Swizzle Stick Open-Ended Designing

I love material that allows for outcomes to be different each time with unending potential for image building and design work. No wonder I teach clay ( see my many tutorial videos here and then on You Tube ) and no wonder I love Montessori's Sensorial works. ( See my creative use of the Constructive Triangles and Pink Tower ) 
As a Montessorian, I am not afraid to use what works even if it is not Montessori. This time it is swizzle sticks! Purists would shudder. I revel in the possibilities. Mix and match, oh yeah. Creative to the max, you bet. A work that keeps a four year old busy and happy for the full length of a morning preschool period designing and then getting a clipboard and drawing that design is a success. 

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Harold and the Purple Crayon

One of my favorite books from my childhood is still a book that instills silence at story time because of the fantasy world drawn by little artist Harold as he walks through his life. 

One never knows what his crayon will draw in adventure. 

This game gives structure to our drawing lesson.

We read the books and then use the game's picture cards to make a world of our own. I make an easy master for the kids to view.

I often print out titles for projects

Using the game's cards as drawing prompts we create our own world as we hold up a card and tell a new story as we draw.

Children asked to do more than one of these delightful drawings which showed me it was a successful project.

Robot Faces

Funny Robot or Alien Faces

This project was inspired by (okay,stolen from) Deep Space Sparkle, one of my favorite online art teachers.

http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/2011/10/12/james-rizzi-art-lesson/

Please see her original post that is so awesome.

See my Kids Art Projects Pinterest for more super ideas!

http://pinterest.com/inspiredprek/children-s-art-projects/

Clay Hand Prints for Girls and Boys

The Constructive Triangles - The Rectangle Box

Constructive Triangle Boxes Extensions

The Rectangle Box

Do your Constructive Triangle Boxes collect dust on your shelves?

I recommend you start a photo journal booklet for collecting cool design ideas to be viewed while using the boxes. Teach the basic lesson and have children master the proper use of the material and then let them go into a realm of unlimited creativity with this beautiful material. After 35 years of teaching Montessori, kids and I are still finding new designs with excitement! 

These few photos come from a training manual and must be learned before free from design is allowed.

Constructive Triangles - Large Hexagon Box

Large Hexagon Box

The beauty and creativity of Montessori's materials are so clear with these amazing triangle boxes.

Explore, slide them here and there and then shout,"Look what I made!"

Lessons start as classic steps and then when children show me mastery of the first lesson they are free to explore creative possibilities even with adding other works as embellishments. Each Constructive Triangle Box has an idea book filled with winning snapshots of children's past good ideas to recreate. These idea books are used a lot.  

This is the cover of the idea book they can look at.