Do you all do arts and crafts?

[Blackcat31]

My kiddos all have crayon boxes with crayons, markers, glue, glue sticks, scissors, mini staplers and colored pencils in.

I have an endless supply of paper (all sizes/colors) as well as a HUGE collection of collage items.

The kids are free to do art any time they choose to.

Every once in a while, I will do a craft project with them but that usually because I found a cute idea I wanted to try......

My kids RARELY bring a boxed or cookie cutter craft home. My DCP's can see on-line photos of their kids experiencing the art process so they KNOW their kid is doing it without having to have a craft project be brought home.

.....plus the left over paint/glue on their hands and clothes sometimes gives it away too

[Unregistered]

We do projects alot and my kids LOVE it.

This week-

Monday-made necklaces and bracelets using red, white, blue beads. I found matching ribbon I had and thats what we used for the necklaces and then pipe cleaners for the bracelets.

Tuesdays-painted popsicle sticks red, white, blue (2 of each color) and taped them on to red, white, blue yarn I had. We taped them on with red, white, blue electrical tape I had and sprayed glitter hairspray on them for the extra "sparkle".

Then we took a piece of white paper, put it in a plant box I had (something our plant nursery gives you to carry your plants around in), put red, white, blue paint on it and the kiddos rolled a golf ball around and marbalized the paint. They loved they way it came out and so did I and the parents.

Today-I gathered a ton of red, white, blue colage materials-paper, yarn, foam pieces, cut up a pepsi box, etc and then they will glue it on to red, white, blue paper that we will tape together.

Then we are going to color or paint a flag and put star stickers on it.

I have a craft table set up outside in the shade that we do this all on. I usually have two-three children come over and do theirs and when they are done switch out with someone else and then they can go play while others are busy at the art table.

[Unregistered]

Decided instead of doing the flag we are going to do toilet paper tube stamping.

I cut lines from the edge down just a little bit so the cut edges bend out. Then we are going to stamp red, white, blue paint on paper and it will look like fireworks. We may also do one with just red, white, blue circles.

[LK5kids]

Decided instead of doing the flag we are going to do toilet paper tube stamping.

I cut lines from the edge down just a little bit so the cut edges bend out. Then we are going to stamp red, white, blue paint on paper and it will look like fireworks. We may also do one with just red, white, blue circles.

Oh, great idea! I didn't get to Wal-Mart to buy foil star stickers and figured oh, well........I just rememberd from your post I was going to take star cookie cutters and stamp on blue paper with red and white paint! Thanks!

[originalkat]

We are a play based preschool that mixes in process art (available all of the time) with some crafts that correlate to our letter or theme each month (sent home once or twice a week). They please the parents and give them something tangible to talk with their child about. They go along with our learning activities/books etc... so the kids draw connections between learning domains. I have taken so many early childhood classes that pump the process only mentality and preach that product art stunts creativity. I have been teaching preschoolers for 15 years and homeschool my own 2 children. All have been exposed to regular/daily process and occasional/weekly product art. I just do not see evidence to back up this process only philosophy.
Now, with that said, if a provider/teacher prefers process only art then that is awesome and amazing. I do not think kids are "missing out" if crafts are not included. But, I dont believe it is to the child's detriment if product/craft projects are included in a preschool/childcare classroom or home.

In addition, I am in business to make money and provide a quality service to parents. Parents want to understand and see what their child is learning. Can you blame them? In my program I use these product type take-home activities and a blog filled with pictures to document this learning for the parents. In reality, the product stuff takes 15 minutes out of a 8-10 hour day. They have fun doing their craft project and spend the rest of the day playing, doing hands on math and literacy, process art etc...

[Unregistered]

Oh, great idea! I didn't get to Wal-Mart to buy foil star stickers and figured oh, well........I just rememberd from your post I was going to take star cookie cutters and stamp on blue paper with red and white paint! Thanks!

Didn't even think of this-off to dig the cookie cutters out.

Next week events-

Making red, white, blue playdough

Windsocks-One color for the top (with sparkly stars) and then opposite colors for the streamer

Flag-Color or paint and then add stars

Crayon Making (thanks Daycare)-melt red, white, and blue together

Hand Art-Different things to make with your hand print

[Starburst]

Thanks for your input!!
I do do something's for them like playdo, bubbles, chalk outside and on chalk board stuff like that, but not actual projects with structure.
I've done stuff like break crayons up and put them between 2 sheets of wax paper and melt it or even melt crayons on paper with a blow dryer, but even something that simple the kids lose interest in.

Maybe try doing group projects that they could all participate in (some people are more motivated in group projects than solo projects). Like making a class murral (on canvas) or get a bunch of big picture frames and random materials and they can try to make a picture in the frames (you can take a picture for the parents to take see/ take home). Or you can make a lamp out of chicken wire and found materials.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

Maybe try doing group projects that they could all participate in (some people are more motivated in group projects than solo projects). Like making a class murral (on canvas) or get a bunch of big picture frames and random materials and they can try to make a picture in the frames (you can take a picture for the parents to take see/ take home). Or you can make a lamp out of chicken wire and found materials.

We have been painting outside on cardboard boxes (pics on my fb page) for weeks now! It gets the "mess" outside. They like to paint big!! and they go between that and other things. I like the way one blog puts it "the invitation to play" just like with food we present it and they choose weather or not to participate. I present a lot of things that some do not choose to do.

[spud912]

I usually do one to two product arts and crafts a week....something having to do with the theme. Otherwise, I get out whatever random stuff the kids want to do for the day and let them do whatever they want . We do something every day. I'm not artistically inclined whatsoever and am not nearly as creative as the most un-creative child I have in my care, so arts and crafts is not something I'm likely to do on my own. However, my kids are really adamant about doing it, so here we are, doing it every day ;-).