Last day of Wild & Wacky science art camp

What a busy day this turned out to be. We started by studying and creating our own kaliedescopes. We used kits that I got on-line and had great WOW factor. They were fairly simple to assemble and came with enough plastic shapes for refilling the screen or making several. We saved the extra and decorated our robots/aliens/monsters drawings at the end of the day.

Campers learned a bit more about fossils and how archaeological clean the things they find at digs. We tore open our "fossil boxes" and turned the castings upside down to brush off the most of the sand first. The kids then got stiff paint brushes and worked in a group to uncover each of the casts and figure out what had been used to create the fossil imprint. It was a little messy but very interesting to see the shapes appear.

Campers were sneaking over to the table to check on their crystals and see how well they crystallized most of the day. They took their project outside to expose them to the sun then brought them into a dark room to see them glow. I hear there was a lot of excited screeching heard and spinning involved in the viewing. 
The kids also got to learn how to do rubbings of leaves and other items. They were exploring which would make the best rubbings--pencils or markers. Not sure which one won.
Hands down, causing the volcanoes to erupt is the much waited for activity. the plaster was dry and the measuring of ingredients began. You'll note the safety glasses and an occasional jump backward. We were lucky to have squirt bottles this year which are easier to get the vinegar into the volcano and get away than pouring it in with the funnel.

Wild & Wacky Science art camp keeps us hopping

We have been busy with lots of projects that take more than 1 day to complete but that is half the fun of it. We made our volcanoes on Wednesday and started glow-in-the-dark crystals. We used rigid wrap again for the volcanoes layered with newspaper over a drink bottle and plastic cup. They make up this way so much better than using paper mache only. Friday is set for the day to erupt the volcanoes. We spent some of the slide discussion time on Wed. viewing several errupting volcanoes including the most recent one in Chile. This group knows a lot about fossils and minerals but hadn't made crystals. We used a recipe I found by Anne Marie Helmenstine on About.com:  http://chemistry.about.com/od/holidayhowtos/a/glowsnowflake.htm Everyone is interested to see how they grow, if they will glow, if they will stick to the can...

We changed to smaller groups Thursday so we could complete the 4 projects. We had Sharon Hall with us again telling a story she created about Pele and her volcano. 

• We created a fossil box useing sand and various bone, shells, wood and other items then poured plaster over it to make a casting. Tomorrow they get to lift off the casting and brush off the sand. 
• Another area allowed campers to create sail cars to race. They used kits but had to do all the construction using glue and then decorate the flags. I was told they worked pretty well. 
• The area where they made tops had to investigate which kind of a flag would help it spin and which would hinder it. Everyone wanted the jewels on their flag which made it perform the worst. 
• Last was the area  to create shrink-it art pieces. We started out with individual cut outs then had half the group make a 1/4 page picture. The campers were amazed at how much the plastic shrank down and had fun watching it bubble and twist before it finished flat. 

We are really appreciative for all the donations and help the community and HOTT painting group have given so we have the supplies to allow us to do these projects.

Bottle cap artwork @WBCL

This turned out to be a fantastic recycled art project! We collected all kinds of bottle caps for months and the large hard cardboard inserts from library shipments then added imagination. Participants were told to draw a large picture with a marker and fill it in with a variety of bottle caps. Most were plastic but a there were also metal caps at each table. The plastic caps stick easily with school glue but the metal ones need hot glue to be sure they will hold. At the end we decorated the whole thing with sequins from our jar of left-overs. 
This is a great use for something that our recycling company cannot take. Wonder if they melt? Ah, another project idea.

Finishing up 3D art in motion creates many wonderful projects

It was a really busy week with lots of interesting things to make and take home. The younger group made their helicopters with a slight modification and  what a stunning job they did. We eliminated the legs and just put on the bottom rails to make it more stable and a bit easier. Of course it helps to have 3 assistants so everyone gets plenty of hands-on help.










The older group started with 5 bags of "junk" recyclables and glue guns to stick the pieces together. The variety of creations including those with multiple pieces and moving parts shows great use of imagination. There is a whole scene of a man and a boy walking a dog, a 2 seat swing that really works, all kinds of people and animals, a model of Saturn with rings, a "paddle ball" game that really works, and Rudolf the reindeer complete with okra antlers. We even learned a bit about okra pods. There was quite a bit of teamwork at points in the process as things needed holding or fitting.

We finished the day making little painted jeweled treasure boxes and wind spinners. I can hardly wait for the 2nd 3-D art camp.

