put them together or use them. The endless "ingredients" and  combinations make them great as bridging activities to reinforce learning new concepts or an impromptu time filler.

When I start to piece together a bin I usually use a shoe box sized plastic container. This allows for small hands to play, but not too much of a mess should their creativity get out of hand. When the weather is nice outside I also setup a larger bin, that was designed for Christmas wreath storage,  that everyone can sit around. 

Fillers:

water
ice
pasta, uncooked
rice, uncooked
beans, uncooked
sand
kinetic sand
water beads
shredded paper
popcorn, unpopped
ribbon
fabric
leaves
petals
oats
fake snow
rock salt
beads 
buttons
pom poms
pebbles
bird seed

Tools:

spoon, table or serving
slotted spoon
tongs
chopsticks
measuring cups or spoons
funnels
dropper
tweezers
sieve
watering can

Extras:

small animals

cars

letters

numbers

shapes

glitter

sequins

*whatever you can think of*

The possibilities are endless when you start to mix and match all the different fillers, tools, and extras!

This week in Sensory Art

This week has been busy and very productive! I now have two individual sessions and one group session each week. In each of my classes we were able to created a variety of projects with quite a varied range of techniques.

During the winter season, I love to make snow paint. It's easy to make (1 part shaving cream to 1 part white glue) and when it dries it stays puffy. It even keeps it's adhesive qualities, so beads and glitter can be held by the paint alone. I had a printed snowman outline on cardstock that the kids cut out as well as a precut stencil for them to trace. We roughly measured our ingredients and mixed them in a cup. I let them transfer the paint as they wished inside the lines. Then we practiced circular brushstrokes, first hand over hand and then freehand. We talked about faces, particularly eyes, noses and mouths, and then I let them decorate their painting with beads and ribbon.

  

While we let our snowman dry, we moved onto beading glitter pipe cleaners that can be hung as ornaments.

Since beading is a high-interest activity, it was done in now time at all. So off to the next project. We started by tracing a circle as a guideline. We used the bingo dauber to follow the circle. One of the kids started daubing in the rhythm of Jingle Bells, so I started to sing along. We dotted glue onto the wreath and added our pompoms. Then we swirled more glue on top and added glitter and a pre-made pipe cleaner bow.

Our last project of the day was an ornament that incorporated quite a few different techniques. We traced a circle and cut it out. Then I let color with their choice of crayon colors. I drew a smaller circle on the back of their ornament and then asked the kids to use the hole punch all the way around. The kid's chose what they wanted to lace with and dependent on ability were asked to add beads to their lacing. 

Our group session is a bit more energetic, so I am unable to take pictures. However, I was able to recreate the projects at home. The kids were asked to trace and cut a symmetrical Christmas tree stencil, one on green construction paper and a second on white cardstock. They cut both while layered together, so they would match when we adhere them together later on. The white tree is decorated and the green is left 'clean'. We placed a straw in between the trees and affixed them. We put it to the side, so the glue had a chance to set. 

 

This is a quick project I like to use year-round. It takes some preparation, but it is always puts a smile on the kids' faces. I hand them each this seemingly blank paper.

 

 In actuality, I've already drawn a picture with white or clear crayon. (I stockpile them from Easter egg dying kits and larger crayon packs).

Then, we paint them with watercolors. This week, I made the kids choose between red or green. And one they had a chance to dry we layered and glued their paintings onto cards.

 

Now that the Christmas tree spinner's glue is set we were able to play with it now. By placing the straw in between the palms of our hands and rubbing them back and forth in opposite directions to make the tree spin, we create the optical illusion of a decorated tree!

So that was our busy couple of days. I now know when we are on task and motivated that we can create quite a lot! I have to make sure I have my bag packed and ready for infinite creations!

Z - 4 Ways

This week in my one-on-one art session we worked on flexibility and small variations. Our base for each project was the letter Z. I prepared a few sheets with a highlighted cut line or draw line.

Our first Z, we traced the draw line repeatedly with different markers (first hand-over-hand and then independently) to practice our line direction and lifting our arm of the table, as to make big line motions smoothly. Next, I directed to cut the two highlighted triangles on each side of the paper.

The next Z was created with masking tape. I cut and placed the pieces in the letter shape. Markers were then used to color all over in all the colors. Once we identified that the instructions had been met, by finding white space and naming the colors while comparing with our markers, we removed the tape.

The third Z used another prepared paper. I selected sheets of small stickers and instructed that they need to be placed inside the lines. Once the space was filled, glue and glitter were used to outline the letter.

Our fourth and final Z involved string pony beads on pipe cleaners. To give fingers a break from all the fine motor of beading, we hole punched the four corners of a piece of cardstock.

We threaded the ends of the pipe cleaners through the holes to form our letter.

To secure, I twisted the joining pipe cleaners together and taped all the ends with packaging tape to the back of the paper.

Chalk - 2 Ways

Continuing with our summer theme, we worked with colored sidewalk chalk. Our first creation started with a sheet of white cardstock and drawing with chalk in at least two colors and all over the paper. I had the kids take turns and trade the pieces of chalk, as to encourage speech and socialization skills. Then, we took turns spritzing our papers with a spray bottle filled with water. The chalk simulated a watercolor effect.  

Our second piece of art started with black construction paper. We always start each new paper by writing our name on the back. This is difficult with our paper choice today, so we wrote on white paper, cut it out, and glued it to the back. Our routine is still in tact, phew. I passed out small cups filled with water and then the chalk pieces. This time we dipped the chalk into the water and then drew on our paper. This made the colors more vibrant and saturated. While the paper was still wet we drizzled glue and sprinkled glitter.

Red, White & Blue Sensory Art

So, in preparation for the 4th of July weekend we made some red, white and blue art inspired by fireworks this week. We worked mainly with tempera paint in hot pink, white and blue with painting tools that were not your normal paintbrushes.

I passed around a large Ziploc bag filled with bendy straws and everyone was asked to choose five. We held them together and taped them with masking tape right by the bend. Then the straws were bent out into a starburst pattern.

We passed around paper plates of paint, dipped our strawburst and then stamped it onto our construction paper (some stamped and some smeared; we make sure to comment about these differences during our show and tell portion of each session)

I had premade some pompom daubers by pinching different size pompoms with clothespins and secured them with masking tape.

And this project we used pipe cleaners to create our firework effect. 

We made the "fireworks" with paint and the pipe cleaner tool, and the dauber we used glue and sprinkled with glitter to finish.



I am always amazed at the individuality of each painting, even though we use the same limited amount of supplies!