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Stages of Art Development

1. Manipulative

  • purpose is to manipulate various materials

  • random scribbles

  • pound, squeeze and tear clay

  • paint thickly over entire paper

  • children are not yet making representations

2. Design or Patterning

  • typically develops by age 4

  • experimentation

  • beginning to master implements used

  • children discover lines (straight, curved, open, closed, etc.)

  • dots and spaces are used

3. Naming or Symbolic

  • often during age 4

  • children make pictures or models of things

  • children voluntarily tell what they made and often tell stories involving their work

  • often there is not a clear and sustained objective in mind as they begin to work

  • often begin making one thing and then call it something else

4. Representation

  • typically develops by age 5 or 6, sometimes earlier

  • children's art resembles the objects represented

  • at first many details are missing and objects do not represent reality

 
Art Recipes
  
 

Dough (uncooked)

  
What you need:
4 cups flour 
1 cup salt 
2 Tbs. cooking oil
1 to 1 1/2 cups cold water 
food coloring		   What to do: 
1. Mix flour, salt, oil 
2. Add food coloring to water 
3. Gradually add water to flour mixture 
4. Knead 
5. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator
     
 

Dough (cooked)

 
What you need: 
4 cups water 
4 cups flour 
1 cup salt 
2 Tbs. cooking oil 
4 Tsp. cream of tartar 
food coloring 		   What to do: 
1. Combine ingredients 
2. Cook in electric skillets, stirring constantly, until most of the moisture is absorbed 
3. Store in a covered container (does not need to be refrigerated)
     
 

Finger Paint (uncooked)

  
What you need: 
1/2 cup liquid starch 
1/2 cup soap powder 
5/8 cup water		   What to do: 
1. Beat together until the consistency of whipped potatoes
     
 

Finger Paint (cooked)

 
What you need: 
2 cups flour 
4 cups cold water 
food coloring or dry tempera 		   What to do: 
1. Mix flour and water and cook over low heat until thick 
2. Cool 
3. Add a pinch of salt 
4. Add dry tempera or food coloring, if desired 
5. Store in covered jar in refrigerator
     
 

Slime (like "Silly Putty")

  
What you need: 
1 cup Elmer's glue 
liquid starch 		   What to do: 
1 add starch to glue until mixture becomes a pliable ball 
2. Store in refrigerator in a covered container
     
 

Soap Paint

 
What you need: 
Warm water 
3 cups Ivory Snow 
Powder paint or food coloring		   What to do: 
1. Add water, a little at a time, to Ivory Snow 
2. Mix to consistency of heavy cream 
3. Color with small amount of powder paint or food coloring 

Where To Get Free Materials For Art

Alteration Shops 
Fabric scraps 
Spools 		 Appliance Stores 
Styrofoam packing material 
Cardboard boxes
Beaches  
Shells 
Rocks		 Building Contractors
Floor samples 
Tile samples 
Paneling samples 
Wood scraps 
Knobs 
Photography Stores 
Empty film canisters 
Mis-cut mat board 
Centers from mat board frames		 Carpet & Floor Stores
Carpet samples
remnantsTile
Tile samples
Copy Shops 
Computer paper 
Colored and white scrap paper 
Misprinted paper 
Ends of paper rolls		 Department Stores 
Display material 
Discarded stationary 
Boxes 
Catalogs
Flower Shops  
Discarded cellophane 
Colored aluminum foil, etc. 
Dried plants and flowers 		 Libraries 
Old date cards 
Date stamps 
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
Wallpaper sample books 
Color folders		 Public Schools 
Old textbooks and  
workbooks to cut up
Yarn Shops 
Samples of yarn and fabric 
Color samples 
Buttons  
Spools  
Catalogs 
Remnants  
Broken packages of yarn 
Cardboard tubes 		 Around the Home 
Egg cartons 
Tubes from paper towels  
and toilet paper 
Catalogs 
Fabric scraps  
Empty food boxes 
Shoe boxes  
(check shoe stores, too) 
Magazines and newspapers
Supermarkets 
Egg Cartons 
Boxes  
Paper bags 
Containers 
Fruit boxes 		  

references:
Cherry, C. (1972). Creative Art for the Developing Child. Illinois: Fearon Teacher Aids
Cornell University. Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

Cooking
These are the USDA's daily dietary guidelines for
children ages one to six

Milk 

Snack 
Breakfast 
Lunch or Supper		 1-3 years old 
1/2 cup 
1/2 cup 
1/2 cup		 3-6 years old 
1/2 cup 
3/4 cup 
3/4 cup
Vegetable, Fruit, or  
full-strength juice 

Snack 
Breakfast 
Lunch or Supper 
(2 or more kinds)		 1-3 years old 
1/2 cup 
1/4 cup 
1/4 cup		 3-6 years old 
1/2 cup 
1/2 cup 
1/2 cup
Bread or bread alternatives 
Snack 
Bread 
roll, muffin, or biscuit 
cold cereal 
cooked cereal  

Breakfast 
Bread 
roll, muffin, or biscuit 
cold cereal 
cooked cereal or pasta 

Lunch or Supper 
Bread 
roll, muffin, or biscuit 
cooked cereal or pasta

 1-3 years old 

1/2 slice 
1/2 serving 
1/4 cup 
1/4 cup  
 

1/2 slice 
1/2 serving 
1/4 cup 
1/4 cup 
 

1/2 slice 
1/2 serving 
1/4 cup

 3-6 years old 

1/2 slice 
1/2 serving 
1/3 cup 
1/4 cup  
 

1/2 slice 
1/2 serving 
1/3 cup 
1/4 cup 
 

1/2 slice 
1/2 serving 
1/4 cup
Meat or meat alternatives
Snack 
Lean meat, fish,
poultry, cheese
eggs 
beans or peas 
peanut butter 
nuts or seeds 
yogurt 

Lunch or Supper 
Lean meat, fish,
poultry or cheese
eggs
beans or peas 
peanut butter 
nuts or seeds 

1-3 years old 

1/2 oz. 

1/2 
1/8 cup 
1tbs. 
1/2 oz. 
1/4 cup  
 


1 oz. 

1 
1/4 cup 
2tbs. 
1/2 oz

 3-6 years old 

1/2 oz. 

1/2 
1/8 cup 
1tbs. 
1/2 oz. 
1/4 cup  
 


1 1/2 oz. 

1 
3/8 cup 
3tbs. 
3/4 oz.

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