Homemade Easel

This was the final post from 2018 that I'm just having a chance to finish.

My grand daughter likes to paint on the easel at StrongStart

so I decided to make one for her at home.

My daughter had a box, that is similar to a pizza box, that I used to create the easel.

I opened it all the way up and taped it to her sensory table.

I taped a clear tray to the bottom and inserted a paper clip to hold the paper.

I decide to use waterpaint cakes instead of liquid paint for a couple of reasons.

One they don't need to be covered.

Two they are less messy.

Three she can use them any time she wants without assistance.

A Different Easel

I switched our easels from painting to sensory boards and because of

that I created a new easel from a large cardboard box.

Day 1 the children used foam paint rollers that were cut in 

different textures.

This easel encouraged the children to use their whole body.

Stretching really high and bending low.

Day 2 I put out feather dusters.

They were harder to paint with as they were very floppy.

And they don't hold as much paint as the rollers did.

One unique action they did offer was a splatter.

Which kept me busy wiping it up off the floor.

Day 3 and we used foam brushes.

By this day the children were having lots of fun mixing the colours

and moving the paint trays around the box.

If we were not going into summer holiday we would of thought

of an idea of what to use the box for next.

Painting with Clouds

With our easel ready in our sensory tub I added two trays,

paint brushes and squeegees.

Oh and shaving cream (aka clouds)

I thought the children would paint with the brush

and clear off the easel with the squeegee,

 but they showed me that a squeegee works as a great brush too.

By putting the easel in the tub it contains the shaving cream

even when toddlers use it.

I wonder what else I could use on this easel?

Using Recyclables at the Easel

I've been trying to clear out my storage room knowing that I'll have more donations coming in this year.  So what to do with a box of dividers from apples?

Why not put them at the easel to paint on instead of paper.

 

Some children were a bit unsure and refused to paint on it.  
Others who were unsure gave it a try.  At first making small strokes or dabbing the paint here and there.

Or using the brush to push the bubbly part flat.

Other children were very intrigued and couldn't wait to paint on it so they buddied up.

And a couple showed quite the enthusiasm with having a new way to express themselves.  Almost like Jackson Pollock (I had a little floor clean up after).

I heard some of them telling their parents that they were making new colours.  I noticed that some had one or two strokes of paint and then stopped, while others, like the one here, was covered.  What I noticed the most is that it slowed most of the children's process. As they pulled the brush down the bubbled cardboard it swayed from side to side instead of the smooth motion they were use to.
I wonder what else we could find to paint on.  Any suggestions?

Sticky Easel

I popped over to Pink Stripey Socks awhile back and was inspired by a craft they
                  did.  It was simple; add yarn to faces for hair. 
          
Instead of doing it as a craft I set it up on the easel with sticky paper.  The
sticky paper is mac tac and it’s facing out so the yarn will stick to it but can be
                             peeled off again and again.
 
           I used the lower easel so the toddlers could reach it.
       
It gave us an opportunity to talk about hair.  About different colours, where it
              grows on different faces and is all hair straight.

                       Each day the faces looked different.

Magnets at the Easel

Have you visited Deborah Stewart’s blog Teach Preschool? 
        I follow it faithfully.  
She is very creative and is constantly thinking of new ways
to provide activities for the children in her care.

One activity that caught my eye was her magnetic easel
          and handiness with a glue gun.
 
My easels are wooden so, on them, I placed a metal bulletin board,
             from IKEA.  
Then I glued magnets to the back of milk jug caps and green tongue depressors.

The colour and shape of the milk jug lids lend themselves to building flowers.  
         Single or in a bouquet, they look beautiful.

What other ways have you used your easels?

Spider Webs Two ways

 
At the easel this week the children found paper, chalk and a spider web with
a note “draw a spider web”,

It’s interesting to watch how some children approach the easel that is set up
with something other than paint.
 
This girl's first statement about drawing the web was, “don’t know how”.
As we pointed out the lines on the web,
 she picked up the chalk and started to draw.
She continued without any other conversation or help needed.
Sometimes just pointing at parts of the item to be drawn will give them a place to begin.

          
At the art table the families found lazy susans, eye droppers, paint and paper.
With a note encouraging them to 'spin a web'.
 
Tape the paper to the lazy susan, fill the eye dropper with paint then while you
squeeze the eye dropper over the paper, spin the lazy susan.
 
After spinning, they could glue little spider sequins on their webs.
Some children could manage doing the two actions (squeezing and spinning)
at the same time, while others needed their grown ups help.

Or they were content just to squeeze.