Montessori Art for Continent Studies

This post includes lots of great Montessori Art for Continent Studies ideas! Part of my Montessori Art Album required brainstorming a list of Art ideas that would extend into continent studies. Montessori Art is very much about the process rather than the outcome. I was thrilled to be “forced” to spend time thinking about the art, culture & history of other countries. These ideas could not be extensions.

So, a landform made from clay would not suffice or a flag created from feathers (although I will include these ideas too!). I appreciated that challenge to find Art from around the world.  Not surprisingly much of this art lands in several other areas of the Montessori classroom.

Montessori Art for Continent Studies

Below are a few Montessori Art ideas covering North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and, yes, even Antarctica (that was a real challenge!). Have fun!

North America

1. Dream Catcher from Twigs, Yarn, Feathers, and Beads (Source: KinderArt)
2. Orca Whale Activity with Black Orca Cut Outs, White Chalk, Foil, Paint Glue & Glitter (Source: Teacher Tom)
3. Wampum Weaving with beads and twine (See There’s a Dragon in my Art Room for an excellent tutorial)
4. Mexican Folk Art of Tooling with aluminum foil, clay carving tools, markers, pencils, wire, beads for hanging & display  (Source: KinderArt)
5. Mexican Flag with Feathers

South America

1. La Boca House Collage (Source: Art Projects for Kids)
2. Mosaic Tiles: Each child creates a tile, then piece together to make a large mural
3. MaCaw Painting & Collage: Provide child with images of the colorful MaCaw’s, then encourage him to create his own with paint, glue and feathers
4. Inca Decorative Clay Statues
5. Yarn Quipu

Europe

1. Celtic Design with 12 Circles Paper Weave (get a template for the child to outline with paper or for an older child allow him to “copy” the design, child can cut own shapes or these shapes can be pre-cut)
2. Monet Art with Tempera Paint, Paper Plate & Q-Tips / Eiffel Tower Pointillism
3. Sponge Painting Rainbow Art
4. Shamrock Resist Art
5. Miro Watercolor Art with Fine Tip Pens (Source: Elementary Art Stars)
6. Celtic Playdough Knots

Asia

1. Indian Flag with glue, lentils, split peas and rice
2. Create your own Dragon for Chinese New Year from yarn, various shapes created by child in various colors of construction paper
3. Single Colored Mandala and/or Rangoli Designs
4. Asia Elephant Art with foil, glue, cardboard and paint
5. Diwali Plates with doilies and miscellaneous craft materials on a “metal” plastic plate
6. Asian Scroll using Printmaking, Chalk Pastels and Watercolors

Africa

1. Maasai Necklaces with Paper Plates
2. African Savanna Animal Resist Watercolor Painting
3. Torn Paper Zebra Art
4. Adire Cloth 
5. African Mask with paper, markers, a hole punch and raffia
6. San Rock Art

Australia

1. Aboriginal Dot Painting (Source: Kid World Citizen)
2. Aboriginal Clapping Sticks (Source: Laughing Kids Learn)
3. DIY Didgeridoo with paper towel roll
4. Coral Reef Group Mural with paint, salt, crayons, jellyfish & bubble wrap
5. Tissue Paper Flag

Antarctica

1. Sculpture from clay, cardboard, etc and then 2D Painting of Sculpture Using (I read up on some Antarctic art history – of which there is not a lot – and learned that sculpture was the people’s first art, followed by paintings of these pieces of sculpture)
2. Mosaic Penguin
3. Iceberg Symmetry Drawing with Chalk Pastels
4. Shakelton Charcoal Drawing: I have always been captivated by the black & white images from Shakelton’s failed journey with the ship frozen and stuck in an iceberg looking so ominous and beautiful at the same time. My idea is to have the child first learn of the explorer, then provide the child with copies of photographic images from the expedition, and then encourage him to use tracing paper (or create his own) to outline one of the photographs using charcoal and a smudging approach.
5. Ice Painting
6. Create an Antarctic Scene using only white materials on a black background

I hope these ideas inspired you at the very least! Please let me know your Art Ideas for Kids across cultures. I would love to explore them!

I hope we inspired you today!