Remember how I told you not to worry about all the yarn you’d use to make a yarn sensory bin? I promised I’d share a few ideas for using some of that yarn, and this week I’m sharing another one of the art projects we used the yarn for.
We grabbed some and painted with it! Here are the details.
I set up an invitation to create using yellow strands of yarn from our sensory bin, blue strands of yarn from our scrap collection, and washable yellow and blue paint. Of course, you could use as many or as few colors as you’d like.
I didn’t give the kids any directions. I just invited them to come paint. Then I sat back to watch how they approached the task. I always love to see how differently they approach open-ended activities.
For this activity Lovey chose to dip one end of the yarn into the paint while holding on to the other end. Then she would swirl and drag that yarn across the paper.
She did this over and over again using only one hand.
Her finished artwork had thick, heavy lines of paint concentrated mostly in the center of the paper.
Big Buddy used a different approach. He held each end of a string of yarn and dipped the center of it into the paint. Then he would tap the yarn on the paper or swing it back and forth so that it would just barely drag across the paper.
His finished artwork was made of thin lines spread all around the paper.
Have you ever tried yarn painting with kids? What techniques did they use for painting with yarn?
Next week we’ll be back to share more yarn art ideas.
This post has been shared at some of these fantastic link parties.
Jurrien Collins
Hi, This is such a cool art project. I will try it with my art playgroup. By the way, what type of art paper do you normally use? I mean which one would you suggest?
Shaunna
Thanks for your feedback, Jurrien! You could use various types of paper to create art with yarn: construction paper, cardstock, etc. Any paper that absorbs paint pigment well would work!
Happy creating!
Shaunna
Jenn
Just picked up a huge box of yarn from a classroom and brought it to my classroom. I cannot wait to do an open ended art project with my highscope class next week. I then can’t wait to put the yarn in the art area to have there when we get observed on Wednesday.
Shaunna Evans
I love those special discoveries shared from other classrooms! I hope you and your students enjoy your yarn activities. And good luck with your observation!
Jennifer @ Generation ikid
Terrific idea! Thanks for sharing on the Kids Co-Op, which I host on my site along with other bloggers. I’m pinning this one ๐
Jennifer @ Generation iKid
Darcy Wilkin
I do one where they soak most of a length of yarn with paint and lay it on one side of a paper that’s been folded in half and reopened. They hang onto the end, close the paper and hold it down while they slowly pull out the yarn. Symmetrical, very Rorshach-like results.
Alicia Owen
I would have never thought to use yarn to paint with! I have more yarn than I know what to do with, though, so I’m sure we can spare some to paint with. ๐
Shaunna Evans
Ha! It seems yarn definitely tends to accumulate around here, too. Have fun painting! ๐
Kelly
It’s been so long since we’ve done this…I’m not even sure I’ve done it with my younger two. We’ll have to give it a try one afternoon, it looks like your kids had fun. Thanks for sharing at the After School Link Party.
Barb Moody
We folded the paper in half, then opened it back up. Holding one end of the yarn, almost the whole length was submerged in the paint. Use a Popsicle stick to push it under. Then pull it out and arranged it on one half of the paper with the clean end sticking out. Fold paper over and hold down the middle while pulling out the string. It creates some really cool effects, especially repeating with different colors.
Shaunna Evans
That sounds really interesting, Barb! We’ll have to give that a try next time. I’m really intrigued to see what kinds of designs we could make. Thanks for sharing.
Ann @ My Nearest and Dearest
So cool, Shaunna (and easy, which is always a plus!). I love the blue and yellow colour combo.
jeannine: waddleeahchaa
Wow, such a modern art look! Fabulous. We haven’t painted with yarn so we need to put it on our to do list.
We can combine it with one of my favorite math books. Just How Long Can a Long String Be? by Keith Baker
Shaunna Evans
Ooh, I love the math connection. I’ll have to find that book. Thanks for sharing.