I can't imagine a day with preschoolers without preschool art activities. These provide direct hands-on learning and can be done indoors or outside.
Here are a couple of activities that have been sent to me for all to try. The first one is using clay--an excellent medium to use at the water table and gives immediate gratification to children. They can learn to make shapes, figure out what shapes can hold things and which can't.
The second one teaches colors, mixing colors, cause and effect of actions and creative ways to use ordinary household items in new ways--Fly swatters!!!
Molding Clay Containers
All this indoor activity requires is:
Molding clay
Water- use judgment, enough to keep wet.
We put the clay and water on the table. Give the children enough to work with.
Wet the area with water(you may want to use sand/water table)
The children begin to create miniature bowls, baskets,(whatever their skill level may be).
Once they have molded their clay into their design, let dry for a couple days. Once dry good. Children can paint them. Fill the with miniature goodies, flowers, etc.
FAIR WARNING-- this can be very messy, but it is lots of fun.
Fly Swatter Art
I have a simple but really fun art experience for the theme BUGS!
I DO THIS ONE OUTSIDE. Smocks are essential. Messy but oh so fun!
You can either draw or print some flies onto large paper for the easels and give the children new fly swatters.
Place some paint onto baking trays, two colours that make a new colour is usually good and they dip their swatt in and swatt the flies.
This teaches hand & eye co-ordination and if the colours get mixed they learn about new colours.
The children love this! You just have to watch the over exciteable ones as they tend to swatt everything or swatt too hard making paint fly everywhere!!
If you like these animal themes for preschool, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.
http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html
There are Two Editions now for the Preschool Planner: Basic or Platinum.
Send me any ideas you would like to share and I will post them on my Blog.
Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com
P.S. If you would like to receive my free newsletters for ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:
http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html
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