The start of Spring begins to remind us of warm weather, flowers, bugs, and a return to being outside in the world more often. A great way to celebrate the change in seasons with children is through art. Here are three Spring crafts to get the season off to a creative start!
Texture Flower Painting
Supplies Needed:
Paper plate, scissors, Duplo blocks, washable paint, green pipe cleaner, and tape
Steps:
- Ahead of time an adult should cut small triangular slits around the ribbed edge of a paper plate to create petals. Reference the picture to the right.
- Tape a green pipe cleaner or jumbo popsicle stick to the back, sticking down as the flower stem.
- Put out a tray of different colors of paint. If you have matching colored Duplos set them on the correct color of paint, upside down.
- Let your child create textured art all over the paper plate flower. Older kids can also try using a plastic fork to make a different texture as well. If they are really getting into it, offer bubble wrap for a different design and texture.
- Hang them up on your front door to welcome in Spring!
Marble Painting Earth
Supplies Needed:
White coffee filter, blue & green paint, marble and/or golf ball (be careful of choking hazards with small children!), box or Tupperware container large enough to fit the coffee filter into
Steps:
- Place the coffee filter so that it is lying flat on the bottom of the box or large container.
- Put a few drops of blue and green paint in random places on the filter.
- Have your child pick a ball and place it into the container.
- Encourage the child to gently move the container back and forth/side to side so that the ball rolls through the paint and leaves a trail. Talk about what is happening in excitement!
- Continue moving the container around until the coffee filter is covered to your child’s liking with blue and green paint.
- While it drys read a book about Earth Day and compare images of the earth to what they created. Hang it up to decorate for Earth Day on April 22nd!
Egg Carton Caterpillar
Supplies Needed:
Egg Carton, scissors, pipe cleaners, glue, googly eyes, glitter (if you’re daring), markers/crayons, other collage materials as desired
Steps:
- An adult should do the cutting ahead of time unless your child is skilled with scissor and has supervision. Cut the lid off of an egg carton, then cut the “bumpy” side where the eggs sit into two long rows. Use one row to create your caterpillar.
- Poke two tiny holes in the top of the front piece of the egg carton for antennae.
- Use the paint, markers and collage materials and glue to decorate the outside of the caterpillar (bumps should be facing up!).
- Glue two googly eyes to the front (or use the sticker googly eyes – they are much easier!)
- Cut pipe cleaners to your preferred size and thread one into each hole that you previously made in the caterpillars “head”.
- Curl the tops of the pipe cleaners to look like antennae!
- To continue the learning read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and talk about their life cycle. Look for some outside, but do not remove them from their environment. Use a magnifying class to investigate instead!
About The Author
Sarah Proctor has worked with young children for over 25 years as a teacher, childcare director, nanny, and mom of two girls. She has her Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education and Administration from UMass Amherst. In addition, Sarah has her Director 2 certification from the Department of Early Education and Care.
