Collage Workshop for Kids was written by Shannon Merenstein. This crafty book for younger kids focuses on painting, ripping, tearing, and using bits and pieces (along with a healthy dose of creativity) to create art.
My Thoughts: At first, I wondered if I would like this book-simply because I don’t consider myself a collage type of person. BUT, this book has well-written instructions, great picture examples, and fun, easy projects.
It was very simple for me to fill a table with crafty supplies, show the kids an example picture, and let them go to town.
One of the things I like least about art, is the amount of time I have to invest in setting up projects. It seems like that takes more time than the actual project itself!
In this case however, I would consider this book to be more like an invitation to creativity, and all I had to do was provide the supplies.
Another great benefit to collage projects too, is that it is a great way to use up leftover kid craft supplies!
I have to say, I was also very inspired by the cover. It was filled with painted shapes, so I decided to make that the first project we tackled from the book. My kids (ages 12, 9, and 5), created quite a large stack of painted papers. My bigger kids lasted about twenty minutes, but the five year old actually quite happily painted paper for over an hour, which is a successful art experience unto itself!
On our second session (again with the five year old), I simply showed him some picture examples, pointed out supplies on the table, and let him get creative. He ended up creating several pieces of art on his own using the painted papers, and we still have plenty of painted papers for more projects in the future, which is great.
I really liked that I could just let him go to town-without much input from me, which was quite the relief for this busy momma!
Overall, I liked this book. There are lots of creative projects, but even if you just use this book as a jumping off point for your kids to get creative, it is well worth it.
I would definitely agree that this book is meant for younger kids, but if you have older kids that really enjoy art and being creative, I am sure they would get something out of it as well.
I would like to thank Quarto Publishing Group for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!