Friday, June 14, 2013

Need Fun Summer Activities? Dream Up Your Own Artistic Camp

By Kate Halfey


If you are just a few days into summer break and your children are already discussing with you how they are completely bored, it's probably time to spice up your routine a bit. Signing up for some type of summer camp might be too pricey, but you can actually create your own, homemade summer camp filled with tons of great art projects. Here are a few helpful tips.

When it comes to art, children should be exposed to the knowledge that art comes in many forms, from sculpture to painting to collage. With this in mind, give each day a specific theme, and this also will help you with planning. Your first day can be a nature theme. After a good long walk in a local natural area, such as a park, children can bring home all of the cool leaves, flowers, pebbles and other items they collect and create a collage with all of these pieces. For a more advanced project, have them create a nature shadowbox using a shoe box.

Another day can be dedicated to the work of a famous artist. You can set the stage by heading to your local library and checking out some art books, and don't forget to sign your kids up for the library's summer reading program at the same time. Once you have selected the artist, create a work of art based on the style of the artist. For example, if you are studying the work of Wassily Kandinsky, consider copying a painting such as "Squares With Concentric Circles." Another fun option is to set up paper and paints outside and have children enjoy an afternoon copying the works of Jackson Pollack.

Sometimes it's hard to mimic the work of your children's favorite painter, so consider purchasing a mural in PDF, downloading it to your computer and printing it out. The PDF will be multiple pages and each one will have a piece of the painting, such as Sunday in the Park by Seurat or perhaps Starry Night by Van Gogh. These cost only about $5 from sites such as ArtProjectsForKids.org, and they look amazing after your children have colored them in and pasted them on a piece of paper. They look similar to original work but with an interesting spin that reflects your children's style.

Don't forget about exploring the world of 3-D art, such as working with modeling clay. Most craft stores sell low-cost clay or Play-dough or you can make your own colorful dough. If you use white or gray clay that can be baked, your children can also paint their sculpture after it has dried and set. You can provide a special theme or just let them create whatever they want.

If you plan ahead, you can save and rinse milk cartons and also save cardboard food containers. Have the kids cover these items with butcher paper or paint over them and create storefronts, skyscrapers, apartments and houses to create a homemade city. You can even paint paper to feature roads and parks and maybe even a river or a pond. This can be played with afterwards for many days and is a great way to use recycled items and create new, fun toys.




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