Ann Pelo stated in her book The Language of Art that “Sometimes, teachers of young children use ‘art’ to refer to spontaneous, open-ended, and often messy exploration of color or texture, with little or no teacher direction or involvement.  As we explore new possibilities for ourselves as teachers, however, we begin to use the word ‘art’ to describe a lively process of engagement with a range of materials – an engagement that is sensual and reflective, creative and deliberate, and that deepens and extends children’s learning.” It is important as teachers and parents to not only offer a wide variety of creative messy art experiences, but to tie them to language and literature which helps to give them meaning.

Infants: Edible Art – For young children who can’t resist putting their hands in their mouth, use Jell-O mixed with warm water, or pudding, or yogurt as fingerpaints.  A good book to read to infants is “Eating the Alphabet” by Lois Ehlert.  It has large colorful pictures of fruits and vegetables that will be familiar to them.

Toddlers: Smelly Painting – Adding extracts to the paints will enhance the contrast between the colors and make them more memorable for toddlers.  Lemon for yellow, mint for green, vanilla for brown, cherry for red, orange for orange etc.  Another book written by Lois Ehlert is “Planting a Rainbow.”  This one focuses on the vibrant colors of flowers.  Here the smells of flowers can be introduced and their colors can be reinforced.

Preschooler: Spaghetti Mobiles – Cook one pound of spaghetti and drain.  Prepare four ziploc bags by adding two tablespoon of vinegar and three drops of food coloring in each bag.  Divide the spaghetti into the four bags.  Close the bag and tape the closure. Give them to the children to shake and squeeze.  Open the bags and let the children arrange  the colored spaghetti on foil and allow to dry overnight.  Use clear fishing line to make the hanger.  If you have the children sprinkle them with glitter while wet they make interesting ornaments.  A wonderful book for young children is “More Spaghetti, I Say!” by Rita Golden Gelman.  It’s funny and written in rhyme, and they will love all the monkey business going on.

There are many inexpensive art activities that children can do, but keep in mind that it is in the doing that children learn.  The processes of the art experiences are always more important the finished products!  During these messy processes children discover their own independence, as well as the mystery of combinations, the joy of exploration, the delight of creating, and the frustration of challenges – all of these are important parts of learning.  These messy art processes allows children to explore, discover, and manipulate their world.  The adult’s role is to prepare the environment and allow these processes to happen.  As a facilitator, your job is to provide interesting materials, and then sit back and watch closely.  Offer help with any unruly materials and cleanup, but don’t make models to copy. This will only hinder the children’s creativity.

Every child is an artist – the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.