Making Collages!

I love love love making collages.  And for kids it is so easy and fun to do!
Pretty much the definition of a collage is : an artistic composition made of various materials ( paper, cloth, anything!) and all applied to a surface using glue.
But really, a composition is not needed at all to make these projects pieces of art!
What I love about them, is that they can be as abstract as you want.  And of course, for kiddos, abstract is all you are going to get!
 ( I took pics of their collages, but I cannot find them on my computer...errr....  Just image one inserted...HERE.)  :)

Supplies:
-paper or a thick cardboard paper like surface.
- all kinds of material like construction paper, tissue paper, buttons, cloth, cotton balls, Popsicle sticks, anything you can find really!  I love to take paper scraps from other art projects and save those little pieces. Thy come in handy for collages
- glue or glue stick.  Glue stick are best for the little guys
- crayons, color pencils and pencils

Lay out all the materials and pieces of odds and ends and help your little one to get started.  Begin by asking what they what to make a picture of.  Encourage them by suggesting something.  Like a house, or sun and ocean.  Then start tearing paper to look like those shapes.  The more you do, the more elaborate the pictures can become.  For my little 2 year old, I just let him go to town without any instruction.  And he always makes a colorful masterpiece he is so proud of.
The beauty of collages, that it is all Art!
Have fun!  And make one yourself!
So fun!!!!

Funny story:  Ella was saying that we could not see lightening bugs outside unless they were lit up because they are collaged.  Ryan and I were like,.." they are what?"
"They are collaged!".  Then we died laughing.  She was meaning to saying camouflaged!
We corrected her, then she said, "nope.  collaged. ".  Then she starts doing a jig in a circle, " collage, collage, collage!".  Yes, I have brainwashed her with Art...

Pizza Time!

I was about to toss out my frozen pizza box and stopped myself when I had the cardboard circle the pizza once sat on.  I could make a pretend pizza for the kids to play with!
I tore the pizza box open and traced the same size circle on the two sides of the box and on the circular carboard inside.

And what made it all really exciting is a perfect cardboard box I had that opens just like a delivery box!  So fun!  If you go to CCK it is the Mission Fund box you got.  Yes...I held onto it.  I hold onto all kinds of junk.

Trash = Art

When Ella Reese was little, like maybe around 20 months, I did not have really any "craft" supplies for her.  So I started just looking around my house.  And what is around my house? A trash can full of possibilities.
I started digging in my recycle bin and made tons of little art projects with her.
My very first one I did with her ( which I still have to this day) was a little Aquarium we made.