Round-up: More Leave-Behind Art Trays

The name of this blog may be deceiving because I'm not this crafty artistic person.  I can't draw, and I can't create anything by myself if I'm faced with a blank paper or screen.  With some inspiration, it's always easier.

It's the same reason I've been leaving behind art trays for Ladybug Girl since she was three.  With some inspiration, she can experiment even if I'm at the office.  Here's another super-easy round up of what's on our shelves:

Pardon the corporate jargon, but  I wanted to say that this is grouped according to "strategic territories".  But I'm really just trying to make it appear more carefully planned!

1.  Same-But-New Materials.   Highly dependent on what you have around, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to pull together.

Leave sandpaper and oil pastels as an invitation.  This is great sensorial art!

Washi tape-resist letters.   I experimented with foam and do-a-dot-markers, but this can be anything really.  Washi tape peels right off, even on regular paper.

  

We had been reading about spiders, so I left a DIY spiderweb for her to do.
This is just a marble in a cup, white paint, and a box lid.
I  wrote "make a Mister Maker spiderweb" on the side of the box.

2.  Slow-Art Trays.  The art equivalent of slow-cooking because it usually takes a long time on our shelves.  And that's fine.  This is where all the lovely gifts are put to use.  When asked what Ladybug Girl wants for a gift, I always say something consumable like art kits and supplies.

She got canvas colouring set from a classmate last Christmas.  I left it out with water-colour pencils and this took months before it got done a little bit at a time.  Great for building patience.

Another example is this great kit I saved from the gifting season when she was two:

I left them out with leftover paint (not the tiny markers it came with) and she did one at a time.

Left: "I need some colour!" invitation.   Middle: "Draw some detail!".   Right: all done.

Different days, different animals until all are done.

Finished!  As in most things at this age, it's all about the process. 

3.  "What Art Can You Make?"  Because art is always a part of our shelves, I started this semi-permanent series of art randomness:

Black foam from packaging as the canvas.  Leftover acrylic paint from a gift set.  And these paper fasteners.

It was untouched because she didn't know what to do as her first time.  So we did this one together after work.  I love that these leave-behinds become a way of learning about my daughter even if I'm work.  

She helped paint the rainbow and clouds.

Another:

I stapled extra cloth to an extra picture frame to make a mini canvas, and set out watercolors.

While Ladybug Girl can read well, these examples are still very intuitive without the signs.  I do notice that the activities with signs get more excitement, even if it's a simple "try this!".

Our first art tray round-up and why we got started with them is here.  I hope you can share some of your favourite art randomness with your kids, so we can try them too!  

See our gallery of leave-behind activity ideas