Toddler Art Class: Foil Sculpting

Shiny silver, squishy, squeaky, scratchy sculptures.

Art Project: 
Supplies:
aluminum foil

Book:   

Stars / Ray, Mary Lyn

 What Kids Do: 
--Feel the different textures of foil (smooth or crinkled)

 --Listen to the different sounds you can make with foil (scrubbing it across a textured tabletop, crinkling it, throwing it up into the air, walking on it)

 

 --Tried different sculpting techniques (twisting, tearing, squeezing (not pictured:  biting))

 --Shaped it into balls.  Lots and lots of foil balls.

 --Stuffed it into their pockets (more than one kid did this!)

 --created other toys (top photo might have been a telescope?  And I was informed that the second picture below was a violin.)

What the adults did:
--This project was too much fun for the grown-ups to keep their hands off.  I saw some really great clothing and accessories made from foil!

Hindsight Tip:  I wasn't sure how this activity would go over, but everyone had such a great time and played for quite a while with their foil.  The surprise of this activity for me was actually the popularity of the book.  Between the three classes, at least five different parents cuddled up with their young ones to read this book one-on-one while the rest of the class played with their foil.  I love this book too and it was perfect for this project as it talks about how you can "make a shiny star to keep in your pocket."

Adult Challenge:  Follow your kid's lead.  (i.e. if they're done playing in 2 minutes, call it a day!  If they want to make the foil into a ball and play catch, go right ahead!  Let them develop the interactions from their own ideas and at their own pace.)