The preschool art center should contain a variety of art supplies during the class time and students should have access to the art center during small group time. Some supplies that should be included at all times are paper, safety scissors, glue or glue sticks, crayons, markers, and magazines for cutting. These free choice activities will need some adult participation and modeling but should be child-directed. Other supplies that should be included often are play dough, tempera paints, and finger paints. For safety reasons, these should be open only when there is an adult to monitor the center so that slips, trips and falls won’t occur when spillage happens. Plenty of paper towels or old recycled cloth towels should be available for spills.
Tempera paints can be made more washable by adding a small amount of water and a small amount of inexpensive dishwashing detergent so that it will more easily be washed out of clothes or hair. Large newsprint paper is best and rolls can be obtained from newspaper publishers for a nominal fee. Fingerpainting can be put out as a choice in the art area for occasional use with supervision. Old shirts or plastic smocks will be needed to protect clothing and girls with long hair will need a clip to keep hair out of the paint.
Play dough can be made from one part salt, one part all purpose flour, and one tablespoon vegetable oil. Add one part warm water until reaching the right consistency. Food coloring can be added or glitter to add variety to the texture. Play dough is very important as it encourages the devopment of the small muscles of the hand and fingers to aid in school readiness. It is also very calming to children. It is necessary to have adult supervision with very young children with this activity as this adds to the experience.
Parents and other volunteers can often be accessed to provide donated materials they may have around the house for collages such as yarns, bits of fabric, sequins, glitter, or magazines to add to the variety of collage material. Many times parents have access to recycled paper also which will prevent the center from having to invest in art paper for the art center. Art projects are very important for literacy development, and elements of the alphabet can always be included by adding stencils or plastic letters at the art table. Art projects are also important to the overall development and eye-hand coordination.
