Weather themed crafts!

This week at Little ARTventurers we did some weather themed activities - a lovely colourful session to brighten up the grey January days!

Firstly we painted some gorgeous brightly coloured rainbows on the floor. Big and bold art activities are always a firm favourite so we used huge pieces of paper for the artwork. I put out plates of paint in all of the colours of the rainbow plus lots of collage bits and pieces - tissue paper, feathers, glue, scissors, card etc. The younger kids loved painting all over their paper and doing handprints, the older children tried painting their rainbows with the right colours and then sticking the collage materials on top as a colour matching exercise.

I think you'll agree these are fab!.....

We made sparkly suncatchers using paper plates and pieces of sticky backed plastic! If you were wanting to try this one at home you'll need

Paper plate

Sticky backed plastic

Tissue paper

Sequins, glitter or other sparkles!

Paint

Some string or thread or something for hanging

I pre cut the centre circles out of the plates and also pre cut circles of sticky backed plastic to a slightly larger size than the cut out hole in the centre of the plate (if that makes sense!). I stuck one circle onto the reverse of the plate so that the centre of the plate was then a sticky area for the kids to work with. They made their suncatchers by sticking tissue paper and sparkles onto the sticky area - no glue needed and lots of fun! When they had finished we stuck the other plastic circle on the top to "seal" it - they then decorated the rest of the suncatcher with paints, paper streamers etc - add a hole and thread with string for hanging and hey presto! A very colourful sparkly suncatcher!

What else did we do for Weather week? We made some rainshakers with cardboard tubes - filled them with lentils and dried spaghetti and decorated them with paints and paper. The children loved making these and we used cellophane paper to seal the contents in at each end which meant that the children could still see inside them. We then used them in our music time at the end of the session!

We also made storm clouds using cotton wool and used paint and collage materials to create some very colourful umbrellas!

A lovely colour filled week to banish those January blues!!



Hello and belated happy new year!

It's been far too long since I last updated this blog - amongst my numerous NY Resolutions is one to get to grips with blogging and tweeting on a regular basis. I guess it's just a matter of getting myself into a regular routine......any tips are much appreciated!

Christmas at home was manic but fab - my little ones are 4 and 5 (she was 6 at Christmas too) so they are such a great age to really appreciate the magic of it all. And Christmas at ARTventurers was also great - our Christmas sessions were full of fun, glitter and sparkle and some fantastic creations were made!

Looking forward to 2012 my plan for ARTventurers is to hopefully increase the number of Little ARTventurers classes (for 18 months to 5 years) over the course of the year and to also do more work with schools and nurseries, delivering themed art and craft sessions and ceramics courses. I've also really been enjoying the party side of the business - it's such a pleasure to be asked to provide the activities for someone's special day and we've had great fun doing it! Our Pirates and Princess and Build a Bear parties have been especially popular this year.

In the meantime, our Thursday morning is class is on the move - from Washington Arts Centre to Whitburn Parish Hall. As most of our attendees were travelling some distance to the arts centre anyway it seemed more sensible to move the location of the class and the Parish Hall provides a larger space for lots of creative fun! I like to ensure that our classes are fun and interactive with space to move around, create and play - if we've been making rockets we need some space to whizz them around the room! We hope to continue to use the Arts Centre space though for other holiday sessions during the year - our Little Potters class there last summer was a great success.

Half term is not too far around the corner and our school holiday sessions are always very popular. This half term is Monster Messy Madness! We'll be running sessions on Tues 14th Feb at Ashbrooke and Thursday 16th at Whitburn - sessions suitable for age 18months to 7 years (approx). We'll be making paper bag monsters, string painting, modelling and more! To book a space either call 07775911990 or email us mail@artventurers.co.uk

Here's to a happy, healthy and creative 2012 for us all!

Fiona x

Phew - a busy weekend!

Have had a jam packed weekend to top off a manic fortnight so whilst I'm just chilling on the sofa catching up on emails and Facebook/Twitter thought I'd jot down what I've been up to and what's going on in the next few weeks in the world of ARTventurers....

