Are you swimming in a sea of water bottles or wondering how it is humanly possible to amass such a gravity-defying stack of cereal boxes? Tossing them in the recycling bin can ease our environmental consciences a bit, but here is a simple suggestion for a far more gratifying and creative purpose for these used or unwanted items. Take a look at this Art Project with Kids!
If you have kids above the age of four and want to be absolutely amazed and awe-struck at the power of a child’s imagination, simply give them a used cardboard box, glue, masking tape, and the entire contents of your kitchen junk drawer. Be sure to remove the two items from the drawer that actually serve some purpose (spare car keys, etc.). The dramatic act of literally dumping the drawer out in a pile in front of them is often all the stimulation needed to get their creative juices flowing. Some might need a little technical assistance in securing the thingamabob to the top of the whatchamacallit, but generally speaking you can leave them to their own devices and you’ll soon be blown away at the elaborate sculptures they come up with, often with amazingly clever functioning moving parts.
When given the right amount of encouragement, opportunity, and interesting materials, children are natural inventors and creators. When they first dive in, nothing is outside the realm of possibility in their minds. As they are creating, they’ll solve problems, learn about the law of physics and gravity, and gain an awareness of how their own self-expression can be interconnected with the larger world around them. It is so rewarding to watch them gain patience, perseverance and resourcefulness as they learn the valuable life lesson that when something just won’t stick, no matter how much masking tape is wrapped around it, how much glue is drizzled on top of it, or how hard they press on it, they just need to keep searching until they find something that will stick!
