creative collage with kids

 collage/framed cards:

I was invited to go to Tachikawa yesterday with a group from the base, visit an orphanage and provide a two hour art/craft project for the kids. What follows is a tutorial covering the project. It was fun and easy and the actual collages were wonderfully colorful and diverse. I had a blast. I was wondering how I was going to do in a group, speaking a completely different language than them, but all those classes and training I've taken for teaching non-English speaking students kicked in without a hitch....there was no barrier and I had a great time.

I didn't photograph the kids (ranging in age from 3 to 10) or the session to protect the kids privacy. I loved that some of the adults joined in and seemed to being having as good a time as the children. Of course, it was the young (ten-ish) boy who initially walked up to the project and gave a 'nah' (in effect) that I really wanted to snag, and by the end of the two hours, he shyly returned and started making his own, beautiful, museum quality collage and greatest thing of all, he was proud of his creation and enjoyed having it shown off. Lotta fun.

Start with an old playing card or an ACEO card or even a piece of cardboard. Have some ModPodge, scissors, and tissue paper on hand. Of course, you can get more complex and add clippings from magazines or books, hand-drawing, bits of thread and other ephemera but we just used playing cards and tissue...simple, simple.

Brush on a bit of ModPodge, tear or cut shapes from the tissue and glue down (underneath and on top) and continue until you're pleased with the effect. Air dry or dry with a heat gun and trim. Slip the card into a sheaf of plastic and slip that into a framed card (you can buy these at craft stores or make your own). Add an envelope, and you're done. This is a great personal gift-giving idea, as well, and takes hardly any time at all (when you don't have 20 gluey hands involved!) Mysteriously, one of the kid's finished cards ended up tucked in my supply box so that is photographed here....the last one shown, a real gem. Let me know if you're inspired to try this, I'd love to see your outcome. Take care. Pam