INVITATIONS
- Send your guests Magic Rainbow invitations. Completely cover white postcards
with different colors of crayons. Paint over the crayon with black poster paint.
When the paint is dry, scratch off the party details using an opened paper clip.
Watch the colorful words appear under the black paint.
- Send the kids small pack of crayons. Write the party details in crayon inside the boxes.
COSTUMES
- Ask your guests to dress like artists and wear smocks.
- Provide old shirts for the kids to wear at the party. Inexpensive shirts are
available at thrift ships. Make the smocks look more authentic by adding little
color splashes using acrylic paints, felt-tip pens, or puffy paints.
- Give each child a beret to wear with his or her outfit.
- Attach strings to paintbrushes, and have the kids wear the paintbrush necklaces
around their necks. (Make sure to carefully supervise young guests. Necklaces can
pose a strangulation risk to small children.)
DECORATIONS
- Set up easels, craft areas, and art supplies, including paints, crayons,
felt-tip pens, clay, wood, stencils, glitter, sequins, ribbon, glue, tape, stapler,
scissors, and string.
- Cut out construction paper frames and stack them along walls. Use the frames
to frame the kids' artwork during the party.
- Cover the table with a white sheet of paper, and let the kids decorate their
own tablecloth with the art supplies.
- Hang up prints of famous artists to inspire the kids' creativity.
GAMES
- Play Pass the Portrait. Give each child a sheet of white paper lined into eight
horizontal sections. Have each kid draw a face on the top section, then fold back
the section with the head and pass it to the next player. Tell them to draw a neck
and shoulders, without looking at the head. Fold back the next section, hiding the
shoulders, and continue passing the papers until the entire body has been drawn,
piece by piece. Unfold the portraits to see the funny results! Have the guests name
the portraits and hang them on the walls. (If you prefer, pass around one sheet at
a time.)
ACTIVITIES
- Have the kids use art materials to create works of art.
- Frame and display the finished products. Give everyone an award for creativity.
- Finger-paint with vanilla pudding tinted with food color, so the kids can
taste-test their work as they create a picture.
- Show the kids how to decorate T-shirts with puffy paints and permanent felt-tip pens.
- Make Baker's Clay by combining four cups flour, one cup salt, and one and
one-half cups water. Let the kids make whatever they want, then bake the dough in
the oven at 250 degrees for one hour, or until firm. Paint the clay creations when
they're cool.
FOOD
- Serve painted sandwiches by letting the kids "paint" on white bread slices with
food coloring. Then toast the bread to make it firm.
- Have the kids design their own crafty snacks from peanut butter playdough by
mixing one cup smooth peanut butter with half a cup honey, and one cup non-fat dry
milk. Let the kids play with the dough for a while, then let them eat it when they
are finished. (Make sure that everyone washes their hands before playing with the
dough, so they don't eat any glue or glitter!)
CRAFTY CAKE
- Bake enough cupcakes for all the guests; cool.
- Tint white frosting with food coloring to create a variety of colors. Cover
each cupcake with a different color frosting.
- Cut out an artist's palate from poster board. Arrange the cupcakes in a
three-quarter circle on top of the palate and place in the center of the table.
- Lay a few paintbrushes nearby for effect.
- Or bake a rectangular cake and let the kids "paint" the cake witn small
paint brushes and bowls of tinted frosting.
FAVORS
- Send the kids home with watercolor paint sets, crayons, or colorful felt-tip pens.
- Give the kids any other art supplies, so they can continue the creative process at home.
- Give the kids how-to-draw or coloring books.
VARIATIONS
- Take the kids to an art class or studio and watch the artists create their work.
- Ask the instructor to include the kids in an art or craft activity.
- Visit an art museum that features art that appeals to kids.
HELPFUL HINTS
- Crafty Artists parties are messy-but that's half the fun. Be sure to cover the party area with newspapers
and drop cloths so you won't have to worry about the mess.
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