Sticky Wall Art
Let the kids create a crazy (clean!) collage on the wall!
Submitted by
Kayla Chong
Kayla Chong
Can't stop your kids from using your walls as their canvas? Have them create a wall-sized, glue-free collage that will both satisfy their artistic (or destructive) urges and spare your paintjob. If you can't beat them, join them!
- Wall:A long, windowless wall works best.
- Contact paper:About five feet. (Adjust the length to the size of your wall.) Find it at your local hardware store.
- Masking tape
- Collage materials:Ribbon, stickers, yarn, paper scraps, magazine clippings, plastic gems, stones, feathers, playing cards, wrapping paper, aluminum foil, beads, shells, toilet paper rolls, all kinds of pasta—pretty much anything that'll stick to the contact paper. Except for pet hamsters and goldfish. In other words, no living collage materials, kids!
- Bucket or basket:Have the kids contain their mess by placing all of their collage materials in a receptacle. (If only there was a bucket big enough to fit your child's bedroom into so you could contain that mess!)
- Camera:Optional.
Horizontally tape the contact paper sticky-side out on the wall at your child's eye level. Do not remove the backing until you are ready to make the collage or you'll just get dust bunnies and dog hair stuck to it.
Have the kids collect their collage materials. Encourage them to use their imaginations: the sky's the limit! As long as it's not alive and won't rot or stink, it's game!
Remove the backing from the contact paper.
Let the kids stick on their stuff! They can spell their names out in noodles or create a face with a ribbon mouth, a toilet-paper-roll nose, bottle-cap eyes and yarn hair. Or they can just create an abstract piece of "art" by sticking anything, anywhere.
When the children have finished their masterpiece, take a photo of it (and one with them in front of it). Then, have them destroy it (which actually might be more fun for some kids). Once everything is unstuck and back in the box, have them go at it again. Take a photo. Repeat.
- This is a good birthday party activity. Place the collage materials in paper bowls, hand them out to each kid and let them create a collage mural together!
- Kids gone collage crazy? Let Nick Jr. help with these printable veggie collages from Saxton Freymann.
Submit!
