Daily Arts/Crafts

[Blackcat31]

Blackcat...at what age do you think its ok to have the supplies left out for use. I have two 3 year olds, a 1.5, and 2 year old. Im worried my supplies would be taken all over my room with the 1.5 year old. Any thoughts?

My youngest is 10 months and they don't even seem to notice the shelf with the craft supplies on it but if they did, I would simply "re-locate" them.

As for other kids in care...they range from age 20 months to 5 years old and each one of them has their own plastic art box. In that art box is:

• 12 pack of colored pencils
• 24 pack of crayons
• glue sticks
• small bottle of Elmer's glue
• scissors
• markers
• scotch tape
• masking tape

On the self available for ALL children are paints (both tempura and water colors), modeling clay, collage supplies such as pom-poms, magazines, paper {both construction and plain paper}, pipe cleaners, stickers, stencils, wipe off boards, glitter, yarn and all sorts of things I have collected over the years that the kids like to use for arts/crafts.

I guess I have never really thought about it but none of the kids have ever really just tore through the art/craft area and messed up the supplies or drug them all over the place.

Caring for the art supplies though is something that is sort of taught from day one simply through guidance and re-direction if necessary.

It is sort of like the concept that if it is out and available to everyone at all times then the need to want to destroy and rummage isn't so great...kwim?

[canadiancare]

crayons and colouring books are available at all times (sitting at the kitchen table)

I have a theme of the week and we do a theme craft everyday just prior to lunch. It may be a detailed craft or it may be a worksheet but it goes like this

one day colouring, one day paint, one day gluing, one day work sheet and on Fridays they do a collage of images they bring in from home or we find here that go with the theme.

If freeplay tidying takes too long and starts to eat into craft time then it is off the table for the day and we go right to lunch.

[originalkat]

I have crayons, Markers, blank paper, scissors, and glue stick out all of the time. I usually do 1 craft per week that ties into our theme or a book we are reading. It is usually somewhat process, but does have an end product mind. We do process art a couple of times per week which is usually water color painting, dot dot art, or collage. We also do a letter craft/art (usually weekly).

[My3cents]

When you do your daily arts/crafts - is it open art or do you do a project?

Do you even do arts/crafts daily?

I usually do open art almost daily and only do "projects" for holidays.

Was wondering what the rest of you did.

I do my own preschool program so I try to throw something in daily related to what the week is.

I do both open art and planned out-

[My3cents]

I have 95% of my art supplies out and available for use at any time.

I do a planned or structured craft anywhere from none to 5 times a month.

Just depends on the season and how often I 've been on Pinterest

think I have seen this before but do you have pictures you could share of your art area or creative area?

[Crystal]

I never do crafts of any sort. My art supplies are out and accessible to children at all times and they use them ALL DAY LONG Even my littles use them independently and I have never had an issue with it. The preschoolers are very good about helping the toddlers. Typically around 1 year my kids are sitting at the table drawing, painting, etc.

My art supplies include a wide variety of drawing materials, paint, watercolors, collage/glue/scissors, etc.

I do offer specific experiences, but not craft type stuff. I put out framed canvas for painting withacrylics, mosaic pieces with tile, clay, etc. and the children create whatever they wish.

[EAP]

They have certain art supplies that are always out and they can always explore them - I put out paint and other things as a group but never have an expectation of a finished piece of art - it is about them exploring the materials and some days that just means ripping paper.

[rmc20021]

I usually do 2-3 projects per week, but keep some art things available to the kids as they want. I just bought a great art table (from Goodwill for 15.00) which has this pole that goes up through the middle of the table and these 2 bins high enough that my 3/4 yo's can reach it, but not to where younger kids can so I keep crayons in one bin and markers in the other.

We do crafty projects, artsie ones or something pertaining to the number, color, letter we're working on for that week.

[Blackcat31]

think I have seen this before but do you have pictures you could share of your art area or creative area?

Sure thing!

I will try to take a couple and post them tomorrow.

[mema]

My supplies are out on the shelves and accessible-sort of. It is on a different floor than what we are normally on, but I can see it from the play area. If they ask to go to it, I allow them up there. I can still see and hear them. We usually don't do "projects" unless it is a holiday or something and the parents are all wondering where the pumpkins or turkeys are. We'll do a turkey that I cut out and they decorate and then I'll give them the paper and scissors and tell them to cut out their own turkey and decorate it. On dcb I have doesn't like cutting at all, so he will make one little cut into the paper and say "looky my turkey!" Great-mom with love it!