Feel free to share what you create, using #pmaartathome!

Decorate Your Flowerpots
Staying home doesn’t have to be a bore!  Collect your clay or plastic flower pots from around the house and give them a face lift! Arrange tape in different patterns and add paint in your favorite design.

DIY Journals
To continue our series of fun art activities while you’re staying home, here’s a tutorial on creating your own journals!
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  1. Grab some construction or cardstock and decorate your journal cover then add up to 8 sheets of copy paper inside.
  2. Fold in half and use an x-acto knife to poke three evenly spaced holes along the spine. 
  3. String thick thread or yarn through the holes starting from the inside of the middle hole (see photo), then tie off your binding.
  4. Write away!

Homemade Rainsticks
You can make a musical instrument from things you already have at home with this fun rainstick activity. 
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  1. Grab an empty paper towel roll.
  2. Cover one end with aluminum foil or paper, and secure with tape.
  3. Fill ⅓ of tube with rice, small grains/beans, or beads
  4. Stick flathead pins or small nails all along the outside of the tube and tape over the exposed heads.
  5. Cover the other end of the tube with foil or paper and secure with tape.
  6. Cover the outside of your tube with paper and decorate.
  7. Tip tube back and forth to hear the magic!

Macrame Key Chains

Add a little something to your keys or bags with these macrame keychains. Grab some thin cotton rope, twine, hemp string, or yarn and measure out the necessary length for your knot style (see link). Create knots, braids, and tassels onto your key ring or directly on your bag zipper. Add beads or charms as desired. 

https://www.thinkmakeshareblog.com/macrame-keychains/?9267747129

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Citrus Painting

Not using those limes or lemons fast enough? Turn them into stamps! Slice citrus in half, and paint a light layer of pigment on top, and press on to paper. You can either squeeze the juice first, or embrace a messier process - it's up to you!

Coffee Filter Snowflakes

It may be getting warmer outside, but these coffee filter snowflakes are a great way to teach your kids about symmetry, pattern, and color mixing. 
  1. Grab a handful of coffee filters
  2. Use watercolor or markers and a spray bottle to bring them to life.  
  3. Unfold and let dry
  4. Fold into thirds
  5. Cut shapes into the edges
  6. Group together in a wall hanging or collaged composition

https://onelittleproject.com/coffee-filter-snowflakes/

Pinwheels

These fun kinetic toys are super easy to make from home. Grab some colorful paper or design your own, and cut a slit into each of the four corners. Fold over the triangle shape into the center, and pin with a tack into a pencil or straw. Take them outside to enjoy the warm breeze!

https://www.hgtv.com/design/make-and-celebrate/handmade/kids-craft-easy-pencil-pinwheel

Fantasy Animals

Do you have a favorite animal? Maybe two? What makes each of them special? Combine two or three animals into one and sketch what you imagine them to look like. The more different the animals, the funnier they will be!

Rainbow Tambourines

Sticking around the house can be a bit dull - but these rainbow tambourines are sure to brighten up your day! Snag a few paper plates, a handful of cotton balls, a hole punch, some ribbon/yarn, and a few bells or things that jingle. Fold your paper plate in two, punching 5-7 holes evenly around the curved edge. Stuff the semicircle with cotton balls. Tie off each hole with the yarn/ribbon and add a jingle or two to each string. Paint or draw a rainbow design on each side of your tambourine, and get to making some music!
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Salt Painting

Salt can be more than a seasoning, it can be part of your art! Draw out a composition on a heavy sheet of paper and outline it with an even ribbon of white glue. Place your sheet in a box or on a pan, and shake enough salt to cover the glue. Shake off the excess salt. Add food coloring drops or watercolor to the salt, and watch the color expand!

Vision Board Collages

Create a special piece of art that reminds you of your dreams and goals! Talk with your kiddos about their interests, what they want to be when they grow up, and any dreams they hope to accomplish by the end of the year. Flip through old books, magazines, newspapers, etc. to find images that relate to these goals. Cut out the images and collage onto your board. Add keywords with each image through stamps, stencils or stickers. Customize the colors and design to feel like you!

Crayon Leaf Rubbings

Make some time to get outside while you’re at home. Take a walk through your yard, neighborhood, or park and pick out leaves or flowers you like. Arrange them in a composition you like and lay a sheet of paper over top. Use the side of crayons or color pencils to lightly color overtop the leaves and flowers to reveal their texture on the page. Want to see more art inspired by nature? Check out our virtual STEAM2020 exhibition tour now. 

Topographic Paper Collage

Capture the ups and downs of the Earth's surface with paper! Start by sketching a large amorphic shape onto a sheet of construction paper and cut it out. Layer it on top of another sheet of construction paper, either a different color or shade of the same, and trace in pencil, then sketch a similar shape about 1 inch within the original shape's boundary. Repeat as many times as you'd like to build up a topographic sculpture. Adhere each layer on top of one another with a small piece of cardboard in the center as support so you can define all of the layers. 

Want to mix it up? Use the outside paper cuts to create an inverted version similar to a lake!

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Upcycle Robots

Have some old knick knacks or recyclables laying around? Get creative! Dream up a robot or character you can make with what you'd normally discard or give away - cans, utensils, bottle caps,  broken objects, old CD's, empty pens, etc. Use wire and hot glue to compose your characters and use your imagination to bring them to life.

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Flash Sheets

Inspired by the artwork of Poppy Garcia, it's time to doodle the day away. Think up a theme - it could be anything you love - and make a list of things, people, or phrases that could relate to that theme. Draw a compact composition of those things or phrases to fill every nook and cranny of the page. Have fun with proportion, texture, and pattern!

Fun fact: Flash sheets are traditionally used in tattoo studios as a composition of predesigned tattoos for customers to choose from. They are often hand drawn and displayed in their studios or traded between tattoo artists.

Popsicle Stick Planes

Popsicle sticks are the perfect mini construction material for two reasons - sure, you can make almost anything from them, but we really love them because they give you an excuse to finish the sweet treats in your freezer. Grab two large and two small popsicle sticks and glue them onto a wooden clothespin. The two large become the wings, one small for the tail, and the other small for the propeller. Once you have it assembled, decorate as you wish with markers, paint, beads, etc. Up, up, and away!

Doily Mandalas

Bring some peace into your life with this colorful activity. Grab a pack of paper doilies from the supermarket. Use a glue stick or spray mount to lightly adhere a doily to a sheet of paper as a stencil. Apply watercolor, chalk, color pencil, etc. overtop the doily, and then gently peel the doily from the paper. Voila! You're left with a beautiful mandala design.

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DIY Spinners

These paper and cardboard spinners are super easy and a great exercise in creating an optical illusion. Cut out one 4-inch disc from cardboard, and two matching discs from paper. Adhere the paper discs onto either side of the cardboard disc. Decorate each side of your disc with a circular and symmetrical design. Poke two holes in the center of the disc, and string yarn or cotton cord through each hole, knotting them together at each end. Twist the cords and watch the disc spin!
Other Activities and Resources
Virtually visit museums and landmarks around the world with Google Arts & Culture
https://artsandculture.google.com/?hl=en

MetKids
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/metkids/

Smithsonian Educator Resources
https://www.si.edu/educators/resources

Color Our Collections
coloring pages for children and adults
http://library.nyam.org/colorourcollections/
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