Crafts
Playdough and Playdough recipes
Art Museums
Provide
an area for young children to be creative without having
to worry about being messy. Have some art supplies accessible
for children to reach so they can create at anytime.
Below is a list of
some art supplies to have on hand for future projects:
Finger paint, Non-toxic,
washable markers, Crayons, Glue/Glue Stick, Non-toxic washable
paint, Chalk, Construction paper, Child scissors, Sponge,
Drawing paper, Paint brushes, Paper towel tubes and Stencils.
Crafts
Make
a Collage:
You can use cut
out pictures from magazines that the child chooses and
glue them on to a piece of construction paper. Or you
can cut out different shapes such as circle, triangle
etc. and glue them on paper.
Rubbings:
Place a piece of
paper over leaves, coins, or anything with a pattern or
texture. Have the child rub crayons, chalk, or markers
on the paper to make an impression.
Finger
paint:
An fun activity that
children like to do is to create with their hands. All
you need is paper and finger paints. You can also use
different shaped sponges too!
Make
rock people or animals:
Have the child collect
rocks from the yard and paint them. You could glue two
together and make rock people or animals.
For
more craft ideas:
Artists
helping Children
has wonderful resources for the child artist, including
articles regarding art and your child. You will also find
coloring printouts for your children, interactive coloring
books, coloring/drawing software for your kids, playroom
and room decorating ideas, arts and crafts ideas, and
a Gallery of Children's Art.
American
Library Association
has a list of great art web sites for kids.
FirstGov
for Kids. The
U.S. government interagency Kids' Portal. This site was
developed and is maintained by the Federal Citizen Information
Center. It provides links to Federal kids' sites along
with some of the best kids' sites from other organizations
all grouped by subject. Explore, learn, have fun and don't
forget to add us to your favorites! Visit Art
for more great links.
Log onto Early
Childhood for a wide selection of Arts and Crafts
ideas, each conveniently grouped by subject. Earlychildhood.com
always has a special project that will challenge and delight
the children.
Visit Enchanted
Learning and Crayola
for some great craft ideas!
National
Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
provides a child friendly site for interactive art that
you can make online at The
Art Zone.
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Play
dough:
Play dough is a fun
and creative activity to do with young children. For young
children who may put play dough in their mouth you could
use instant pudding instead.
Below
are some great recipes:
Play
Dough Recipe
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 cups boiling water (add food coloring)
2 tablespoons oil
Mix flour, salt, and
cream of tartar. Mix boiling water and oil. Mix the two
together. Knead dough until it cools. Store in a covered
airtight container.
Tools to work the dough:
small rolling pin, cookie cutters, golf tees, plastic or
wooden mallet, scissors, plastic animals and straws.
Glurch
Recipe:
Mix: 2 parts school
glue and 1 part liquid starch with your hands for about
10 to 15 minutes for most of that time, expect it to look
like it is not working – hang in there, it will. If
it seems very sticky, add more starch. If it seems very
runny, add more glue. You are aiming for a slightly sticky,
putty-like mixture that you and your child can pull, stretch,
roll, cut and bounce!
Goop
recipe:
Place one 16 oz. box
of cornstarch in a bowl and add enough water to make a thick
paste. For colored Goop, add food coloring.
The mixture should
be “scoopable” with hands or fingers.
When squeezed it melts, then it becomes more solid again.
Allow your child to explore the gooey mess between his fingers!
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WARNING:
Supervise your children at all times with small objects
and materials that could be choking hazards.
Visit
one of the Art Museums in Connecticut:
A good way to make
Art Museums more fun for young children is to play an I
SPY game. You can look for animals in each room, or a color,
or you can ask the child to find an object that you see
by giving clues.
New
Haven County:
Yale
Center for British Art,
1080 Chapel St., New Haven (203) 432-2800
Yale
University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel St., New
Haven (203) 432-0600
Paul
Mellon Arts Center, Choate Rosemary Hall campus,
333 Christian St., Wallingford, (203) 697-2398
Fairfield
County:
Aldrich
Museum of Contemporary Art,
258 Main St., Ridgefield, (203) 438-4519
Walsh
Art Gallery, at Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield
University, Fairfield, (203)254-4000
Hartford
County:
New
Britain Museum of American Art,
56 Lexington St., New Britain, (860) 229-0257
New
London County:
Florence
Griswold Museum, 96 Lyme St., Old Lyme, (860)
434-5542
Lyme
Academy of Fine Arts, 84 Lyme St., Old Lyme, (860) 434-5232
Lyme Art Association, 90 Lyme, St., Lyme, (860) 434-7802
Norwich Arts Council Gallery, 60 Broadway (Rte. 2), Norwich
(860) 887-2789
Slater
Memorial Museum and Converse Art Gallery, Norwich
Free Academy, 108 Crescent St., Norwich (860) 887-2505
Public
Libraries offer great books for kids on art.
Your FREE library card from your local branch will let you
take books from any library in Connecticut. Many have great
children’s sections with toys, computers, storytimes,
and special events. They lend a variety of FREE and reduced-price
passes to area museums, check your local branch for details.
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