D.I.Y Nature Light Table: An Invitation to Create and Explore
Daylight is certainly fleeting this time of the year for some. I happen to be in the part of the world that is just spinning forward from the shortest day of the year. So, with that said, I am looking for any way I can to bring light and creativity into my home. Yes, we still venture out on winter walks and explore all that the season has to offer outdoors. But, when the sun goes down it's nice to have a few ways to light up your evenings!
FAMILY
In a previous post I talked about HOW TO HYGGE WITH KIDS and this activity fits perfectly into that sentiment. I love it when I can find activities that the whole family can have fun with. Especially when these collaborative sessions are creative and inspiring for both parents and children alike.
DIY LIGHT TABLE
By purchasing a few simple materials ( or by using what you may already have around the house) you can create a very versatile no-fuss light table for next to nothing.
MATERIALS
One or Two Battery Powered Cylinder Tap Lights
A Shallow Clear Plastic Storage Bin ( Approx. 23"L x 16"W x 6"H )
Once you have created your light table the sky's the limit on how you use it. We've found so many ways to create and explore with ours. Here are some ideas to get you started!
NATURE STUDIES
Bring the objects from your nature collection into a whole new light! Choose a variety of materials that you might have on hand and place them one by one on the table to see how they are transformed by the light. You will be surprised at what is revealed with light coming from beneath. You may begin to see small cracks, holes, and tears from aged plants. Or beach glass could turn into glowing gemstones! I especially love how the spotlight effect from the tap lights starts to look like the sun or moon as the objects become silhouettes. We do this all in a darkened room so the effect is pretty dramatic.
Here are a list of materials we've explored this year so far:
Pressed Leaves
Dried Flowers
Plant Clippings
Fall Leaves
Rocks - translucent, semi-translucent, and opaque
Beach Glass
Chunks of Colored Glass
INVITATION TO CREATE
The really cool thing about working with a plastic surface is it's ability to interact with tape, paint, etc. without getting damaged. We've taped down paper and let the kids experiment with mark making on a glowing surface. This has resulted in some pretty awesome collaborative pieces full of energy and movement. You just can't beat the glowing colors and the way that your lines
come to life.
COLLABORATIVE MOTION ART WITH CRAYONS
COLLABORATIVE "LIQUID LIGHT" PAINTINGS
We've also had some pretty amazing results painting directly on the surface of the plastic box with acrylic and tempera paints. The paint actually takes on a quality of "liquid light" as the color values shift and glow. I highly recommend giving this one a try! We just placed a piece of old drop cloth down beneath the box before we started. The kids had a blast watching their marks move and take form on this slick glowing surface!
So simple yet SO MUCH FUN! Hope you get a chance to put one of these together. If you test it out I'd love to see the results! Check us out on facebook and post some pics if you do. : )
