This activity is fun for the whole family and would make a great gift for friends, family, and neighbors who plan to warm themselves by a cozy fireplace or fire pit this winter! You will need a muffin pan, cupcake liners, sawdust (or dryer lint), wax, wicks or string, and some fragrant and pretty decorations like orange peel, cinnamon sticks, pine cones, or star anise. Place the liners in the muffin pan and fill each one 3/4 full with sawdust or dryer lint. Add your decorations and the wick or string. Melt paraffin, bees, or leftover candle wax in a glass container in the microwave until it is liquid (this won't take very long!) and pour it over the contents of your cupcake liners. Once the wax hardens, they are ready to be used. Put them in a clear bag, tie it with a ribbon, and give them to your favorite fire loving friends!
1001 S Duck Street, Stillwater, OK 74074
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Gingerbread House Garland
This month we are offering another FREE art kit here at Prairie Arts Center! Come by and pick up your Gingerbread House Garland bag in the foyer anytime during our open hours (Tues-Thursday 12-8 and Saturday 10-5) starting, Dec. 5th. We’d love to see what you make so post and tag us on IG @prairieartscenter or on our Facebook page. For more art activities and prompts for the winter break, check out our Creative Classroom.
Art Prompt: Wax Dipped Leaf Banner
If it's too early for Christmas decorations for you but you have the urge to do some festive decorating, try a wax dipped leaf banner! Gather a dozen or so colorful, freshly fallen leaves and press them for a few hours so they are nice and flat. Melt paraffin or bees wax over a double boiler or in a mini crock pot, making sure the wax never boils. Dip your leaves into the melted wax and lay them out to dry on wax paper. Once dried, use string, twine, or ribbon to create your banner. Pro-tip: hang your banner alongside a strand of lights so you get to see their beautiful colors glow in the evening. This simple, nature based craft with bring warmth and love to any space!
Art Prompt: Leaf Prints
This activity is fun to prep for, as well as to do! To begin, gather leaves from your yard or a park that are of different sizes and shapes. Make sure to choose leaves that are freshly fallen so they will hold up to being pressed and painted. Once home, press them under a stack of heavy books for a few hours so they are nice and flat. Use acrylic paint to coat the veiny backside of the leaf. Flip it onto your paper and rub the topside to make your impression. In our examples, we also used a small amount of paint to brush out the outline of the leaf, leaving a negative image, as well as the positive imprint of the veins.
Professional Development - Teaching Elementary Art Virtually
Jen Johnson from the Prairie Arts Center will share simple, one-off art lessons using accessible materials that have proven successful in the virtual setting. These lessons also meet state
and national standards. Cat from the OSU Museum will demonstrate how to talk to kids about art by sharing artworks from several different virtual museums. The last 30 minutes will be Q&A.
How to Make a Hanging Bat
Happy early Halloween and National Bat week (October 24-31)! Celebrate the season and these super-pollinators by creating one to hang on your front porch. Consider making multiples and stringing them together to make a bat banner for a doorway or wall. They look fun hanging from a stick too! For more art activities and prompts, visit our Creative Classroom.