Baby's 1st Art Project

GLUELESS COLLAGES
I did these when Sharkboy was a toddler, and now that Sunshine is 18 months old and interested in art, I think we'll do this project with her, too! Lucky for me I have a huge roll of clear contact paper that's been sittin' around in the cupboard for a while, just aching to become art.

You may do your best to avoid sticky situations, but toddlers love nothing more. In this first collage project, clear Con-Tact paper stands in for glue, offering all the fascination of adhesiveness -- with none of the mess.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Clear Con-Tact paper
	Masking tape
	Flat stickables, such as felt scraps, tissue paper squares, crepe paper streamers, ribbon pieces, cut-up calendars and magazines, and feathers
Time needed: About 1 Hour

1. Begin by taping a piece of Con-Tact paper, sticky side facing out, to a wall or a low table. Set out bowls of small, flat stickables nearby (see the materials list).
2. Now let your toddler explore the sticky feeling of the paper first with his hands, then by placing the items against the paper. Once he gets the hang of it, just sit back and enjoy the show.
3. Preserve the collage with a second piece of Con-Tact paper. Frame the artwork with colored masking tape around the edges.
4. Keep the fun going! Make a theme collage, such as a nature collage with flowers and leaves or a color collage of all things blue.

one of many fabulous craft ideas from Family Fun Magazine