Materials
big paper plate (one per child)
chocolate syrup for edible glue, use sparingly (fill in small containers rather than passing big bottles along)
craft sticks or plastic spoons to apply edible glue
edible shapes
edible glue, such as royal icing that is used to create gingerbread houses
Instructions
1. Ask all the children to wash their hands before starting the art project. Supply
all children with a big paper plate to work on. Also supply an edible adhesive
(chocolate syrup works well), a craft stick, and edible shapes. Be sure to name
all the shapes while introducing the project.
2. Invite the children to design creative shape art. If some children are having
trouble coming up with ideas, provide suggestions to get them started. Possible
shape art ideas include ice cream cones, cars, houses, animals, rainbows,
people, flowers, and so on.
3. After the children finish their work and clean up, have "gallery time," and
encourage every "artist" explain what she did.
4. With the children, count the number of shapes in each art project. For older
children, consider expanding this activity by asking them to keep a tally of all
the shapes they use.
5. When the children are finished counting the numbers of edible shapes they
made, invite them to eat the their shapes. Encourage the children to count the
edible shapes as they eat their creations
Teacher - to - Teacher Tip
l Take pictures of all the projects. Hang them on a clothesline for display in
your classroom.
Assessment
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
l Record what the children say about the various designs and shapes.
l Observe individual small motor skills. Keep track of the children's progress by
using informal notes.
