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Arts & Crafts
Arts and crafts in a Montessori school play a vital role in nurturing creativity, independence, and fine motor skills. Through hands-on activities like painting, cutting, clay modeling, and collage, children are encouraged to explore their imagination while developing concentration and coordination. These creative experiences are designed to be child-led, allowing each learner to express themselves freely and at their own pace. By integrating natural materials and open-ended projects, Montessori
Bugs Made From Cooldrink Bottles
These cute little bugs are made from small cooldrink bottles and apart from being fun to make, are a ball to play with too. You will need: Cooldrink bottle Styrofoam ball for head Pipe cleaner for feelers Coloured foam for the wings Glitter and sprinkles to decorate the wings Google eyes Glue Paint Method: Assemble the bottles Paint the ball head Assemble your bottles. Glue the styrofoam ball to the opening of the bottle. Paint the ball for the head and glue the google eyes
May 22, 20161 min read
Car String Painting
String painting is a lot of fun to do with little kids. It is a decorative way to paint a simple picture and looks great if you mount it afterwards on a contrasting colour card. You will need: Pieces of string Bowls of ready made paint A cut out paper car How? Cut out a shape for your child and place in front of your child. Dip a piece of string in a bowl of paint and carefully place it on the shape. Lift the string from the paper and continue with a new piece of string dip
May 16, 20161 min read
Owl Bird feeder from Milk Cartons
If you ever wanted to make a cute bird feeder out of recycling material, here is a cute idea: an owl bird feeder. This concept was taken from the blog Red Ted Art and you can see their feeder made from a juice carton here. You will need: -A milk carton (or juice) -Scissors or knife to cut the carton. -Paint: if you want it to be outdoors you may want to use acrylic paint. I used a more durable paint for the white undercoat and then the kids painted on top with poster paint.
Apr 21, 20162 min read
Quick Salt Dough Fridge Magnets in the Microwave
I’ve made salt dough before at my previous school and my memories of it involved a long time of watching the thing in the oven and a few possible burns as well. With my first holiday program project being salt dough magnets I was keen to find an easy and effective way to get this done. I found a salt dough microwave recipe and I’m going to share it here along with a few tips of what I discovered along the way. You will need: 1/2 cup of salt 1/2 cup of water 1 cup of flour M
Apr 15, 20162 min read
Paper Plate Letters
This is a tactile art activity used as an extension to teaching your child phonetic letters. You can also write your child’s name on the plate, use a different plate for each letter of your child’s name or write short phonetic words for your child to practise reading. You will need: A paper plate Sponge Sand, rice, maize meal, couscous etc. to sprinkle on the letter. A bowl of food colouring diluted with water, Glue String How? Using a sponge , dip it into the bowl of di
Mar 31, 20161 min read
Salt dough recipe
You will need: 1 cup salt 2 cups all purpose flour 1 cup luke warm water To do: In a large bowl mix the salt and flour. Gradually stir in the water. Mix well until it forms a doughy consistency. With your hands, form a ball with your dough and kneed it for at least 5 minutes. The longer you kneed your dough the smoother it will be. You can let your salt dough creations air dry, however salt dough can also be dried in the oven. Bake at 200c until your creation is dry. The amou
Sep 28, 20121 min read
Salt dough ornaments
Salt dough ornaments (Please see salt dough recipe ) You will need: • Salt dough • Cutters • Toothpick • Mixed paint • Beads/glitter/sequins • Clear varnish • Apron • Paint brushes How? • Roll salt dough out evenly • Press the cutters gently into the salt dough and place aside • Using a toothpick make a hole at the top of each shape that will
Sep 28, 20121 min read
Art and your child
Your children will gain useful life skills through creating art, so encourage them to get creative! Your child will gain the following skills just by having fun! Communication Skills: When a child draws a picture, he/she is beginning to communicate visually. A child may draw to document an actual experience like playing in the park, release feelings of joy by painting swirling colours, or share an emotionally charged experience like the passing of a loved one through art. Art
Sep 25, 20122 min read
Face Paint for kids
You will need: Mixing bowls 1 teaspoon maizena ½ teaspoon water ½ to 1 teaspoon aqueous cream (preferably no perfume or colouring added) 2 to 3 drops of food colouring To do: Mix the maizena and aqueous cream until well blended. Add water and stir, then add a small drop of food colouring. Stir again until blended. Use a small paintbrush or cotton ear bud, dip in the mixture and have fun painting your child’s face. Ideas for face painting Tiger face painting Lion face paint
Sep 8, 20121 min read
String painting
You will need: Pieces of string Peg Containers of different coloured paint Cardboard or thick paper How? Place peg on end of the string and dip string in paint. Using the string, create interesting patterns and designs on cardboard. Repeat process with different colours.
