We made stabiles today. Stabiles are a form of abstract art with a solid base supporting various shapes and objects. American artist and sculptor, Alexander Calder , is credited for the invention of both the stabile and the mobile. Creating a stabile is just as satisfying for a three year old as it is for an older child...always a plus for me! We became so engaged in making that I forgot to take photos of our process and just have tons (from every angle) of our end result. We tried two versions: found objects around our art corner and one inspired by nature. Both stabiles used "retired" playdough as the base for sticking in our objects. We make our own playdough, so it was fun to find a use for it before it went into the compost bin.Here are some of the materials we used:
Tips:- doubling up the pipe cleaners made them sturdier for holding heavier pieces
- use heavier gauge wire if working with older children..pipe cleaners made it safe for young artists, but they won't stand up with too much weight
-use a tin can to contain the playdough
The following is our nature inspired stabile. We got help from a big friend. This activity engaged us all!
ooh i'm so excited about this - a use for our tired homemade playdough! and, thanks for the tip on composting it - i never thought of doing that!
ReplyDeleteHow have I never done this one? I love it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea. Your pictures of the materials before hand looks so delightful. Did you punch the holes in the colored popscicle sticks yourself?
ReplyDeleteI can't wait until my younger girls are older and ready for activities like this! We are going to have so much fun...and they don't even know it yet!
ReplyDeleteI love this project! You always manage to make things look so peaceful... with us that would be a mad frantic project! Take care.
ReplyDeleteI love that you are always making something new, with or for your children. You seem to be such a great mama to me.
ReplyDeleteLove these... I see stabiles in our very near future.
ReplyDeleteFun idea! I love the nature one. My kids would love doing these!
ReplyDelete~Alicia
Love this idea. Its educational, recycles, and super fun! I've listed it in a Spring Break roundup on my blog, The Handmade Experiment. I've got tutorials on things to make and things to bake and a couple of cool etsy artists for things to take this spring break. Come on over and check it out and thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeletehttp://emilyflippinmaruna.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/spring-break-week-things-to-make-bake-and-take/