We explored Mindfulness in Art with our last instalment on Kids in Adelaide with Nature Mandalas, with objects collected from the beach and the dunes. Thanks for the great images that came in with your beautiful mandalas…..amazing!!
In this instalment of Mindfulness in Art we are using all the beautiful shells we collected for our nature mandala to create a mobile. A project like this is even more satisfying when you are on holidays, creating beautiful memories and you can bring home an artwork to hang on your walls forever!
You will need the following:
* Shells from the beach – it is so much easier to collect shells that already have a small hole already in them….
* Small metal skewer for poking holes, or even a thick darning needle or tiny screwdriver (Mum’s you will need to do the hole creating as this is an extremely hard task….not so much mindfulness in this part, just patience!!!)
* Piece of drift wood
* Fishing wire
* Scissors
Have all of your beautiful shells cleaned and dry. Talk with your child about the type of pattern you would like to create with your shells. We used 4 lines with three shells on each string. This took about 40 minutes to create once we had designed the pattern. So, a little time consuming but well worth the effort!
Tie knots at the bottom of the fishing line and get your child to string the first shell through a natural or man-made hole. I then tied another knot at the bottom of where I wanted the other shell to sit and continued this process until I was satisfied I had enough shells on my string.
Repeat with the next string.
Place them all on the drift wood. Tie another piece of fishing line at the top on both ends. You will use this to hang your new creation!
We explored Mindfulness in Art with our last instalment on Kids in Adelaide with the Shell Mobiles you created from your slow walks along the beach…or fast walks if your children are smaller and faster! In this instalment of Mindfulness in Art we are using nothing but our own bodies and our imaginations. This activity can be used from children as young as three to your teenagers, boy or girl! Regardless of age, it is engaging and teaches the pattern as a visual element of art through the slow and repetitious repeating structure of line and form. This echoes the elements of an artwork to communicate a sense of balance, rhythm and movement. My 13 year old son created the following art work and found the experience satisfying and soothing, especially with his favourite music playing in the background. Children in the art room from Reception to Year 6 also find this activity engaging and the noise levels drop rapidly as they all start focusing on patterns and colours. Bliss! You will need the following: * A pencil and eraser for drafting, * A thin black F-pen or something similar for the outlines, * Pencils or textas for colouring, *…
As the warmer weather is approaching and we are able to enjoy our parks and beaches again I want to explore two of my favourite things…art and mindfulness! We can create art anywhere! It is such a great medium to allow us to be ‘present’ or ‘in the moment’ as we are thinking and concentrating on creating, allowing the pace of the world to just slow down. So welcome to the first part of Mindfulness in Art! Nature Mandalas A Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘Circle’ and represents harmony and balance. Nature mandalas can be made anywhere, with anything! I was lucky enough to spend some time on the beautiful Kangaroo Island in the holidays and collected shells and plants with my boys to create mandalas on the beach. You need to start at the centre and place your collections in a pattern, from the middle and working out to the sides. As my canvas was huge (the whole beach) I just needed to decide when it looked balanced and in harmony. During this quiet time, we were also able to observe (due to the silent time) a pair of nesting oyster catchers quietly going about their business…
The leaves are beginning to slowly change colour, which can mean only one thing, autumn is on it’s way! Autumn is the season of colour, and by far my favourite. I remember I used to go out of my way to step on a crunchy leaf, and for some reason it still brings out the child in me! These activities have been created with young children and preschoolers in mind, but they’re equally as satisfying for older age groups too (ahem, even really big kids at heart!). They’re easy and quick to put together and especially great for keeping those toddlers busy while you get something else done, or better yet, sit down and have a cuppa, or read that magazine you bought three weeks ago that’s still sitting on the kitchen counter! Contact Art You will need: Clear contactBlack card or brown paper, cut into a trunk and then some branch shapes. Homemade leaves (you could pre paint/fingerpaint some autumn colours with your child and cut it into leaf shapes)Or craft leaves from a variety shopSticky tape To begin… Cut some contact off the roll and round off the top. Then pull off the paper backing. Stick this (with…
I am a Mum of three gorgeous teenage boys, residing in the beautiful Adelaide Hills. As a visual arts teacher I am surrounded by creative, young minds that continually astound and inspire me. I love being active and enjoy holding Sister Circles in the Hills than enable women to connect, find clarity and calmness in their lives.
“The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands” Leonardo Da Vinci