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A roll of tape and a biro....

30/6/2018

23 Comments

 
My kids love it when I stop - stop tidying, stop 'doing stuff'.

Putting some music on and getting the coloring pens out is a great family activity - a rare moment when you can all be round the table, tv off, chatting, doodling - and all doing the same thing together. 
My kids really remember these precious times - I see these times as little injections of self esteem - when they get our full attention, it helps them know how important they are - more important than the hoovering, the mobile phone......

Coloring books are so 'on trend' at the moment, and we all know the relaxing benefits of switching off for a while.
However, sometimes the simplest ideas are the best and we don't always need expensive art materials and coloring books to keep kids creatively occupied.

I grabbed a roll of tape and a biro and started playing........ 
I filled a couple of pages with circular patterns, using the tape as a stencil to draw round.
The doodles look great with oil pastels.....especially on coloured paper.

The process has been quite addictive - if you scroll down this blog post, you'll see some more examples, using lids, tiles - any simple-shaped household objects will do.
I've experimented on music paper, old stamp album paper, maps - all to be found in local charity shops - the older and more yellowing the better!

If you enjoy doodling and art making with your kids, have a look around my website, check out my free summer printables collection - from flipflops to lollipops, teepees to sneakers, blank postcards, journal covers, geckos and more.


If you like my ideas, have a browse around my ideas-packed Teachers Pay Teachers Store - lots of handy art packets for all year round fun in the classroom or at home
- hope to see you again!
​

Have a fun summer,
Diane
doodle with a roll of tape
draw round a roll of tape and doodle
draw round a roll of tape and doodle
draw round a roll of tape and doodle
draw round a roll of tape and doodle

A couple of weeks on, I'm still experimenting with doodling and drawing around basic shapes that I'm finding around the house - it's really relaxing!

Here are a few more simple ideas .... I'm thinking this would be a great rainy day holiday activity as such few materials are needed.

circle doodles on a music sheet
square doodles on a music sheet
circle doodles on an old stamp album page
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Drawing around a butter lid
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Another butter lid doodle
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Using lined paper and a roll of tape.

27.7.15

Today I tore some pages out of my dad's old 70's yellowed, A-Z of London with the idea of doodling on maps.

Again, drawing round a roll of tape with a biro and then colouring in the circle.

They came out looking quite 'Mondrian'.

map doodles
map doodles of London
map doodles
map doodles of London
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mondrian map doodles
map doodles of London
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Roll of tape and biro on manuscript paper

7th August

My latest doodle has come from finding an old plastic lid - the shape reminded me of lemons and limes - I drew some overlapping shapes and experimented with pattern and colorblocking using felt tips, pastels and watercolours.

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September's here and I'm thinking about Autumn / fall doodles, here's a manuscript maple leaf

Head over to my Autumn page for free printables and templates.

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Maple leaf on manuscript paper
23 Comments

Tropical Summer Art

19/5/2016

0 Comments

 
We're celebrating sunny school holidays here with some fun tropical fruit art!
The diamond shapes on these pineapples are great for little hands to explore colour using all sorts of art materials - we used watercolours and oil pastels.
You can download a free pineapple template on my summer downloads page - you'll also find pears, lemons, watermelons.... Have fun!
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Download free templates here
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Are you looking for more creative project ideas for Summer?
You might like to visit these pages below or subscribe to my seasonal newsletter?
Thanks for dropping by, have a wonderful arty summer!
Diane :-)
​
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Kids! Let's get inspired by 'The World goes Pop' this Fall/Autumn

7/9/2015

1 Comment

 
oak leaf prints
pop art autumn free templates
Yippee! 
We've just booked our first family day trip to London with our 6 and 8 year olds to visit  'The World Goes Pop' exhibition at the amazing Tate Modern.
I''ve always been attracted to the fun, bold shapes and bright colourful imagery of Pop Art, a movement which began back in the 1950's. 

