Autumn Antics

 

Now that we walk to school and back every morning we have the perfect opportunity to collect some leaves on the way home.  When you really start to look there are some amazing colours.  We got home and I asked Girl what she wanted to do and she said 'play!'  We narrowed it down to play dough so we made some in autumn colours.

She experimented with the leaves and seeds we had collected pressing them into the dough.

She used cutters to make prints on the dough.

The contrast of the colours of the dough against the leaves was particularly striking and we enjoyed comparing different combinations.

We found we could make some lovely prints too.

Now we are on the lookout for other interesting autumn things to collect and play with.

Another great post on a very similar theme can be found here at Nurture Store.

Polystyrene Printing

My husband was planning a trip to the dump last weekend and I wondered if we had any polystyrene left from packaging.  I asked him and he said there wasn't anything.  I intended just to save any we might get in the future put he came back from the dump with a car full of the stuff!  He had seem a man getting rid of a load and asked him for it!  We used it this morning for some printing.

I cut it into hand sized chunks and away we went with all the different paints we have in the house.

Some nice results and the best part was not having to wash it afterwards, I just threw it away.  I must say though, it is quite messy when you cut it up and you will need to vacuum afterwards.  Was good fun though and something both Boy and Girl could do in their own way.

Seashell painting

I wondered what the children might come up with if I gave them paints and shells.  This is what happened.

We used paper, red, blue and white paints and some large shells.  First we mixed some paints to make blue and pink.  Then we used the shells to make marks and patterns on the paper.

Then we needed some more paint so I put some red and white onto the plate.  Before I could mix them Girl began using one of the shells to mix the paint and to put blobs of it onto her paper.

It made gave some really interesting results.  Then she asked for some blue.

Here is her finished artwork.

Boy decided he wanted to do some colour mixing.  He said 'Mummy, if you mix blue and white it makes light blue right?'  Yes I said and he mixed some.  Then he added red and said 'this will be purple I think.....it is!'

Here is his shell painting.  After he'd finished that he did some hand prints and and covered a page in purple paint he had mixed.

It can be interesting to find other ways to use paint by using objects as tools.  Be creative and see what you and your children can come up with!

Vegetable printing

Since we are looking at planting and growing at the moment I thought we'd have a go at vegetable printing.  I'd hoped we could do this outside on a roll of paper but, alas, it was too windy here today so we opted to stay inside.  We had potatoes and broccoli in so that's what we used.  I suggested we make trees and flowers.

Boy usually just covers his page completely in a sludgy brown colour (his enveloping schema - more about schemas in a future post) so he did really well to have a go at creating something with form here.

I gave Girl some help here to make a flower but she enjoyed it for a bit.

 Just so as not to disappoint me Boy did one of his specials too.

We went on to extend the idea of printing outside by making footprints on the ground.  I used a tray from the kitchen and put some water in it and the children used it as a puddle to wet their wellies and make footprints and a few splashes too.

This idea is a really simple one.  Just make sure you don't mind getting in a mess.  Wear old clothes and an apron and cover your furniture with a wipe clean tablecloth or newspaper.