Art is unfortunately one of the subjects that tends to get put on the back burner in our homeschool studies. Yet it is one of my son's favorite things to do! A while back we had the opportunity to review Home Art Studio DVDs-- a Homeschool Art Curriculum and it has since been a wonderful addition to our homeschool. There are many reasons my children and I have enjoyed the curriculum-- one being that since it is DVD based, so my son can watch it and do an art project any time he likes.
This Name Alien Art Project is one of the many art projects included in the 2nd grade DVD. It looked like such a fun, open-ended creative art project-- I had to join in, too! It is also a fun way to practice cursive writing; or if your child is not ready for cursive, write it for them. Or I suppose you could use print letters instead.
Ready for a fun art project? It is the perfect incentive to get your child to finish his/her work earlier in the day, or a project to do on the weekend, or when the weather keeps you indoors!
Fun Art Project for Kids
First gather your supplies:
- white paper
- pencil {optional}
- sharpie marker
- colored pencils or crayons
To begin, fold your white piece of paper in half. With the closed edge at the bottom {edge closer to you}, you will write your name in cursive letters with a pencil {or eliminate this step and use a sharpie}.
Next turn your paper over and put it up to a window. With the light source from the window, trace the letters you see on the blank side of the paper.
Now comes the fun part! Open your paper up, and your name written in cursive letters now should look "alien-ish!"
With colored pencils or markers, add eyes, a nose, mouth, arms, legs, etc! to your alien. Bring it to life! Turns out to be a wonderful way to unleash creativity!
My son used the cursive T in his name and turned them into eyes. The space between the T and the Y became the alien's mouth. The L were the alien's arms. The letters E and R completed the alien's body and feet. So cool, huh?!
Besides the fun factor of this art project, I love that it is simple and mess-free!
Another option is instead of using a marker to write and trace your name, use puffy paint and then fold the paper in half to get more of a 'blotto' effect. Then continue to design your alien.
Hope you are inspired to add a little art to your day! Enjoy!
- Piet Mondrian Suncatcher Art
- Painting with Nature Process Art
- Seurat Style 4 Season Pointilism Project
- Monet
- Picasso
- Polluck
- Matisse Valentine's Day Art Project
- Van Gogh Starry Night Project
Kristina once thought of going into education, but changed her mind a few years in to her degree. Ironically, she now has her hands full as a homeschooling mother of four. With children of various ages from infant to 7, she shares a variety of educational and play activities for babies through elementary age children on School Time Snippets. Follow along on Facebook and Pinterest.