The last couple of weeks have been really mad - getting the summer programme sorted, venues and planning activities. I've had some really exciting meetings too. Perhaps the most exciting was a meeting with a local art shop - they already run a fantastic Saturday morning art club for kids age 4-11 and I'm really chuffed that they've asked me to take over the running over it from September :). It's a big responsibility to take over what is already a very successful and happy class run by a very talented artist but I'm always keen to take on new challenges and have some great activities planned for the kids....

As some of you might know my great love is ceramics and so I can't wait to run "Little Potters" over the summer - a three week course which is an introduction to ceramics for kids aged 6+. There'll be some handbuilding with clay as well as pottery painting and I've found two fantastic venues to hold it in, including the Washington Arts Centre. The struggle I've had is with the pricing as the cost of glazing and firing is becoming so expensive, as electricity prices are shooting through the roof!

And for littler ones I'm teaming up with Music Bugs in Sunderland to run a Teddy Bears Picnic party in the first week of the summer hols which should be tons of fun - then launching straight into 3 weeks of Little ARTventurers Summer Fun classes. Pirates and Princesses, the Very Hungry Caterpillar and On Safari - three themes I can't wait to get cracking on! I've run the same summer programme a couple of years ago back in Yorkshire and they were really good fun and feedback was excellent so I'm hoping that the kids and parents/carers here will be just as enthusiastic!

And as for this weekend - yesterday was a school fayre at Durham High which was a lovely afternoon. Didn't start well as I had the wrong start time so was running late and then the roads were all closed in Durham due to the Miners Gala. To top it off I also managed to lose my voice somewhere along the way (don't ask!!). All that aside though, the children and parents were all great and very friendly making me and the other stall holders feel very welcome. Then today I was down in Seaburn running a couple of pottery painting sessions for kids at the Makers Market in the Seaburn Centre. If you've never been to a Makers Market then you really should get down there - they are fantastic markets packed with gorgeous handmade goodies, cupcakes, jewellery......www.makersmarket.co.uk. I've got a few kids craft sessions booked in there for the course of the year - next one is Sunday 7th August, T shirt printing (and might do some keyrings too!)

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend!

Hot hot hot - warm weather activities for the garden! Part 1

It's so warm here at the minute - who knows how long it will last but we're all making the most of it by opening those doors and windows and letting the summer in! We've got the paddling pool and water slide out already this morning (and it's only twenty to ten!) but when they get bored with that it's a good opportunity to try out some outdoor art and craft activities that we might not have space for in the house (or just not want to do in the house!!!)

Here's some ideas you might want to try.......

Ice cube painting

My kids LOVE doing this - it's great for all ages but takes a wee bit of pre planning. Make some ice cube painting sticks - you can either do this by using ice lolly moulds or alternatively ice cube trays and toothpicks/lollysticks. Make up the ice cubes/lollies by pouring paint in and then freezing overnight. You can use normal non toxic liquid paint or try watercolours mixed with water. Then when frozen the kids can have great fun using the lollies/ice cubes to paint pictures - make sure the paper you use is quite thick. Just remember to remind the kids that the lollies aren't for eating!

Life size self portraits

Fab activity for on the lawn! Get a large roll of paper (wallpaper is great for this) or stick a few sheets together. Get your child to lie down and then draw round them and cut the shape out. They can then paint the figure, make a collage person......

Football painting

In a previous blog post I talked about bouncy ball painting - this is a super sized version! Get a large piece of paper and a tray of paint. Roll the football through the paint then have fun kicking it around the paper (best to do this barefoot!). If you're not too precious about garden toys you could try scooter painting or even space hopper painting using the same theory - but thick card or even board will work best.

Painting with water

This is one for the teeniest tots - give them a bucket of water and a paintbrush and set them off to "paint" the fence, the patio....keeps them entertained for hours and is a good way of mastering holding a paintbrush, a fun way of learning to draw shapes etc.

Den building and decorating

All kids love building dens - easy enough to do with chairs and a couple of sheets. Then they can spend many happy hours decorating then den and getting really creative designing bunting, keep out signs, pictures to decorate the den....!

Hope this might give you a few ideas to be getting on with - my ice cube paints are now frozen so off we go...!

Why do we have music at our pre school sessions?

