Preschool STEAM (for children ages 2-6) is all about having fun with science, technology, math and art!  There is no right or wrong way for children to experiment – the fun and learning comes from the doing!  Early childhood research shows us that little hands and minds learn best when at play.

For our September 2019 STEAM adventure, we explored the A in STEAM by creating some mixed media art!


We kept things simple and took some cleaning supplies from the kitchen to use as our “paint brushes.”

We also had everyone experiment with different kinds of paper ~ cardboard, card stock, printer paper and scrapbook paper.  There were even some pieces of wrapping paper thrown in for good measure!

The children discovered that the paint dried differently on the various paper types.  Some noticed that the printer paper got really soggy but the cardboard pieces held up really well.

In some cases the children opted to use painter’s tape to put together 4 pieces of paper with different textures.

The exploration also taught them a bit about color mixing.

One child opted to use only green paint but noticed that the intensity of the green color changed depending on the paper he used.  He had a range from dark to very light green, all because he used paper of various weights and textures.

Another young artist used everything at her disposal to create a color and texture smorgasboard.  Here is her finished piece:

The photographs tell the story!  Fun, exploration, learning and creative expression all rolled into one!

 

Join us on October 28 for more Preschool STEAM exploration at Central Library!