Sticks and Stones

The Montessori school where I teach was focusing on the history and culture of Australia this year. Since the children are very young it is not always easy to come up with art projects that they are able to execute and still capture the flavor or history of a region. Sometimes I tend to overthink the process , but this time I decided to focus on using natural materials and to implement the dots of color that have been used by aboriginal artists. Two simple concepts. I liked the idea of gathering the sticks from my own yard and buying the little pebbles at a garden center.

We mounted the sticks and pebbles on the black Foamcore (Dollar Tree) using white glue. The Foamcore provides a nice, stable surface. The children composed the elements in any way that they found appealing. When everything was glued down, they added the dots of acrylic paint with the Q-Tips.

Collaborative Art for Auction Fundraiser

All the children that attend the Montessori school where I teach participated in this collaborative art piece that will be auctioned at their annual fundraiser next month. The children, ranging in age from three to six, are studying Australia this year. We used Aboriginal art and the animals of Australia as our inspiration. The Aborigines have a beautiful way of depicting animals in a simple, almost graphic style. The piece measures 36 x 48 inches.

Each classroom depicted a different animal. I created stamps from craft foam or stencils cut from acetate of the animal shapes. The children first did a rubbing of a pattern using oil pastel to establish a background. They printed or stenciled their animal and added some decoration with paint applied with a Q-tip. The parents will receive the original art on the night of the fundraiser. I made color copies and adhered them to the canvas with Elmer's glue and a sponge brush. I coated the finished work with Mod Podge.