Hands-On Ones & Twos: Bag Art, Pasta, and Play Dough

My patrons are totally digging these Hands-On programs. In my previous post, I gave a bit more detail on the structure and how to use this Hands-on Ones & Twos program within a library setting. This time, I’ll focus on the particulars of bag art, pasta, and play dough–my most recent venture.

Set-up: I always find inspiration online. Books are an excellent resource but online blogs are much more truthful, detailed, and usually provide more pictures of the craft in-action. For librarians, keep in mind that these crafts MUST be able to be modified to large groups. The other day, I pinned a picture of a “baby drum circle” and then went, “wait…there’s going to be 20 1-year-olds in one room…”

• 1-year-olds & Bag Art: The Hippie Housewife provided this splendid, no-mess craft. I’ve stated before that 1-year-olds in a big group with a time “structure” of 30 minutes are a little too hesitant to get messy. So are the parents, particularly the new parents. So this craft was great. Our camera was slowly dying during this program so I wasn’t able to get any good pictures, sadly. However, the Hippie Housewife blog pictures are pretty accurate. At the beginning, we had a few kids jabbing the sharpies into the bags (because, hey, why not?) and that created minor holes but after that there was no leakage.
  Materials: Sharpie for writing the name on the bag, freezer Ziploc bag, finger paints (have a bit thicker consistency), white paper underneath bag to provide contrast, duct tape
• 1-year-olds, 2-year-olds & playdough & pasta: Spice up playdough with pasta! Holly’s Arts and Crafts Corner presents an alternate activity that combines dried pasta with playdough. All the different names, shapes, sizes, and toughness of pasta is a great talking activity for contrasting and comparing. 2-year-olds can also practice threading or use their imagination to create something.
  Materials: Playdough, all different types of pasta, place mat/wax paper/parchment paper, the right state of mind to not worry about Playdough getting mixed together
  
  

  Threading rigatoni (thicker than penne)

  

  

  Creating things

  

  So proud!
• 2-year-olds & pasta brooms: Blog Me Mom offered this “no mess” painting option. She covered a whole table with poster paper, but I used individual, thick paper so the kids could take their art home. The pasta brooms are a great way to show parents that art can be created with anything.
  Materials: Spaghetti, rubber bands, stove (Bind bunch of spaghetti with rubber band, submerse whole wand in water and cook 10-12 minutes periodically stirring and separating ends), “artist” thick paper, globs of tempura paint in the corners
  
  

  Pasta brooms before we started

  

  

  SO MUCH FUN!

  

  One kids didn’t like the pasta wands so he finger painted instead. Way to go mom for knowing his limits and encouraging him to still be creative!

  

  The final result

Feedback: A great time was enjoyed throughout and there is definitely a demand for more. I see my numbers climbing each time I have one and rarely anyone is absent from the attendance list. Fun and easy!