I've been developing ideas for Autumn/Fall free printable worksheets with a 'Pop Art twist'.
They are designed to encourage kids to explore design, shape, colour and graphic design.
You can download these free printable worksheets on my Autumn page

There's a link below to the World Goes Pop UK Exhibtion - 

Tate Modern: The World Goes Pop
17 September 2015 – 24 January 2016
You might also like my 'hidden modern art' free printables, colourful challenging colouring activities for kids  - and adults too!

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1 Comment

From small acorns.....

1/9/2015

0 Comments

 

I love this time of year, the change in light, the smell in the air, moisture on the windows, blackberry picking, waiting for the apples on our little tree to ripen....

Pattern making and doodling can be fun and relaxing whatever age we are.

I'm continuing to use my charity shop stamp album squared paper, I love it's yellowed appearance and the way it soaks up the felt tips.

Here are a few acorn and oak leaf doodles that we created today.

I'll be working on a collection of free Autumn/ Fall free printables next week once my little ones are back at school so I hope you come back and visit soon!

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Download doodles

31/7/2015

0 Comments

 
Doodling can be such fun for all age groups, from preschoolers, to teens, parents and grandparents.

I found a really useful website today, where you can print for free, all sorts of patterns and shapes to doodle in - manuscripts, graphs, hexagons, squares, circles, dots.


www.printablepaper.net

Why not print a pack of these free patterns, grab the felt tips and you have an easy travel pack for those much needed quiet moments or when they shout, 'I'm bored mum!'

Here are some ideas that I came up with, I'll be sharing them with kids later!

join the dots geo doodles for kids
Join the dots and get geometric
mark making in the squares
Filling one inch squares with marks and squiggles
pattern making doodles
Filling squares with pattern
If you like these quick ideas, have a read of another doodletastic blog post,
adventures with a roll of tape and a biro!

If you are a homeschooler or teacher looking for more detailed lesson plans and art lessons, why not visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store?
It's packed with fun, affordable, low prep art activities.
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Modern Art Easter Egg

10/2/2014

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Following my 'hidden' theme, I've created this 'modern art Easter egg'.

I'm delighted to be getting positive feedback on these abstract activity sheets, which are being downloaded and used in educational settings around the globe. This 'egg' is a great opportunity for budding artists to explore color palettes and how distribution of light and dark affects the finished piece.
Go to Easter to print out an activity sheet. 
0 Comments

Kids and Handy Little Boxes - 10 observations

16/1/2014

0 Comments

 
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My favourite shop in Chorlton continues to be Quality Save! 
These cheap compartmental storage boxes have provided a good few entertainment sessions for my 6 and 4 year olds - housing buttons, marbles, sea glass and more.
I've been really interested watching them play.....

1. Meticulously sorting colours and shapes and sizes
2. Organising
3. Reorganising
4. Concentrating
5. Spending time quietly, thoughtfully, not talking much
6. Appearing relaxed
7. Not arguing with each other (as much)
8. Negotiating 'swaps'
9. Showing pride in their collections 
10. Learning a fun way of organising, saving me a job!



0 Comments

CAPTURE AUTUMN COLOUR - FINGER PRINTED TREE PROJECT

8/10/2013

0 Comments

 
Have a go at making this lovely tree picture, ours turned out so beautifully, I am going to frame them!
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    Diane Pagan, The Imagination Box
    Welcome!

    Welcome!

    Hello! I'm Diane Pagan from Manchester, UK.
    My ideas are road tested by my 11 and 9 year olds - or at workshops I run with all kinds of kids and adults in schools, hospitals and community settings :-)

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Favourite quote:
  “ The imagination needs moodling, long, inefficient happy idling, dawdling and puttering. ” 
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The ImaginationBox
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about Diane Pagan

Diane Pagan uk

Hello! I live in Manchester, UK with my partner, and our two children. Luckily our house has a converted basement, where my art studio is packed full with art materials of all shapes and sizes!
read more......

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