Little people art projects

For ages 3 and up, “Cinnamon Drawing” is fun, and it smells good too.  You will need cinnamon sticks, sandpaper and scissors.  Cut the sandpaper into any shape (star, circle, etc.) or use it as is.  Draw on the sandpaper with a cinnamon stick.  For more fun, cut little squares of cinnamon-decorated sandpaper, use a paper punch to make holes in the squares, and string a necklace on yarn.  With an adult’s help, the kids can add glitter to their sandpaper designs if they wish.

For ages 4 and up, try “Stained Glass Painting.”  You will need a permanent black marking pen (A big Sharpie or Marko works well — be sure it is waterproof!), bright liquid tempera paint, white drawing paper and paint brushes.  Pour the paint into cups or other wide mouth containers.  Use the marker to draw bold black lines in the paper.  These can make a simple picture, or just be a freeform design.  Paint inside the lines with the bright tempera paints.  Hint:  Cover the table with plastic or newsprint, because permanent pens soak through paper and can stain the drawing surface.  To remove pen marks from clothes, spray the stain with hair spray, rinse, spray again and rinse again.  Keep doing this until the stain is gone.

For “Potato People” you will need a box of toothpicks, a black marker and a few potatoes.  Stick four toothpicks into the potato to make arms and legs, and use the marker to draw a face on the potato.  Then the children can play gently with the little “people,” but remember the toothpick legs can’t take a lot of “dancing”!  After playtime is over, dispose of the potatoes in the garbage with an explanation to the kids that potatoes can get rotten, and after they have been played with they are not safe to eat.

Also for ages four and up, “Bread Sculpture” is not only fun, but it also teaches kids a bit about baking and you can eat the finished sculptures!  It requires 1 tablespoon or one package of dry yeast, a cup of water, one teaspoon of sugar, 2 cups of flower, 1 tablespoon of oil, a teaspoon of salt, mixing bowl, wooden spoon, clean towel, cooling rack, kitchen tools for modeling (knife, fork, toothpick) and a 400 degree oven.

Wash hands before starting.  Mix the water, sugar and yeast in a bowl until the yeast softens (about 2 or 3 minutes).  Add a cup of flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.  Beat the mixture until smooth and add one tablespoon of oil and one teaspoon of salt.  Add the second cup of flour to the dough.

Pour the thick batter onto a floured board and add more flour (slowly) while kneading the dough.  Keep a coating of flour on the dough to prevent sticking.  Knead it for about 5 minutes until it is smooth, satiny and elastic, and bounces back if you poke a finger into it.  Place it in an oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel.  Set the bowl in a warm place for dough to rise for about 45 minutes.

Punch the dough down and work it into a smooth ball.  Divide the dough into portions for different parts of the bread sculpture, or for different children to use.

Create sculptures with the dough using simple shapes.  (This is great for little snowmen, or you can cut out hearts or Christmas trees freehand or with a cutter).  Little artists should have a small bowl of flour handy to keep their hands powdery while they work.  Sometimes they enjoy the soft flour better than the sculptures, and that’s perfectly fine!

Bake the sculptures for 15 or 20 minutes in the lower part of a 400 degree oven.  Large forms may take longer.  Bake until golden and baked through.  Cool the sculptures on a rack, eat and enjoy!