Preschool art is about exploration and hands-on experiences.
The focus should be on open-ended discoveries and not so much on the final product. Let your preschooler lead the art activity.
If you are doing the challenge below and your child wishes to create something other than a bug that is okay!
What is important is giving the freedom to explore how to create with their hand and basic tools to stretch their imagination and creative thinking.
STEAM Preschool Art Challenge: Build a Bug Habitat
This activity is re-printed with permission from STEAM:Preschool Activities for STEM Enrichment
Learning Objective:
Create a bug’s environment with a variety of art mediums.
Materials Needed for Fall Bug Habitat
Air Dry Clay / Clay
Crayons
Watercolor Paint or Tempera Paint
Nature Objects (twigs, leaves, or flowers)
Paper Plate
School Glue or Hot Glue (optional and adult use recommended)
Directions for Making a Fall Bug Habitat
Step 1: Go on a nature walk and analyze what trees look like during the season of fall. Keep an eye out for any bugs you spot along the way. You may wish to have your preschooler record what they see in a science journal. Collect a few twigs as you take your walk.
Step 2: Once back at home, draw a tree on a paper plate with crayon. Paint with watercolor over the crayon to fill the paper plate (Lil B painted the plate blue to represent the sky).
Step 3: Glue a small branch or stick on to the paper plate to create a three-dimensional tree.
Step 4: Add details such as leaves or other branches to the paper plate.
Step 5: Using air dry clay or regular clay, create a bug or insect for your tree.
Step 6: Once the clay is dried you may paint the bug and attach to your habitat.
It so happens Lil B had learned about spiders at school so he wanted to create a spider! He wanted to include a spider web for the spider so we added some white yarn to our tree. We don’t have a lot of fall leaves yet so we created some colorful fall leaves from coffee filters painted with watercolors.
