Guest Post: How to make a short table

Do you wish you had short tables for toddler programs like Toddler Art Class or WonderWorks, but it's just not in the budget right now or you're not yet ready to commit to such a large purchase?  Yesterday, I got an e-mail from Laura Polak, Youth Services Specialist at the Oak Bend Branch of the St. Louis County Library, sharing her suggestion for making your own (temporarily) short tables.  She writes:

"I took our circa 1986 library benches, put tables on top of them with the legs folded up, and duct taped the two together.  Wrapping the tape around two or three times is enough to hold it in place, and they come in at about 16 inches tall.

 I only have three of these benches, though, so I made one more table with delivery tubs.

 This one takes a bit more time to create, but it also makes a very sturdy table.  I made this one by putting a table upside down on the floor, stacking delivery tubs on top of it and duct taping the two together.  That's it!"

Brilliant idea, Laura! What a great engineering solution. Thanks so much for sharing your idea and allowing me to post it here on LibraryMakers.  Anyone else have a great idea to share?

Toddler Art Class: Balloon "Ghosts"

Party balloons make bouncy (sometimes startling) paintbrushes.

Art Project: Painting with balloons
Supplies:
black paper
white paint
balloons

Book:
  Ghosts in the house! / Kohara, Kazuno

Read more »

Toddler Art Class: Foil Leaf Rubbings

A pre-cursor to crayon leaf rubbings, this project needs only two ingredients--foil and leaves.

Art Project: Foil Leaf Rubbings
Supplies:
foil
leaves (not too crunchy)

Book:
  Red leaf, yellow leaf / Ehlert, Lois 

Read more »

Toddler Art Class: Playing with Clay

Simple materials can be the most compelling.

Art Project: Playing with [air dry] clay
Supplies:
clay (we used Crayola Air Dry variety)
cookie cutters
rolling pins
plastic baggies in case anyone wants to take their clay home

Book:
  Dave the potter : artist, poet, slave / Hill, Laban Carrick

Read more »

Toddler Art Class: Stamping Dots!

Polka dots or poke-a-dots?

Art Project: Stamping dots
Supplies:
stamp pads (washable ink recommended!)
unsharpened pencils with erasers
paper
wet wipes (or a sink in your classroom)
marker caps (optional, but fun!)

Book:
   Press here / Tullet, Herve

Music to make art by: 
  Wiggleworms love you [sound recording] /

Read more »

Toddler Art Class: Paintsicles!

Melty, messy paint-on-a-stick, perfect for warm-weather days.

Art Project: Paint-sicles!
Supplies:
paint
ice cube trays
wooden sticks
heavy paper

Book:
   What can you do with a paleta? / Tafolla, Carmen

Read more »

Toddler Art Class: Drip, Drop & Spin

Salad spinners and coffee filters make fun art outside the kitchen!

Art Projects:  Spin Art & Coffee Filter Color Blending 
Supplies:
salad spinners (I found mine at thrift stores and library staff donated a few)
small, uncoated paper plates (or cardstock cut into circles small enough to lay flat in the bottom of your salad spinner)
paint
small squeeze bottles
eye droppers
liquid watercolors or food coloring
coffee filters

Book:
  Monsters love colors / Austin, Mike

Music to make art by:  

You are my sunshine [sound recording] / Mitchell, Elizabeth

Read more »

Toddler Art Class: Painting on Foil

Shiny, happy paintings add an interesting texture element.

Art Project: Painting on Foil
Supplies:
aluminum foil
paint (we used regular tempera)
brushes
containers for paint
water to wash brushes between colors (optional)

Book:
  Mouse paint / Walsh, Ellen Stoll

(not the best book-to-project match, but I did give the kids three colors of paint to mix and play with.)

Read more »

Toddler Art Class: Bubble Art!

Making art with bubbles -- the best of two worlds!

Art Project: Bubble Art
Supplies:
small bottles of bubbles (party-favor size)
food coloring
sturdy cardstock or lightweight cardboard

Book:
  Bubble trouble / Mahy, Margaret  

Read more »

Toddler Art Class: Absorb it!

Colorful tabletop puddles with coffee filter lily pads...

Art Project: Absorb it!  (project title from First Art by MaryAnn Kohl)

Supplies:
coffee filters
washable markers
water
eye droppers
small bowls
spray bottles
paintbrushes (optional)

Book:  
Rain / Kalan, Robert

  
Music to make art by:
  Pickin' in the garden [sound recording] / The Funky Mamas

Read more »

Toddler Art Class: Feather Collage

Fluffy soft feathers in a rainbow of bright colors--a feast for the senses!

Art Project:  Feather Collage
Supplies:
feathers
gluestick
construction paper

Book:
   Birds / Henkes, Kevin

A good day / Henkes, Kevin

Music to make art by:
  Hootenanny [sound recording] / Bregar, Johnny

Read more »

Toddler Art Class: Painting with Cars, revisited!

Zoom, zoom, zoom, art on wheels!
Art Project:  Painting with cars
Supplies:
paper (we used a large roll of white butcher paper to completely cover the tables)
toy cars
paint

Books:

  Miles to go / Harper, Jamie

  Mini racer / Dempsey, Kristy

Music to make art by: 


Family favorites [sound recording]. Music Together

Read more »

Toddler Art Class: Cloud Dough

Who knew clouds could be so messy?

Art Project: Cloud Dough
Supplies:
flour
oil (cooking oil, baby oil, whatever)
measuring cups and spoons
big bowls, smaller bowls
silicone baking molds
cookie cutters

Book:
  Sora and the cloud = Sora to kumo / Hoshino, Felicia

Music to make art by:  
Catch that train! [sound recording] / Zanes, Dan

Read more »

Toddler Art Class: Indoor Snow!

When it's too cold to go outside (or too warm for snow), make some indoors with two simple ingredients!
Art Project:  Indoor (warm) snow!
Supplies:
shaving cream
cornstarch
bowls
sticks (optional)

Book:
  Snow / Shulevitz, Uri

Music to make art by:
  Little seed songs for children / [sound recording] : Guthrie, Woody

Read more »