Windsocks, pinwheels and whirlybirds @ art camp

This was a day of challenges and accomplishments. We started with our storyteller Sharon Hall visiting and taking us on a magic carpet ride to set the stage. We moved on to creating our windsocks. The stencils and glitter glue gave us a bit more variety to the designs. All the campers were able to put this one together and make the tissue tails move in the wind.


The older group went on to create an egg carton whilybird that has propellers that really spin. It has a lot of steps but again we pulled it off and lots of OOHs and AAHs were heard.


Both goups made their 2 layer pinwheels too. I saw a lot of spinning with the pinwheel turning on its stick. They were very colorful too.


If you judge the fun level by the noise level then were are having a VERY good time. It is nice to see the kids help each other out in attching parts or knotting strings.

Clay and pinecone fish @WBCL

Clay is always a popular medium and adding pinecones and beads was just the touch we needed. I used home made salt/flour clay as a base and had everyone make a fish with the details they wanted to include. We next took the individual pieces from pinecones and dipped them into a little white glue and inserted them into the clay to form the scales on the fish. We added glossy green beads for eyes and took them home to dry for a couple of days. 
We could have painted them before or after putting on the pinecones but wet clay is unpredictable and can get gooey. Some of the group will paint them when they dry at home. Easy enough for all ages. 

3D art camp starts with Calder

What great projects these turned out to be! When we viewed the slides Calders installations generated a lot of discussion. Kat lead the group with a video presentation and lots of great supplies. We converted hangers and cardboard into our own balanced installations adding beads and corks and imagination. The variations in projects was amazing.


Our second project was to create our own windchimes. Although the kits with the chimes came from OTC, I cut them appart so we could actually make the whole chime with added decorative touches. Kids do not learn how to tie things, it seems. Well, many of them did learn how to thread and tie on this project but our knotting skills were definately used. It was a noisy project as each of the campers jiggled the chimes to check if they would ring--many times.

Big Paper painting caps off 1st week of art camp

This has been a popular project each time we have attempted it as the large size surface seems to release the artistic urges in nearly everyone. We began the day reviewing artwork from some of the masters- Monet and van Gough as well as a number of current artists from modern to traditional. The group is well divided on what they like and what they do not like. They appreciated colorful but not if the design was something "weird." We were able to get the large newsprint pages and tape them to the walls. Students shared pallets, but drew their own designs and then created them. You can see their painted aprons in these pictures too. Some were very traditional others modern. A few are destined to be Father's day presents.

We completed the day with a couple of shorter projects that incorporated color and textures. We created rainbow cupcakes and cookies by mixing the colors of cupcake batter and layering them into the cups. We then painted the cookies using Karo syrup that we tinted with food coloring. Fun and very messy! Oh, and by the way--we ate the whole project!http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-rainbow-cupcakes/


Lastly we did a dandelion picture. some of the group created the backgounds using several colors on foam brushes. We added texture paste on pallete knives for leaves and stems then used finger pouncer balls to create the flowers. Some of the students got a little wild and pounced everywhere but most are identifiable.

Paint & paper art mini-camp @WBCL

First art camp of the summer and what a group! These kids love to draw and are really engaged with the projects. We painted aprons on Wednesday and each one is as individual as the kids. It was fun to see them fill out the outlines and put their own spin on what "Color my World" meant. We then spent the rest of the afternoon doing drawings pulled from books in the library collection. Fun part is picking which books they want to check out on Friday.

 Thursday we spent most of the day using chalk pastels. These were new to most of the kids but everyone was able to complete the 2 projects. We drew a beach scene then used glue to aid us in painting the pictures on white charcoal paper. The second project I found on-line and really liked the look. I heard lots of comments from the campers about how they liked using the black paper too. We did planets that we drew then colored and shaded with the pastels. Our last project was a 4x4" tile painted in a design of their choosing. There were spider webs, unicorns, butterflies, I love Dad and lots of rainbows and flowers. In between projects if the kids get finished early they can look at the books or do free drawing and draw they have done. They also did a bit of paper folding making cats & dogs and fortune telling blocks. Tomorrow we'll paint giant pictures, bake rainbow cupcakes and finish with a painting using unique techniques and materials. The week really is going fast! 

Painting on BIG paper @ WBCL

This was a popular project last year and even better this year. We mounted large sheets of packing paper on the windows and cabinet doors with tape and put slightly smaller sheets on the tables for the littler kids. 


Everyone donned their aprons and drew designs on the papers while we prepared egg cartons of paints for them and let them select their brushes.


What a great variety of designs! The parents and kids kept saying how they liked this project and especially the larger size.