With the majority of students engaged in virtual or hybrid learning for the foreseeable future, we are all getting our fair share of screen time. As the year comes to a close and the holidays quickly approach, it’s time to get creative and away from our devices. The following is a list of engaging art activities with a holiday spin and resources we’ve gathered from across the web. These are all activities you can complete with materials at home, no screen required!
- Activity 1: Make a holiday-themed collage. This activity from the Hirshorn is inspired by Nam June Paik’s thought-provoking Video Flag – a sculpture which combines 70 TV monitors to project an image of the American flag. Consider how you want to represent the holidays through your materials and design when making your own collage. One option is to create a collage flag to showcase how different holidays are celebrated throughout the country. Another idea is to create a collage in a shape that represents a holiday you celebrate. For this activity, materials needed include a newspaper or magazine, a piece of paper, scissors, and glue.
- Activity 2: Get messy with holiday paper mache. In this activity, you will build a paper mache sculpture to be used as a table centerpiece or holiday decoration. First, choose an object to recreate or a favorite design. Next, gather your materials. We recommend this recipe for mixing your paper mache paste. In addition, you will need newspaper, cardboard, tape, paint brushes, and paint. Once you have gathered your materials, it is time to build your structure using one of the methods in this article. Finally, paint your sculpture to complete your holiday masterpiece.
- Activity 3: Create an optical toy for easy, hand-made stocking stuffers. In this activity, courtesy of the MET, you will create a thaumatrope, which is an optical toy that was popular with children in the nineteenth century. It features a disk with two images, one on either side. When the disk is rotated, the images combine to create the illusion of motion. The result is an early style of animation! To learn more about thaumatropes and how they work, check out this article from Scientific American. To create your own thaumatrope, you will need paper, drawing materials, and string or rubber bands.
For more art inspiration, the Hirshorn, the MET, and SFMOMA all have great learning-at-home activities for you to explore. We’d love to see your creations! Email us at discovery@worldstrides.com with your holiday-themed masterpieces.