December 17, 2015
DIY Art Cards for Montessori Learning
Tagged in:
12 Months to Montessori,
3-years-old,
4-years-old,
Montessori,
Montessori Child,
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The world is a spectacularly beautiful place! And, I want to share that beauty with my children. Montessori living is all about introducing your children to real life experiences in the most concrete way possible. I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say that again -- concrete reality comes first, and the abstract comes later.
When it comes to learning about fine art, I think the best way to do this is to immerse children in a world where they see fine art. We are fortunate enough to live in a major metropolitan area where we have access to a wide variety of museums, and we take advantage of those when we can. However, I still wanted something more concrete in our home.
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So, I recently created these simple art cards to increase our exposure to a variety of popular famous artists. While nothing can replace actually seeing this wonderful art, these cards give us a glimpse at wonderful pieces of art. Plus, these cards were simple and easy to make!
To make these art cards, you need:
- Art Stickers -- we chose Picasso, Degas; Renoir; Kandinsky, and Monet -- although there were lots of other choices available
- Paper
- Laminator {or laminating sheets}
- Corner rounding punch
Then to make, I simply put the stickers on the paper and laminated them. I cut them into small cards and used the punch to round the corners. This turned them into beautiful little cards in the perfect size to attract both Nora and Henry. I had Henry look through the books and help me pick which stickers to make into cards.
You can make larger cards and wall art in a similar manner using pictures from calendars. Or, I often use {as funny as it sounds} fancy coasters that I find at thrift stores as art. Many are extraordinarily beautiful and realistic, and can easily be hung on a wall with some picture hanging strips.
While I made these more with Henry in mind, I've noticed that Nora is equally interested in the small cards. They are perfect for toddlers and can be used to create a variety of work. Babies and toddlers could use to:
- Simply appreciate the art and explore the cards
- Sort into the different artists
- Find and talk about common objects -- Nora particularly likes one painting with a cat
- Picture to Picture matching -- if you had two sets of stickers
For primary aged (3-6 preschoolers) you can have a deeper level of exploration. You could:
- Use them as a jumping off point for a deeper study of each artist
- Sort them by artistic style -- impressionist verses modern, for example
- Talk about how each picture feels, what stands out -- we then sorted the cards by the color that "spoke" to us in each picture and ultimately made a rainbow of pictures
- Recreate some of the art using different mediums
One of my favorite things we've done with the cards so far has been creating an inspirational painting. Henry choose a card as inspiration, examined it with a magnifying glass and painted away! I even got into the painting fun -- although Henry said my rendition {below} of Renoir's painting looked more like a monkey then a boy!
Have you studied fine art with your children?
12 Months of Montessori!
This post was brought to you as part of the 12 Months of Montessori series! This month's theme is fine art! Visit the blogs below for Montessori inspired fine art ideas, activities and thoughts!
Montessori Art Inspired by Nature (Free Printables) Natural Beach Living
5 Great Ancient Civilizations: Art & Architecture (Activities & Free Printables) | The Natural Homeschool
Art Postcards: Montessori Art Appreciation for a Variety of Ages Living Montessori Now
Our Montessori Art Environment | Planting Peas
DIY Art Cards for Montessori Learning The Kavanaugh Report
Montessori Art Appreciation for Toddlers Mama’s Happy Hive
Study at Home Mama
Explore Writing Materials with Kids | Child Led Life
Preparing Children for Their First Fine Arts Experience Every Star is Different
