Leaf Man

I have been so busy that art and blogging have fallen to the wayside.  It has actually been nice.  I have found a bit of a new focus in my life.  I was using the computer way too much and now I am focused on a few other things as well.  That is not to say this blog will keep being silent.  I plan on keeping up on the art for my children's sake. Since my older children are now is school it may seem like I do a lot of art for 2 year olds.  I do find however that my older children love the art I do with my baby just as much!

Fortunately I also got a little job.  I am watching some children once a week for two hours while their mothers go to bible study.  It is a great opportunity for me to bring art into lives of others.  I love watching children other than my own create and explore art.  This week we tried Leaf Men.

I first heard of this book and activity from Teach Preschool, an excellent blog to tune into if you haven't already.  Leaf Man is a book written by Lois Ehlert.  It is an excellent art book for young children showing lots of ways to use nature in an artistic way.

First I read the book to the children and then asked if they too wanted to make their own leaf man.  They were overly excited to get started.

Supplies needed: glue (container for glue and paint brushes for younger children), Leaf Man book, paper, leafs and other fall decor (either gather ahead of time or take a nature walk with children for supplies)

Here is a way to get your older kids creating! I set all the materials for the leaf man on our small table before my older children came home from school. My daughter noticed it right away. We had already read Leaf Man a few times in the last weeks so she was familiar with the subject. I didn't even have to direct her. Within 5 minutes of walking off the bus she was creating on all her own.

   

I loved the idea of just setting the art project out and letting the older kids discover and do on their own. I am going to work on doing that more often to promote art with my school age children.

I often link to these blogs.