At our Little ARTventurers art and craft classes for pre schoolers we always round the session off with a well deserved snack and a drink and a noisy sing along  joined by Arty the Bear!

For me it’s an integral part of the class structure – the kids absolutely love it, it's part of the routine of the weekly classes and it got me thinking again about the importance of music for babies, toddlers and pre schoolers.

So why is group singing and music making so important for young children?

-         It’s a sociable activity – it stimulates a basic desire to join in and interact with others

-         Music encourages self expression  and self confidence

-         Engaging with music encourages children to develop gross and fine motor skills and coordination – moving and dancing in time to the music and using instruments to tap and shake

-   Sing a longs are great fun!

One of the most fun sing a longs was when we ran a carnival themed session and the children made their own musical shakers as well as party hats and pasta jewellery - they then had loads of fun  using their shakers during singing time! One for this coming term again I think.....:)

And don't forget our Teddy Bears Picnic party on Tuesday 26th July when we'll be teaming up with Music Bugs to run a jam packed session of teddy bear art and craft activities, biscuit decorating and a fab and noisy Music Bugs session! Session is to take place at St Andrews Church, Roker, Sunderland and places are limited so must be pre booked! check out our website http://www.artventurers.co.uk/ for more details!

Brum brum beep beep - Transport crafts Part 1!

My 3 year old Isaac loves anything with wheels so here’s a couple of my favourite car themed art and craft activities –

Car Painting

We love to get a huge piece of paper down on the floor, a plate full of paint and some toys cars, trains, diggers – whatever you’ve got in the toy box! Drive through the paint and them vroom vroom around the paper leaving paint tracks behind! Great fun and makes fab and funky patterns, especially if you use lots of different colours. This activity works especially well with a group of kids!

Bubble car craft (for ages 12 months +)

Kids love this cute bubble car craft - it works well for a wide age range as they can put as much detail into it as they like so it's a craft activity I often do for something like a family fun day when I know there'll be lots of different ages along to join in.

Basically all you need is a piece of stiff card, some paper and pens and lots of bits and pieces to decorate the bubble car. I have a big box full of odds and ends of scraps of paper, fabric, sequins, ribbons.. ideal for this type of craft!

Draw or print a bubble car outline onto the card then cut it out.

Cut two window shapes for the window and then two round shapes for the car, I use this as an exercise to get the children drawing round a round object to leave a circle shape.

Have fun decorating and personalising your bubble car!

Egg box bus

I’d love to be able to take credit for this one but it’s not one of my own ideas – I found it on a fab site I came across while  browsing the internet called dlkt kids -  http://www.dltk-kids.com

Grab a large egg box, paint, some glue, paper (including black for the tyres) and pens/crayons. You might want also to use magazine pics for the passengers.

Firstly cut the lid off the egg box as that’s the bit you’re going to be using for the bus.  Cut out some squares along the egg box for the windows. Then let your little one paint it whichever colour he/she wants.

Cut some black circles out – these will be the wheels. Then cut out some magazine pics of faces and stick these on the bus behind the cut out windows for the passengers – or even better, get your child to draw their own passengers which you can then cut out and stick on the bus together!

Happy motoring!

Making a Magic Craft Box

If you plan on getting crafty with your kids at home then it's a great idea to make a designated craft box and stuff it full of craft essentials so you've got everything in one place ready for when you hear the cry "Mummy, I want to make something!".

As I hoard more and more stuff our Magic Craft Box has turned into the Magic Doodle Drawers (we nicked that term from Cbeebies Mr Maker LOL!) - a set of drawers I bought from Ikea which live in the playroom. I also love the idea of making the craft box itself from a plain cardboard box and getting your child to decorate and personalise it him/herself. We also have a little childrens table and stools in the playroom and all of the craft stuff is accessable for them to use whenever they like - apart from the glitter, I'm not brave enough to allow free reign with that!

Anyway, I thought it might be helpful to have a list of those bits and pieces that I think are essential if you're starting your own magic craft box at home......