Jul 4, 20121 min read
A child’s art experience
The joy of Art is everybody’s experience, the emotion of response, to visual art, the sound of music, the experience of dance and drama, art is all around us and will ever be so. Art is the chronology of social society like a mirror reflecting a history of creative expression. We are all part of it. Do we like what we see, hear, the emotional experience, and that of the personal involvement. Do we take responsibility for our emotional response to art whether we like it or not
Jun 27, 20122 min read
Cling Wrap Painting
You will need: A roll of plastic wrap paper Paints in bowls Spoons for each bowl How? Place paper on the table and using a small spoon dribble different coloured paints. Place a sheet of plastic cling wrap over the paint (make sure the cling wrap covers the whole surface). Flatten the cling wrap with your hands on the paper until smooth. Peel the cling wrap from the paper carefully and slowly. Leave the painting to dry. #ClingWrapPaintingkidart
Jun 25, 20121 min read
Tennis ball splatters
You will need: Three tennis balls Three bowls of coloured paint (make sure the paint is well diluted with water) Cardboard Newspaper for the table Apron How? Dip half the tennis ball in bowl of paint. Holding the ball securely in your hand, slam the ball as hard as you can onto cardboard. It should leave a large splattered effect. Repeat the process using a new ball with a different colour. #TennisballsplattersKidsCraftArtActivity
Jun 25, 20121 min read
Mural painting
You will need: Roll of wide paper (1 or 2 metres wide) Pots of different coloured paints Thick paintbrushes Small table for paints (make sure that the table is fairly close to the wall or fence) Plastic apron Clothes pegs (plastic ones are best) How? Peg or tape a big sheet of paper onto your garden fence. Ideas: This is a fun group activity and great for birthday parties!
Jun 3, 20121 min read
Bleach painting
You will need: Ear buds Small bowl of water diluted with food colouring Small bowl of bleach Sponge Apron Plastic gloves How? Dip the sponge into a bowl of colouring and brush the entire paper with the sponge. Leave to dry. Gently dip an ear bud dip in the bowl of bleach. Ask your child to draw a picture with the ear bud. Note: Ensure that your child is wearing an apron and plastic gloves. Make sure that your child washes his/her hands afterwards.
Jun 3, 20121 min read
Free Printing
Look for interesting items in your house to use as printing objects e.g. forks, mielies ,sliced onions, a feather, dough cutters. How? Using a medium sized paint brush, paint your object. Press on sheet of paper and continue until the page is filled with colorful prints!
Jun 3, 20121 min read
Marbling Painting
You will need: Empty shoebox Marbles Bowls of different coloured paint Paper Spoon Apron How? Place a sheet of paper in the bottom of shoebox. Using a small spoon, gently drop the marbles in bowl of paint. Remove the marbles with a spoon and drop them carefully in the box. Roll the marbles from side to side (This is the fun part for your child!) Remove the marbles and place aside. Using new marbles, repeat the process using a different colour. Remove the sheet of paper
Jun 3, 20121 min read
Bubble Wrap Print
You will need: Sheet of bubble wrap Mixed paints Paintbrushes Sheet of paper How? Paint the bubble wrap with paint. Press the painted bubble wrap onto a sheet of paper. Lift the bubble wrap and repeat the process with a new strip of bubble wrap using a different colour. Leave to dry.
Jun 3, 20121 min read
Wet paper painting
You will need: Sheet of thick paper Bucket or big bowl of water Bowls of mixed paints Paintbrushes How? Dip sheet of paper into a bucket of water. Remove the wet paper and place it on a table. Dip a paintbrush into a bowl of paint and allow the paint to drip onto the paper. Slant the paper from side to side allowing the paint to trickle over the whole page.
Jun 3, 20121 min read
Pottery art
You will need: Use pottery that can be used daily such as plates, bowls, a milk jug, sugar bowl, tea cups and mugs. Small paint brushes Paints for glazing (3 colours are sufficient) A bowl of water Newspaper on the table A sponge A paint palette How? Visit your local hardware or market and choose your pottery with your child. Spread a table with newspaper, and pour a small amount of paint in each palette Wet your sponge, squeeze any excess water and wipe pottery. If you are u
Jun 3, 20121 min read
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