Mixed Media Activity

Create a collage (and clean up the house)!

Submitted by
Andrey Ragozin

Is your child a budding Matisse? Encourage his collage-making talents with this crafty activity. It's a great way to get rid of all the extra paper cluttering up your house.

Paper:
Computer paper, wrapping paper, junk mail, newspaper, magazine pages, catalogs, cardboard, old greeting cards, your Amex bill.
Watercolor, tempera, gouache or acrylic paints
Paint brushes
Glue or rubber cement
Scissors
Plastic table cloth or extra newspaper:
Something you don't mind getting dirty.

Cover your table with a plastic table cloth or newspaper.
Have the kids gather up various types of paper. Just make sure junior doesn't get his hands on your tax returns.
Have the kids paint the paper with the watercolor, acrylic or gouache. Watercolor will give the most translucent coverage and gouache or tempera, the most opaque.
Let the paper dry. Kids impatient? Use a blow-dryer to speed the process. You may even get a chance to use it on your tresses.
When the paper is dry, have the kids rip or cut the painted paper into pieces. Mom can chip in, too; it's a great way to get out some aggression.
Get a clean sheet of paper or cardboard to use as the palette.
Help your children glue the pieces of paper on the palette to create your mixed-media collage! MoMA may end up calling!
When your kids have completed the project, have them sign it. All great artists sign their work.
Ask the kids to describe what they've created and then write it down on the back. If only we could understand the impulses behind all abstract art!