Thanks so much to the new youth services/programming librarian at Ellsworth, Elise Gregory, for this guest post filled with easy-to-replicate and fun ideas.
I've been making little grab
bags with any of my left-over materials from Preschool Storytime. I also
include songs, rhymes, coloring pages, and/or extension activities that kids
and parents can work on at home. They're easy to make and it also uses up my
leftovers: I use a brown lunch bag and staple a little image or description of
what the bag contains.
Jeanne just finished a Teen
Maker Meet Up: Maps that our teens loved. She collected all sorts of old road
atlases and world maps that kids cut up for necklaces, buttons (we have a
button maker), envelopes, and small cardboard boxes. We used modge podge for
paper items and a stronger glue for necklaces. I believe she purchased necklace
parts on Amazon, although I've also seen maps adhered to the inside of bottle
caps too (as a less expensive option).
We've had fairly good
attendance with our open-ended Make & Take programs as well. Kids have made
yarn painting inspired by Huichol yarn paintings:
origami birds inspired by
Sadako (using their designed paper rather than origami paper):
and in March
kids will be designing friendly monsters with chalk pastels on dark
construction paper, using Where the Wild Things Are for inspiration.
Labels: art projects, grab bags, leftover supplies, process art, school age programs, storytime, teen programs