Sticky Art on the Light Table

Sticky art on the light table takes just a few materials to create gorgeous, open-ended art.  Don’t have a light table?  Don’t worry!  You could easily do this in a window or on a table and it would still be a hit for any toddler or preschooler.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Contact paper
• Light Table <— aff link to our favorite light panel!
• Tissue paper
• Heart shaped hole punch
• Child’s old artwork or paper

You’ll need to cover your light table with contact paper (make sure the sticky side faces upward!).  Tape the contact paper down to the light table and you’re ready!

We upcycled some of my daughter’s old artwork by using our heart-shaped hole punch to make heart confetti.  She carefully placed the hearts on the contact paper to start her sticky art collage.

Then, she layered with tissue paper squares.

She started to cover the hearts with tissue paper just like a blanket!

**Note: This is what process art is all about!  It’s not about what it looks like in the end, but rather it’s about the journey, the learning, and the play that occurs during the process**

So, where’s the learning??

• It depends!  My daughter made circles and groupings with the hearts.  It lead us into counting, comparing groups, and talking about how many people are in our family.  Then, she made groupings for each of our family members: Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, etc.  She lead the activity and the learning, not me!

• Extend their Interest: Be there to ask questions, encourage, and support their interest.  For example, I pointed out to my daughter that the colors changed when she layered the tissue paper.  That got her interested in adding more layers to the artwork.

• Let them Investigate and Explore:  This activity is perfect for sitting next to your child and enjoying the process alongside them.  Sometimes what they are learning might not be as tangible as other activities, but giving children the space and the time to investigate art is always time well spent.

This was by far one of my daughter’s favorite things to do on the light table to date!  I’ll be sharing soon what we did with this after she was done – it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Your turn!

Have you done a sticky collage with your kids?

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