Reggio Emilia Wednesday: Glitter Glue Fun!

We have been busy getting back into the swing of things here in the Sunshine State.
The boys have been working on a variety of new Montessori inspired works, as well as a neat, long term, Reggio Emilia inspired project on indigenous peoples of North and Central America.
But things are still a work in progress so there is not much to show in the way of photos just yet.

Tonight, after dinner, we needed a fun little sort of art project to get them to settle down and unwind a bit. They had been having a blast chasing each other around with flashlights but in the process, they both started to wheeze and cough...so I quickly tried to get them to come up with something that would require sitting and taking it easy at the kitchen table. They are still not 100% better and as soon as they get wound up and start chasing each other, you can really hear both of them wheezing.

So, when given a choice of something to do at the table to wind down, the boys ended up opting to do an art project.

This one was very easy to set up and to have fun in a short amount of time...
Here is an overview of the Glittery Fun Project:

Materials needed:
Paper
A variety of glitter paint pens and glitter glues placed into a basket
Smocks
Wet paper towels or wipes, in case any of the glitter gets onto the table top or hands.
Optional: Additional items, such as self inking stamps, stickers, etc. 

Directions:
Children should put on their own smocks.
Each child should then take a paper or two for themselves and should then select the glitter paints and glitter glue pens they wish to use.
They should squirt their glittery designs onto the paper.
They can choose to either leave the designs as is or else, they can layer a second sheet on top of the first to do a resist.
If they choose, they may want to add other fun items to the paper.
The key if you wish to make this more of a Reggio Emilia project is to try to observe what they say and do as they are working...to take some notes and to record what they have to say about the process and the products that they create.
My sons both had fun mixing the colors and discussing how the glitter shined under the light of our kitchen chandelier.
They made several comments about their creations...
I just worked on being an observer tonight and sat back as they playfully designed their works.

Tonight, Little Bro decided to add some robot stamps to his glittery picture. It was refreshing to see that he was willing to add another element to his art without worrying about whether or not the robot stamps and the glitter glue should be mixed in an art project.

Big Bro chose to instead make two glittery pictures using the resist method and then, he made separate stamper pictures with the robot stamps after completing his glittery ones.
Big Bro has more of an idea that things should serve distinct purposes and is not as comfortable with mixing mediums for his art. If he is doing a drawing, then he does not want to add paints or glue to the work. If he is working with glitter pens and paints, adding robot stamps is not a logical thing to be added, so he did both, but kept them totally separate.
The key as an adult in this environment is to try to be neutral...to not make either child feel as if they have to choose to either mix mediums or else keep things separate.

No right ways or wrong ways, just different ways to have fun doing art.

The focus is on them understanding their own art, not for them to do what they perceive an adult wants them to do...key tenets for both Montessori and Malaguzzi / Reggio Emilia.

 All in all, a super fun, easy project to pull out anytime, but especially nice if you need something that is low maintenance and encourages them to sit and relax as they create.

What Reggio Emilia inspired projects have you been up to lately?

Please feel free to share your links to your posts in the comments section. Can't wait to read through your posts and see what others are doing!