There’s only one thing better than a great art project and that’s one that lasts for 7 days!!!
This one’s all you need mamas; the 7 Day Mural can be customized to use up whatever craft supplies you have on hand, will suit whatever age/stage your kids are at and can easily incorporate whatever creative project the kids have been dying to try.
The foundation of this crafty creation is definitely the Science Project Board. Ethan spent last term working away on his project and Nix became quite fixated on that damn board (that had to be protected from him at ALL costs!) so I decided to create his own ‘project’ and let him at it.
So, the plan here is to divide the board into multiple art-boards and create a different, amazing, fun, visual medium in each, working on a different aspect each day.
For Nixon’s board, I had to use some restraint and keep his projects simple and fun. I also wanted to use as many different materials as possible, resulting in a really textural, multilayered experience that he looked forward to working on each day and that he was super proud of at the end of it. Being conscious of the age of your kids is key here – Nix has just turned three and his attention span maxes out at around 20 minutes. Quick and easy to complete is definitely what you want to shoot for.
Materials
Ummmm, anything goes in this art and craft tutorial! I shopped my own craft stash for my supplies plus headed in-store to Warehouse Stationery where I really had to pare things back when I went to the checkout! Create Month is on right now so there are heaps of inspirational ideas to be found at your local store. Not a crafty bone in you body? Don’t worry, sometimes you just need to get started – plus the kids’ enthusiasm and ideas you can find at the in-store Inspiration Station might be all you need to get those creative juices flowing! As you can see in the photos I popped a cheap plastic tablecloth down on our dining table, which was one of the most genius ideas I’ve ever had to be honest! No worries about mess and I’ll reuse it as a playdough drop cloth after this project is over!
Day 1, ongoing – Colouring pages
Print out some pages that relate to your theme (if you have one, we didn’t) or just something your kids are really going to enjoy colouring. I did a Google search for dinosaur colouring pages and lots of printables popped up. I left these out over the week so Nix could potter and colour bits and pieces when he felt like it. When we were finished with the mural I cut around his gorgeous colouring and glued the dinos onto the board. The crayons we use are Jovi Wax Crayons and they are perfect for stubby little fingers!
Day 2 – Watercolours and Stickers
Watercolours are the best! Barely any mess and they dry quickly. Once again I just let Nixon freestyle here (there’s not much else you can do with a 3 year old to be honest – remember that attention span!). In the afternoon, when the paint was dry, we went back and decorated this panel with some assorted stickers that he had picked out in-store. Easy and great for fine motor skill development.
Day 3 – Geometric ArtWork!
The inspo for this activity came from a flyer I picked up at the Inspiration Station desk at my local Warehouse Stationery. I used some masking tape and simply pressed it down firmly at multiple angles across the board. Nix got stuck in and, voila! I love this section of his board, he was amazed at how it looked when I peeled the tape off to reveal the clean white lines underneath.
Day 4 – Painting and Sticky Foam Shapes
I’ve always wanted to use a chipboard letter or word in a project so this was my chance! I let Nix loose with some Crayola paints and told him to “cover up all of that yucky brown!”. He did a brilliant job and we popped this off to the side to dry.
I had picked up a foam shapes ‘jungle scene’ in-store, but you can also buy a 10 pack of foam sheets if you wanted to cut up your own shapes. Nix had a great time placing the sticky shapes and then went to town with some markers for an extra splash of panache lol!
Day 5 – Dressing Paper Dolls
When I saw these boy doll cutouts, I wasn’t too sure what my plan was, but look how cute they turned out! I cut some pants and tops from my fabric stash, unwound some old knitting to make curly hair (just like Nixon’s) and used some googly eyes from the Fuzzy Craft Kit I picked up – just in case! This was definitely his favourite activity; he loved dressing the wee boys and making them look cute.
Day 6 – Mixed Media
You could do whatever you like here depending upon the age of your kids. I wrote ‘NIX’ in sharpie and popped some paper scraps, feathers, pompoms, coloured foil, bits of pipe cleaner etc in front of him with some glue.
Day 7 – Felt and Velcro
I couldn’t believe how cheap a 10 pack of felt sheets was at Warehouse Stationery – something crazy like $2 a pack! You can almost pay that for 1 sheet at other stores that I’ve visited. I had some velcro dots that needed a home so popped those on the project board and cut some random shapes from the felt. Nix loved this activity as he could take things off and move them around; he obviously had a ‘vision’ and knew when he was done lol.
The Finished Product!
So that’s it! Isn’t it so cool? Nixon is really proud that he created something so BIG – size is everything to a toddler and I’m quite proud that we did something creative every day for a whole week!
Guess what? The project board has TWO SIDES! Start planning now for round 2 during the next school holidays lol.
For more fun and creative inspo, check out our Dinosaur DIY’s here.
There’s heaps more inspo in store at Warehouse Stationery, plus lots of take home activities the kids can do, totally a School Holiday desperation destination!