Toddlers love anything with firetrucks, so I make sure to add firefighters to our community helpers theme. We have a fire station in the block area with a nice variety of fire trucks and small firefighter figurines. In our dramatic play area we include firefighter jackets, hats, masks and oxygen tanks. For art we drive firetrucks through red and yellow paint, and we create flames using shaving cream and watercolors. This year I added one more activity: a collage with torn red and yellow paper to resemble flames. They loved it! What you will need:
Red and yellow construction paper Glue (we like to use glue bottles) White Card stock (heavy) paper
Step One: Tear the Paper
Tearing paper is a great way to strengthen fine motor skills, and I often will introduce it before scissors. I cut the construction paper into smaller pieces so that it’s easier to handle. At first I cut some snips on one side of the paper. This makes it a bit easier to get the tearing motion started. I give each child a tray to put their torn pieces on, and save them for step two.
Step Two: Create the Collage
I did this on a separate day, but you can do it all on the same day if desired. I placed a sheet of white paper at each seat along with a bottle of glue. I then added trays of the torn red and yellow paper to the center of the table.
Two and three year olds usually don’t have enough strength to get a huge amount of glue at once, but if you find the stream to be heavy you can tighten the cap a bit. More: Why Squeezing Glue Is Important
I put a few drops of tempera paint in each glue bottle. Easy! How they apply their torn paper, and the amount, is completely up to them. Some of my students had fun stacking the paper, sandwiching the glue and the paper several times.
Such a fun process art activity!
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