Art In Our Driveway: Open-Ended Sidewalk Creations

The Reggio-Emilia philosophy is a nature-based and self-guided approach to learning. It puts the child in the driver’s seat, challenging them to control the outcome of their work by exploring the world around them, without adult intervention. Pedagogist Loris Malaguzzi was the catalyst for this learning method during WWII and it's become popular in many childcare centers and Montessori schools worldwide. Especially when children are young, I find this to be a very exciting and satisfying way to learn.

Another reason I love this philosophy is it challenges resourcefulness. There’s no need to drive to the craft store to buy supplies; you can use what’s available to you.

Here are a few more reasons why these projects are great:

• It connects your child to nature;

• it’s open-ended;

• it’s self-guided;

• there's little to no mess or waste; and

• it opens the door to talk about subjects like silhouettes, positive and negative space, composition, art mediums and more.

Here are two Reggio-Emilia inspired art projects that we enjoy:

Sidewalk Silhouettes

You'll need:

• A spray bottle filled with either diluted washable paint or plain water

• Various knickknacks (such as toys, kitchen utensils, shapes cut from cardboard boxes - pretty much anything you can rinse off or dispose of afterwards)

• Collected items from outside (such as rocks, sticks, leaves, etc.)

1. Arrange your collection of items on your driveway: Create a scene, a picture, or just a random arrangement.

2. Spray: Use your spray bottle to spritz on top and all around the objects

3. Remove the objects: Pick up the objects to reveal beautiful silhouettes

4. Repeat: Move the objects to another spot and do it again.

Sidewalk Chalk and Water Art

You'll need:

• A spray bottle filled with plain or soapy water

• Bowls filled with water or soapy water (optional)

• Paintbrushes (optional)

• Sidewalk chalk

• Collected items from outside (such as rocks, sticks, leaves, etc.)

1. Color or Spray: Either color with chalk on dry pavement or dampen with a spray bottle (or brushes).

2. Experiment: Color on top, spray on top or brush on top to investigate what happens when the two combine. Does the chalk spread or wash away? Do the chalk markings look darker or lighter on a wet surface?

3. Add more: Add rocks, leaves, sticks to your picture to create colorful nature composition.

Spray bottles have other outdoor uses, like for watering plants 🤣. Have fun!