week 4
Bubble Wrap
Pop! Pop! and POP! What is more joyful or satisfying for children (or the young at heart) than the sound and feel of bubble wrap popping? Pop some, pack with some, and use the rest for bubbly art activities.
Day 1 - Bubble-Wrap Surprise Rubbing
* easy beginner activity
Materials
bubble wrap (any sizes of bubble air pockets)
large paper, like newsprint, butcher paper, or wide
craft paper from a roll
tape
peeled crayons
Steps:
Note: An adult needs to prepare this bubble wrap surprise-art activity by taping bubble wrap to a tabletop (bubbles up), completely covering the bubble wrap with newsprint or other large paper, and then taping the paper to the table.
* The surprise: The artist rubs a
peeled crayon on its side over the
paper. Enjoy the pattern of bubbles on the paper that emerges, and the noise of
the bubble wrap popping as you rub crayons more firmly over the paper. Use lots
of colors!
* easy beginner activity
Materials
bubble wrap (any sizes of air pockets and bubbles)
fingerpaint
paper for making a print
paper for the background
glue
(optional) tape, paints and brushes
(optional) painted picture still wet
Steps
* Cover a square of bubble wrap (about 12” x 12”)
with fingerpaint. Mix several colors at once. (Try mixing and exploring the
primary colors: red, blue, and yellow.)
* Place a piece of paper on top of the painted
bubble wrap and gently press down. Lift the paper to see the print. Let both
the paper and the bubble wrap dry. Glue the dry painted bubble wrap on a larger
separate sheet of paper with the bubble–paint side up, and then tape the
bubble-wrap print next to the bubble wrap so you can see both pieces together.
* Bubble Wrap Painted Print Idea: Use tape to cover a table top with bubble wrap. Paint any color or
design on the bubble wrap with tempera paints and paintbrushes. While the paint
is still wet, make a print by pressing
a piece of paper down on top of the painting and then lifting. The more paint
and colors there are on the bubble wrap, the more interesting the prints.
* Bubble Wrap Smoosh Idea: Paint a picture with wet, colorful areas. While
the paint is still wet and in puddles, place a piece of bubble wrap over the
artwork and smoosh it down onto the wet paint. Set the painting aside to dry
for an hour. Pull off the bubble wrap to see the patterns left in the dry paint
beneath.
Day 3 -
Materials
bubble wrap (any sizes of air pockets and bubbles)
tape or glue
colorful scraps of paper or art tissue
white glue thinned with water
collage materials, choose from: paper scraps, art tissue scraps, bits of foil, sequins, feathers, yarn, or other choices
Steps
* Use bubble wrap as a unique base for a
translucent collage. Pop all the bubbles first (fun!)
to make a flat collage, or leave the bubbles puffy. To begin, tape a
square of bubble wrap to a flat workspace.
* Tape or glue colorful scraps of paper or art
tissue to the bubble wrap. A colorful approach is to use a brush to “paint” art
tissue scraps to the bubble wrap with white glue that has been thinned with
water. Add more collage items. Be sure everything is secure before moving the bubble-wrap collage and displaying it. Collages
can be heavy! Display a bubble-wrap collage in a window to see how the light
shines through.
Day 4 -
Materials
bubble wrap (any sizes of air pockets and bubbles)
rolling pin or paint roller
tape
tempera paint in a large tray or baking pan
scissors
googly craft eyes or buttons
Steps
* Wrap bubble wrap around a rolling pin or a paint
roller. Use tape to secure the bubble wrap.
* Roll the bubble wrap in a tray of
tempera paint and then onto paper. When the paint is dry, use this paper to
create tropical fish. Cut out colorful paper fish in all shapes and sizes (the
bubble dots makes great “scale” marks). Use some of the dots to make air bubbles for the fish.
* Make more fish by pressing your hand onto a piece
of bubble wrap that has been covered in paint, and then making a handprint,
fingers closed together, thumb sticking up on a sheet of paper. Add a wiggly
craft eye or button for a fish eye.
* When all the fish when are dry, cut them out, and
tape them to windows, walls, or hang them on thread wherever a school of fish
would be fun to see.
Day 5 - Bubble-Wrap Mural
Materials
bubble wrap (any sizes of air pockets and bubbles)
scrunched ball of newspaper
tray of tempera paint
(optional) crayons, scissors, paper, glue
Steps
Note: Ask an adult to help hang a large piece of paper on a wall. (If you prefer, spread the paper on the floor or on a table, and then hang it on the wall when dry.)
* Scrunch a ball of bubble wrap into a fist-sized ball, like a softball. Press
it into a tray of tempera paint, and then press it onto the mural paper. Change
colors as desired.
* Scene Mural Idea: Use this large sheet of bubbly printed paper to create the background of a mural scene. Consider these ideas for the mural backdrop: a forest, an undersea world, the desert, the night sky, an alien planet, and outer space. While the bubble-printed background is drying, color and cut out figures, people, animals, fish, stars, moons, or other elements. Glue them to the mural background to form the complete scene.
© MaryAnn Kohl 2010 Here's a peek at the "Bubble Wrap" pages in the book --- you can click on the page images below and open them in a new window. Print out for personal use only, not for multiple copies or distribution.
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