1. Construction Paper (slighty rough surfaced coloured paper - cheap, buy in bulk, fab for childrens crafts)
2. Scissors
3. Glue - glue sticks and PVA glue
4. Sellotape
5. Things to write and draw with - felt tips, pencils, crayons, pastels..
6. Googly Eyes
7. White plain paper bags - can buy in bulk on ebay really cheaply
8. White Paper Cups - as above!
9. Lolly sticks
10. Pipe Cleaners
11. Stickers - what child doesn't love stickers?!
12. Bits of coloured wool
13. Cotton Balls
14. Paper Plates - I buy Smartprice ones from Asda
15. Ruler
16. Washable Paints - I buy the squeezy bottles
17. A variety of brushes and sponges
18. String and ribbon
19. Bits of fabric, tissue paper, foil, foam sheets, textured paper for collages
20. Empty cardboard tubes
21. Glitter/sequins to add a touch of sparkle

Whilst this list might seem long and expensive - lots of the stuff can be picked up really really cheaply, or for free by recycling! As you might have gathered I'm a bit of an ebay queen and I get a lot of my session materials via ebays Wholesale section as I'm buying in bulk for large numbers of children. Shops like Poundstretcher, the Pound Shop, B and M Homestores and good old Asda are also fantastic for crafty items at great prices. Google searches will  produce a vast list of online craft suppliers.

If you're a bit of a novice at childrens craft activities the list above should stand you in great stead and get you on your crafty way - you can begin to add to your magic craft box by saving everything from old magazines to yoghurt pots, cardboard boxes to egg boxes and then you'll never be stuck for things to do on a good old British rainy day!

Happy crafting! x

10 Reasons why art and creative activities are so important for children

I have always spent a lot of time doing art and crafts with my two children from a very early age at home - here's a pic of my youngest Isaac when he was 12 months old after a fun but very messy painting session!!

Now I know that many parents are put off doing art and crafts at home with their little ones because of the mess - which is why classes like my Little ARTventurers pre school sessions are so popular as you can leave the mess behind for us to clear up! - but here's a little reminder of why it's so important for us to get our little ones involved in creative activities from an early age :

• Children learn by using their senses and art is a great learning tool from a very early age
• Art stimulates both sides of the brain
• Art promotes self expression and self esteem
• Art and craft activities develop hand-eye coordination
• Art helps to develop creative thinking and problem solving abilities
• Art and craft activities aid concentration
• Studies show that children who participate in art activities read better and get higher grades in maths and science
• Art encourages children to think more about their environment
• Art is a great social activity for all ages - encouraging frienships and strengthening relationships 
• Art and craft is rewarding and fun!

Experimenting with splodgers, dabbers and other painting tools and spending some quality time with mum at one of our pre-school sessions!
For more information regarding our art and craft classes for children of all ages in Sunderland and surrounding areas visit our website http://www.artventurers.co.uk/ or email us at mail@artventurers.co.uk

Yum Yum Yum - paper plate pizza craft!

Yum Yum Yum – paper plate pizza craft!

This craft was a great hit at a Food and Drink themed c raft session where we also did printing with various fruit and veg and decorated sensory gingerbread men (details to follow….!)

This is what you’ll need

-         White paper plate

-         Red paint

-         Sponge

-         Yellow tissue paper

-         Card or foam in different colours

-         Glue and scissors

-         Green glitter (optional)

First thing is to put the tomato sauce onto the pizza – when I do this craft I just squeeze the paint onto a big dinner plate and let the kids dip into the paint with sponges and sponge paint the paper plate (pizza base). Uses less paint than brushes and less chance of the plate going soggy – no one likes a soggy pizza!!

Whilst the paint is drying let the children rip up some pieces of yellow tissue paper – this will be the cheese. I always like to get the kids ripping their own sheets up – much more fun than adults sitting and cutting it out for them and I think a good exercise in coordination and strengthening those arm muscles for the littlest ones!

Then stick the cheese onto the pizza with the glue and begin to add the toppings using whatever card you’ve got or foam pieces. Pink can be ham, black = olives, green can be peppers (or peas!)….. a good chance to talk about likes and dislikes and even introduce the concept of a few things they mightn’t have tried before.

The pizza pictured is missing the Italian herbs – green glitter of course!

Happy pizza making!