Bring home a fun new project! Sign up from our Library Calendar and pick up a kit at the Youth Services desk or through our Parking Lot Pickup service between December 20-January 14.
Toddler & PreK: DIY Paint Brushes
Turn some common items and clothespins into paint brushes to see what you can create. Register for the December/January Toddler & PreK Take-and-Make Kit here.
Your Kit Contains:
- 5 sheets of cardstock
- 8 clothes pins
- 2 pipe cleaners
- 2 pieces of sponge
- 4 feathers
- 1 pom pom
- 1 sheet of aluminum foil
- 3 cups of different colored paint
Instructions:
1. Take all of your items out of the box.
2. Assemble paintbrushes by attaching one clothes pin to each of the 5 different materials in the box. For example: secure just 1 or all 4 feathers to a clothespin to create a feather brush.
3. Optional—find 3 more materials from around the house to create your own paintbrushes with the extra clothespins.
4. Use assembled brushes to apply paint to a sheet of cardstock.
5. Let dry.
6. Enjoy your artwork!
Extension Questions/Discussion:
- Identify each color paint by name.
- Can you mix the paint colors together to create new colors?
- What other types of things do you think would make good paintbrushes? Why?
- How do each of the different paintbrushes feel as you put paint on the paper? Which one is hardest to use? Which one is easiest?
- How does the paint look on the paper with each of the different paintbrushes? Describe it.
- Which brush is your favorite? Why?
Show us what you created! Send us pictures at youthservices@balibrary.org.
Grades K-2: Pour Painting
Drip, drop, pour, and spread paint to create a unique work of art. Register for the December/January Grades K-2 Take-and-Make Kit here.
Supplies in your kit:
- Canvas
- 3 bottles of tempera paint
You’ll also need:
- Disposable cups (or something to hold up your canvas while you paint)
1. Find a surface where you can get a little messy. You can lay out a tablecloth, some paper towels, or whatever you have on hand.
2. Arrange four disposable cups so that you can rest your canvas on top.
3. Open your bottles of paint and begin to pour the paint directly onto the canvas from the bottle. I made squiggly lines, but feel free to experiment.
4. Continue pouring the paint onto the canvas, until a majority of your canvas is covered in paint.
5. Once you have enough paint on the canvas, pick up your canvas and begin to move it around in different directions, so that the paint will drip into the empty spaces and cover the whole canvas.
6. Let your canvas dry overnight.
Show us what you created! Send us pictures at youthservices@balibrary.org.
Grades 3-8: DIY Calendar
Put your personal touch on this monthly calendar and use it to keep track of important events throughout the year. Register for the December/January Grades 3-8 Take-and-Make Kit here.
Your Kit contains:
- Blank calendar
- 5 markers or pens
- 1 set of holiday stickers
- 1 set of colored stickers
- 2022 Calendar print out
- Holiday date print out
1. Flip open the calendar, in the long rectangle on the top of each calendar page label the correct month.
2. Use the provided sheet to number the days of the month in the corresponding boxes.
3. The holiday stickers correspond with the listed Holidays and their dates on the sheet of paper. Locate the dates on your calendar and add the correct sticker.
4. Add dates that are important to you and your family: birthdays, sporting events, lessons, beginning of a new season, appointments, special plans, etc…
5. Use the provided pens and decorate the calendar however you choose. Feel free to use any materials that you have at home to add to the calendar design. Magazines, glitter glue, colored pencils, anything!
Show us what you created! Send us pictures at youthservices@balibrary.org.
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Alyssa