Think BIG Art Camp: Day 1

Victoria
Jun 20, 2017
3 min read

A new week - a new camp!

Today kicked off our Think BIG Art Camp! During this week our main focus will be making a BIG mess! This afternoon we will focus on painting using tools other than brushes!

I can't wait to get our hands dirty!

Day 1:

*Studio Exploration*

For some of our campers, today was their first time in our studio space. The group was quite curious!

Chalkboard illustrations on the porch!

Messy hands are some of my favorite things!!! :-)

*Glitter Paint Bombs*

Bath Scrunchies + Glitter + Paint = MESSY FUN!

Of course sometimes our hands are more fun to use as paint brushes!

*Painting with Tools We Can Find at Home*

Instead of normal paintbrushes we experimented with using toothbrushes, combs, and forks to paint!

We have quite a few siblings in our camp this week. It was heartwarming to see them work together and help each other!

*Creative Play*

We took advantage of the BEAUTIFUL day today and played outdoors. During this time, the campers discovered the tires and wooden planks in our yard...

...which encouraged our campers to practice their balancing skills.

Observing their play, we decided to add gutters and balls.

They tested new ways to get the ball through the tunnel.

The campers discovered that the ball wouldn't go through the tunnel on its own - it needed some help. By moving the tunnel up and down the ball would find its way out.

One camper used our steps to help her ball go through the tunnel. She predicted that being up high would help move the ball.

However, to her dismay something was stopping the ball from moving smoothly. After inspecting the tunnel she found the culprit.

"The ball won't come out because it's bent." - Camper

"How could we fix it?" - Victoria

"We can use our muscles to move it back." - Camper

Using our muscles we tried to push the walls back out, but it didn't work. Tomorrow we will try again!

Two of our campers even used the tunnel to communicate!

*Flower Arranging*

Our campers especially enjoyed our flower arranging sensory bin!

They were constantly creating new bouquets and showing them off to us! I think each of our tables had a different centerpiece every ten minutes! :-)

*Weaving Wall*

Our campers also enjoyed our outdoor weaving grid!

Normally we set out natural materials, however, the campers thoroughly enjoyed the variety of textures and colors of the ribbons. They came to the conclusion that some ribbons are easier to weave than others.

We will continue to have materials set out for our campers to weave all week! I can't wait to see our BIG weaving wall completed!

*A TRAIN IS COMING!!!*

Our studio is located directly across of a railroad crossing. All of our visitors love to watch the trains pass!

Some even like to blow bubbles at the train!

*Story Time*

We closed the day with a story on our steps. Today we read one of our studio favorites - Lines That Wiggle by Candace Whitman. While we waited for our families to arrive we went on a line scavenger hunt!

What a marvelous Monday! It was wonderful getting introduced to our new campers and their interests. We strive to provide a child-driven atmosphere in our studio, therefore, this week we will use open process art projects to encourage individual imaginations to flourish!

I can't wait to get our hands messy again tomorrow!

--Victoria