Develop Kids' Creativity and Teach Biology
Potato Prints and Sea Shells, Ways to Create and Learn
Nov 22, 2008
Creating works of art using natural materials like flowers, leaves and sea shells is an art lesson and a biology lesson wrapped in one. Depending on the children's age and manual skills, one of these methods producing lovely pieces of art work will be suitable for them.
Potato Prints
Making potato prints is the easiest method and can be managed by children as young as five with the suitable help and supervision of an adult, particularly as the use of a sharp knife is involved. All that's needed are a few fresh, good sized potatoes, a glass of water, a sharp knife, drawing paper and water colors or any other paint which dissolves in water.
First decide what you are going to make. Potato prints can be entire pictures which can be framed and hung for the proud young artist to display. Smaller formats can be turned into greeting cards and bigger sheets can even be used as personalized wrapping paper.
Next, decide on the design according to the object you wish to produce. Then cut the potato in half and again in even-sided wedges, which are to be used as print stamps. Formats can be square, round or half-moon shaped. Moisten the paint sufficiently and dip the potato stamp into the color, then print directly onto the paper. The result is a lovely, mosaic-like pattern.
Admittedly, there's not much of a biology lesson here, but the kids' creativity will be stimulated and they learn that natural materials can be put to different uses.
Gifts Decorated With Sea Shells
When by the ocean, take the children for a walk along the beach. They can learn about maritime life by collecting shells. Don't let them gather broken, too dirty or too tiny shells if you wish to teach them how to decorate gifts by using sea shells. With a bit of help, this artistic activity is also suitable for younger children.
Clean the shells with the help of a steel brush and let them dry thoroughly. Select an item with a smooth surface, like a plain wooden box or an unpainted picture frame. Make sure the surface you wish to apply the shells to is very clean and dry. Turn the shells upside down and erase any irregularities of the rim with a metal or sandpaper file. Remove dust. Apply a thin layer of strong glue and press down firmly.
The shells can be used in their natural state or they can be covered with clear varnish or sprayed with gold or silver spray.
Dried Flower Pictures
Making works of art from dried flowers is a much longer process as the kids are supposed to produce the raw material themselves. Walks in the countryside or a visit to your own flower garden provide children with botanic lessons. For the ultimate purpose of making dried flower pictures it's best to collect flowers and leaves which preserve well, such as maple leaves, oak leaves, poppy seed flowers, simple roses and pansies.
The drying process involves spreading out the collected flowers carefully so as not to damage the petals, placing them between two sheets of blotting paper and piling a few heavy books on top. Once the flowers and leaves are dry and pressed, they must be carefully removed with the help of pincers, arranged in the desired pattern and perhaps be cut to size and shape with sharp nail scissors.
Glue is applied to the surface, cardboard or silk being the most suitable, and pressed down firmly. Again, the finished art work is best preserved framed and under glass or else laminated.
Kids will be very proud to have created pieces of art, letting their fantasy and imagination guide them and, at the same time and with no effort, will have learned about botany and sea life.
