First Art : Art Experiences for Toddlers and Twos

by MaryAnn F. Kohl, Renee F. Ramsey, Dana Bowman

Jump right in—doing art with toddlers and twos is fun, rewarding, and a wonderful learning experience. Children discover their world as they explore the 75 fun-filled art adventures in First Art. They will joyfully squeeze a rainbow, make their own (safe) beads to string, and create their very own art baggie book. First Art starts children on a lifelong journey full of exploration and creativity. Award-winning author MaryAnn F. Kohl is a regular featured columnist for Parenting Magazine. She has also written the best-selling favorites Preschool Art, The Big Messy Art Book, Global Art, Cooking Art, Making Make-Believe, MathArts , and the new Preschool Art series which includes Drawing, Painting, Clay and Dough, Craft and Construction , and Collage and Paper. She lives in Bellingham, Washington.

Genres: Parenting, Art, Nonfiction, Education, Crafts, Childrens, Teachers

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2002

About the author

Read more about me at my website if you wish.
http:// www. brightring. com
I write art books for children, parents, teachers, and homeschoolers.
And I love love love art for kids!!!

My blog:
http://maryannfkohl.typepad.com/blog/

Reviews

[Erin]

There are lots of art books out there, and lots of this info is in other places. BUT - I like the way the activities are grouped, and I love that these aren't crafts (i.e. you are supposed to put eyes in a particular place) but art projects. At 3 and 3 months, H is almost pretty uninterested in creating a Thing/Final Product, and he never ends up using the stuff I give him the way it's "supposed" to be used (i.e. no animal has yet had eyes where they are meant to be). It's helpful to have a book full of projects where I can give him materials and a couple of suggestions, then he's free to create what he wants.

[Liz]

This book is great for getting some ideas for those first art experiences. She is all about the process, so there are no cutesy "projects" here - just ideas to get the creative juices flowing. She even has recipes for paint and play dough.

[Kim]

We use this book a lot - I really love her process-based approach to art!

[Annalee]

I loved all the projects in this book! Encourages real art making and creativity, not just crafty stuff. I love all her books.

[Christine Turner]

I am normally a huge fan of MaryAnn F. Kohl's art books. However, this newer edition they have changed the format. Yes, the author has provided good information and the book is now in "full color". That being said, I am not impressed with the way this information is organized or how busy the pages look. The orginal format was much easier to read.


ISBN: 9780876593998 (pbk.)
0876593996 (pbk.)

[Jenny]

Not many pictures, but tons of great ideas, including lots of paint and play dough recipes--one gluten-free cornstarch dough recipe that seemed gentler on children's hands than the harsh baking soda recipe popular online--lots of fun ideas for collages, sculptures, painting, how to safely teach your 2-year-old to use scissors, printing with acorns, leaves, buttons, bubble wrap...blowing colored bubbles outdoors at a paper taped on a fence to paint it, tons of cool things.

[Marlene]

The author presents many artistic methods and mediums for your toddler to explore. I prefer using more natural paints and colors, but it is easy to substitute. I definitely found at least twenty great inexpensive and great sensory activities. I would definitely recommend checking it out at your local library for inspiration.

[Jessica]

This is a great book FULL of ideas for doing art with little ones. I also like that it reiterates "its the process not the product" especially with toddlers. Case in point: my 2yo would much rather spend hours squeezing glue out of the bottle than actually gluing things TO it, but he has had a ton of fun doing many of these activities.

[Hannah]

As someone who is not very "artsy," I found this book to be an excellent source of inspiration on different items and things that you can do with your toddler. I used to work at a preschool with three-to-five year-olds, but had no experience in giving younger kids their first art experiences. I think I will be keeping my eyes open for a secondhand copy of this book. :)

[Salsabrarian]

For toddlers, the author encourages art as a process, not the means to a product. The activities encourage sensory play and discovery. She provides recipes for fingerpaints and squishy mixes/clays and collage ideas. Interesting ideas include bubble wrap paint prints, drawing with crayons on sandpaper, and sculpture in a bag.

[Floramanda]

A great book and an awesome resource!

[Heather Rae]

Absolutely perfect.

[Erin]

I love this book!

[Karla]

good resource for teachers and parents alike

[Rich Farrell]

While many ideas in here involved mixing materials to create paints and doughs that I don’t think I’ll use (The prep time seems to outweigh the time spent on activity, at least for a parent of one child and not a daycare situation.), there were some other simpler ideas that I liked, such as using toy cars to paint tire tracks and using a shaker to apply powdered tempera paint to a shower curtain outside when it’s raining.

[Beth Melillo]

A lot of great ideas, and plenty of lists. Useful as a starting point for parents looking to incorporate art into their toddler's life. Includes a lot of recipes for paint, playdoh, and other interesting hands on mixes.

However, it's very similar to a variety of other books that I've already read - and contained nothing novel.

[Kelly]

The art ideas in this book are perfect for Phoebe's age and I really like that they focus on art as a process rather than a destination. We have used several of the ideas already and there are plenty more that she can grow into.

[Rosemary]

I'm sure this has some great ideas which would be appreciated by art enthusiasts, but I didn't find it inspiring. For the newcomer to art I recommend "The Artful Parent: Simple Ways to Fill Your Family's Life with Art and Creativity" by Jean Van't Hul.

[Laurie]

wonderful, simple, open-ended art explorations!

[Mamafeelgood]

I am going to buy this book when my little one is a little older. Lots of great ideas.

[Laura]

good process -oriented ideas. alot i knew from head start, but forgot. we made the marker stand out of plaster of paris-it
s great--no more lost caps.

[Bridget]

Useful book with great recipes, but do your own safety research before using some of them. I won't be letting my toddler play in Borax any time soon...

[Rebecca]

a bit repetitive with lots of variation on paint and playdough recipes.

[Stephanie]

I need to buy this book

[Val]

Great book with tons of art project ideas for little kids. I like her philosophy regarding doing art with children very much.

[Kerstin Olcott]

Great recipes and ideas for toddler art projects.

[Molly]

Useful recipes and suggestions for sensory and artistic exploration with art supplies. Worth a check from the library.

[Kim]

Some obvious ideas, but overall a great sourcebook when you're feeling stumped for what kinds of art activities to do with younger children.

[Rach]

Brilliant book. Really simple, but hugely enjoyable art projects for very young kids. We have tried lots of the projects from this book. Its about the process, not the product!

[A. Kuhlii]

Good open-form art processes for toddlers, focusing on stamping, collage, painting, dough substances. Most of the projects are probably too messy for the library but some would work.