Art is creative. Look around, and you will find many items and materials to use for art projects. Recycled materials often make super art materials. Oatmeal boxes can become drums, and margarine lids make great coasters. Try keeping a box of miscellaneous materials available for your child to create with.

Bubble Prints

You will be amazed at the unique look of this project

• Mix a few drops of food coloring into the bubble solution. Pour solution into the pie tin.

• Have your child use the plastic straw to blow bubbles into the solution. For young children, poke a few tiny holes near the top of the straw to keep them from sucking up any of the bubble solution.

• Spread a sheet of paper gently on top of the bubbles to make a print.

Homemade Stickers

Does your child love stickers? Now you can make some from just about any image! This recipe is for adults to prepare. You will then have finished stickers for your child.

• Boil vinegar in a small saucepan.

• Add the gelatin, then reduce to low heat and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add extract and mix well.

• Let the mixture cool before painting on the back of chosen images. Once dry, you will have stamps or stickers the child can use by moistening with a dab of water.

Floating Art

Your toddler can create some very pretty and novel pictures using this technique.

• Fill the pan with water.

• Help your child grate the chalk into powder. Place powder into the cupcake liners.

• Help your child sprinkle the powder onto the water, letting her choose the colors, amounts, and patterns.

• Have her spread a sheet of paper on top of the water to absorb the chalk design.

• Hang the wet picture up to dry.

Spin Art

You may remember creating spin art paintings at the local amusement park when you were a child. Here is a simple homemade version to try.

• Push the paper plate onto the record player by pushing the center peg though the plate. If you are using a salad spinner, you may need to trim the disc of paper before placing it into the spinner.

• Crank the salad spinner to make paper spin.

• Show your child how to hold the marker to draw on the paper while it spins.

What Remains

Your child will enjoy squeezing the glue to make different patterns, and he will be amazed to see his designs glitter and shine!

• Mix salt and glitter in equal proportions. Add sequins if desired.

• Help your child squeeze designs with the glue onto the paper. Swirls and squiggles look better than large puddles.

• Show your toddler how to sprinkle the glitter mixture all over the glue design.

• Shake the paper to adhere all loose glitter mixture possible to the wet glue. Tilt paper to discard remaining glitter mixture.