This document provides information and ideas for children's art programs at libraries. It includes a list of 2D and 3D art forms, as well as performing arts. Research is cited showing benefits of art education, such as higher academic achievement. Specific program ideas are then outlined, such as a garden mural project where children submit artwork, a painting event to create ideas for the mural, and tips for facilitating a mural painting with children. Additional art project ideas and materials needed are also listed.

1. Suzanne Walker
Children’s Services Consultant
Indiana State Library
suwalker@library.in.gov
Twitter: @suzieecw

2.  2 dimensional art
◦ Painting
◦ Drawing
◦ photography
 3 dimensional art
◦ Sculpture
◦ Paper mache
 Performing arts – Poetry as a performance

3. Students who study art are 4 times more likely
to be recognized for academic achievement
and 3 times more likely to be awarded for
school attendance.
Source: Education Fund / NYSFLT

4.  Murals
 Paper Mache
 Easy Peasy Pastels
 Eric Carle Fruit Bowls
 Prints
 Still Life
 Go Outside
 Copy from the masters
 Your ideas?

7. Garden of Imagination Mural
We need your artwork to use in a mural we will be painting
together on the library wall! What does a fairy look like?
What color is a troll? Draw, color or paint people, animals,
or scenes from your favorite fairytale and hand in your
paintings to the library. Your paintings will not be
returned.
Use your imagination! Your drawings don’t have to look
like those in books. The entire community is invited to
submit artwork. Here is a list of the fairytales we will use:
The Gingerbread Man / The Cow Jumped Over the Moon /
Humpty Dumpty / Jack and the Beanstalk / Billy Goats
Gruff / The Frog Prince / Rapunzel.

8. Get Creative with Painting! Come make
tempera paintings on paper to get ideas
for the mural. We will be painting pictures
of people, animals, or scenes from your
favorite fairytale at this event. Use your
imagination! Wear old clothes. Adults
invited to stay! Here is a list of the
fairytales we will use: The Gingerbread
Man / The Cow Jumped Over the Moon /
Humpty Dumpty / Jack and the Beanstalk /
Billy Goats Gruff / The Frog Prince /
Rapunzel

9. What: At this program we will be painting a
wall at our library with permanent paint. You
do not have to be an artist to paint. The
painting will be roughed out for us ahead of
time. You may submit artwork to be included
on the wall. See details above.

16.  Real live HOUSE PAINT
 Small containers to pour it in
 Floor coverings (a MUST)
 Tubs of hot soapy water if you need to rinse
as you go
 Latex paint will clean off brushes with soap
and water
 Art smocks or old tee shirts

17.  Searched for Starry Night Color Sheets

21.  Plotting the numbers
 Do on paper
 Do on Wall

23.  Kids!
 Each kid
had one
color at a
time.
 We
worked in
shifts.

24.  Parents helped…

25. Day One

27. Day Two

28. Day Three

29. After the final clean up

33.  www.create-a-mural.com
 http://fairydustteaching.blogspot.com/2011/
07/monets-mural.html
 I love this next one:
 http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/2008/10/
oil-pastel-landscape.html
 And she’s on Pinterest! Art Projects for Kids.org

34.  Arts and music education programs are
mandatory in countries that rank consistently
among the highest for math and science test
scores, like Japan, Hungary, and the
Netherlands.
Source: Education Fund / NYSFLT

35.  We did this over three sessions.
◦ Session One: First layer of paper mache
◦ Session Two: Second Layer of paper mache
◦ Session Three: Painting
Then I took them home and my friend and I cut out
all the holes with a power tool/saw thingy.

36.  Newspaper
 Copy Paper
 Balloon
 Paper or Plastic Bowls
 Glue
 Towels and / or rags
 Large tarp to cover floor
 Plastic covering for tables

37.  Prep your room by covering all surfaces with
tarps or plastic tablecloths
 Blow up balloons first. Takes too long to do
with kids in room.
 Place each balloon on a plastic bowl.
 Mix your glue (I used: 1 part Elmer’s, 1 part
water, and about a ¼ part corn starch).
 Place a bowl, bucket, or bin of glue for every
set of four children

38.  Have several hand-cleaning stations where
children can rinse their hands off. I just used
a couple of towels spread on the floor with a
bucket of warm water on sitting in the
middle. Have lots of towels or rags available
to dry off.
 Children should not have any jewelry on their
hands or arms and should pull all hair back.

39.  Now you are ready.
 Bring the kids in. Put them in their paint
shirts or smocks (I use old tee shirts).
 Have the “rules” talk. I sit them on the floor
away from the glue.
 Start by having them tear a lot of paper. We
used a small baby pool to hold it all.

40.  Do a demonstration of paper mache while the
kids are still not by the glue
 Have kids take armload of paper to their table
and begin
 Be sure to explain that they only have to
cover one side of their balloon
 Use newspaper only for first session

41.  You will need a method for putting kids
names near their work.
 I used paper hotdog holders to put the kids
names on and tape on the table
 This will go quicker than you think. My
session was an hour and we could have been
done in ½ hour or 45 minutes.
 As the children leave the room, have them
wipe their feet. The glue will be everywhere.

44.  This time, use white computer paper. It’s lots
easier to paint over
 Repeat all process of day one

45.  For the painting session, you will be really
happy not to be gluing. Just have the kids
paint away. If you are cutting holes later, be
sure to clearly mark those with a marker
before the kids leave.

49.  http://www.dltk-
kids.com/type/how_to_paper_mache.htm
 http://ultimatepapermache.com/paper-
mache-recipes

50.  Researchers find that sustained learning in
music and theatre correlates strongly with
higher achievement in both math and
reading.
Source: Education Fund / NYSFLT

54.  http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/2010/01/
bernard-hoyes-inspired-dancing-lady.html
 Once again, I’ve used the above website.
 Picture based on Bernard Hoyes Dancing Lady
 You need zero creativity for this.

62.  Multiple studies have concluded that
curricular and extracurricular art studies and
activities help keep high-risk dropout
students stay in school.
Source: Education Fund / NYSFLT

63.  Eric Carle Fruit Bowls
 Color sections with crayons (hard)
 Go over with water colors
 Cut out shapes
 Paste into “bowl”
 Share Eric Carle’s books. Once again, you
need no creativity for this.

69.  Prints…
◦ Take a piece of cardboard and cover it with items
that give it texture like gluing string, buttons, craft
foam.

71.  Cover this with paint and press a piece of
paper on top of your “stamp.”
 Let the kids go wild. Talk about abstract art.
 Guess how much creativity you need for this.

76.  Still Life
◦ Create an interesting group of objects and have
kids draw what they see

86.  Rubbings
◦ Leaves
◦ Shoe bottoms
 Drawing with Different Mediums
 Finger Painting
 Collages
 Working with clay
 Painting objects

88.  Crayons
 Watercolors
 Decent Paint Brushes
 Paper – I use card stock for water colors a lot
 Consider half sheets
 Consider other mediums…pastels, charcoal,
acrylic paint, colored pencils, poster paint
 Art smocks/old tee shirts

90.  New brain research shows that not only does
music improve skills in math and reading, but
it promotes creativity, social development,
personality adjustment, and self-worth.
Source: Education Fund / NYSFLT

91.  This is the part where Suzanne talks about
theatre!

92. Thanks for listening!
Suzanne Walker
Indiana State Library
suwalker@library.in.gov
Twitter: @suzieecw