Inexpensive Homeschool Art Projects
Homeschool art projects can be fun an inexpensive. What preschooler doesn't like to play with color crayons, glue, and play dough? Older students sometimes wish that they can draw.
Preschool Art Project
Homeschool art projects for preschoolers should be easy for them to do. Provide large crayons for your child to use. Colored glue sticks are easier to use than liquid glue. Provide play dough and cookie cutters.
Here are some simple projects.
My children liked to color with crayons. To teach about texture I would give them objects to place under a piece of paper. If you place double backed tape on the object and table (you can use an old table cloth to protect the table) the object does not move around. Place the paper over the top. Take the side of a crayon and color over the object. We have used such items as coins, leaves, and stencils that we had on hand.
To teach my children how to spell their name I took white glue and drew their name in glue on a piece of paper. My child would place yarn over the glue.
Craft Items to Collect
Start collecting items to use for art. When you are at frabic and craft stores look for items that are on sale. Also go to the dollar stores to find inexpensive items.
Items that you can buy on sale are: ribbon, stickers, pipe cleaners, buttons, cotton balls.
Also before you throw anything away ask yourself if you can use the item in a craft project. Things to keep are bottle caps, plastic containers, and frozen juice can lids. Be creative almost anything can be used for homeschool art projects.
There are a lot of art projects that you can do with you collection. Make trucks out of gelatin boxes and bottle caps. Cut the box so that there is a cab and bed of a truck. Paint the box. Glue on four bottle caps for wheels.
Sheep can be made out of cotton balls, craft sticks and paper. Birds can be made out of cotton balls and plastic eggs.
Make puppets out of paper lunch bags. Use yarn for hair and buttons for eyes.
Books
If you run out of ideas, go to your local library or bookstore for children's craft books.
We used a children' craft book series called Fun Projects for Kids to Do by Better Homes and Gardens. I have Dandy Dinosaurs, Day and Night, Water Wonders, On the Farm, Bird Buddies, and At the Zoo. Each book has several crafts that related to the theme of the book. Most of the items can be found in your craft collection.
Elementary Art projects
An elementary child has more control of his find motor skills. So you can try to teach drawing at this time. Your child can also do more in the way of crafts. In the later elementary grades, try quilting, or knitting. For boys try woodworking.
Here has some more fun and easy paper-cutting for kids. A resource site for parents, preschool and elementary school teachers to do paper crafts with children. Visit Tongs Paper Cutting. Where you will find lots of free patterns for you to enjoy.
Also try to find homeschool art projects that relate to what you are teaching your child.When we were learning about the ocean they colored fish and plants and placed them on a large piece of paper. We then took plastic wrap and placed over the picture. My children have used star stickers to make constellations.
I also used a art curriculum called "Art with a Purpose". Art with a Purpose" is a Christian art program that teaches how to cut, and how to shade with color crayons. All of my children liked the program.
I think that a fun project would be to make props for a story. You could read "The Three Pigs". Have the children make three houses. Make three simple house shapes to glue onto craft sticks. For the house of straw use yellow shredded paper. Glue the yellow paper onto the house. For the house of sticks find twigs to glue onto the paper house. For the house of bricks cut rectangles out of red craft foam. Use the houses to act out the story.
Crafts are also important for homeschool art projects. Elementary students like to be able to give gifts. The craft store has a lot of kits that you can buy for a reasonable cost.
Craft foam is a wonderful product for children. My children have made Christmas ornaments, picture frames, and door hangers out of the foam. Many kits are available. A lot of the foam is precut as stickers.
Another kit that takes a little more time to do is cross stitch or embroidery. Use a small simple kit for your child's first time. My oldest daughter made a small ornament for her first and only project.
If you know how to sew, quilt, knit, or crochet later elementary is a good time to start to teach you skill to your daughter. If your husband knows how to do woodworking have him teach your son.
Drawing is also a fun homeschool art project. We used Drawing Textbook by Bruce McIntyre. The book teaches the seven laws of perspective and alignment.
If you are adventurous paints can be tried. I had carpet in the dinning room so I did not do much with paint.
High School Art Projects
High school is a time to prefect art projects that you child is good at. Also allow them input into what they want to learn. Are they interested in stain glass or making jewelry?
Now would be a time to bring art appreciation into your curriculum if you have not done so before. Study the great artists.
Web Gallery of Art has paintings by famous artists. Also visit local art museums.
Webster's dictionary defines art as making or doing of things that have form and beauty so I have included crafts in homeschool art projects.
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