What can you do the rest of the year when it isn’t Arts Camp week? Keep the arts going at home. Here are some ideas for ways to engage your camper with art throughout the year.
- Watercolor Sunday Sessions
- Set aside one “art hour” each weekend for watercolor exploration.
- Use inexpensive watercolor sets and mixed media paper. Try ideas like wet-on-wet backgrounds, salt textures, masking fluid to preserve white space, or layering transparent washes.
- Turn it into a mini-challenge: pick a subject (a plant, pet, tool, or toy) and paint it three ways: abstract, realistic, and expressive/emotional.
- Set aside one “art hour” each weekend for watercolor exploration.
- Tie-Dye Time for Everyday Objects
- Tie-dye doesn’t have to stay in camp: bring it into your home wardrobe or textile projects. Let kids pick old T-shirts, pillow-cases, tote bags or bandanas to tie-dye.
- Try new techniques: spirals, bull-eyes, armbands, ombré effects, or even eco-dyeing with leaves and vegetables.
- Make it a family event: gather some snacks, go outdoors (or in a well-ventilated space), set up plastic sheets, gloves and dye, make the process as fun as the outcome. Watch a video to learn more
- Tie-dye doesn’t have to stay in camp: bring it into your home wardrobe or textile projects. Let kids pick old T-shirts, pillow-cases, tote bags or bandanas to tie-dye.
- Collage Corner: Create a Station in Your Home
- Dedicate a small area (a table or cart) to collage supplies: magazines, old books, fabric scraps, buttons, wrappers, thread, adhesive and base boards or heavy paper.
- Encourage kids to make “visual diaries”: one collage each week reflecting what they felt, what they saw, what they imagine. It becomes a creative habit as well as an art project.
- For older kids, challenge them to a theme: “What the world looks like”, “Food I love”, “My future self”, etc., and let them interpret it using collage.
- Dedicate a small area (a table or cart) to collage supplies: magazines, old books, fabric scraps, buttons, wrappers, thread, adhesive and base boards or heavy paper.
- Color-Mix Challenge
- Take the color theory from camp and bring it into home life. Have children mix their own paints (or dilutions) to match a “mystery swatch” you show them. Then add these colors into watercolor or acrylic projects.
- Create a “color mixer” jar: fill one with primary watercolors, another with secondaries, let kids experiment, document their mixes, and then use those mixes for a painting.
- Take the color theory from camp and bring it into home life. Have children mix their own paints (or dilutions) to match a “mystery swatch” you show them. Then add these colors into watercolor or acrylic projects.
- Family Art Night & Show-and-Tell
- Once a month, host a “family art night” where everyone picks a medium (watercolor, collage, tie-dye or something new) and creates. Then display the results on a wall or digital gallery (phone photos).
- Invite extended family or friends to view the gallery online or in-person. The kids become curators of their own work, which helps build confidence and reinforces the value of creativity.
- Once a month, host a “family art night” where everyone picks a medium (watercolor, collage, tie-dye or something new) and creates. Then display the results on a wall or digital gallery (phone photos).
- Art-Inspiration Walks / Photo Journals
- Encourage kids to take a camera or phone (or just use their observation skills) on a walk and capture textures, colors, patterns, shapes: tree bark, shadows, fabric folds, architecture details.
- Back at home, use those photos as sources for new art: a watercolor inspired by a tree bark texture, a collage based on the pattern of a sidewalk, a tie-dye palette drawn from sunset hues.
- This bridges the “camp” feel of going out, exploring, then creating, keeping the cycle alive.
- Encourage kids to take a camera or phone (or just use their observation skills) on a walk and capture textures, colors, patterns, shapes: tree bark, shadows, fabric folds, architecture details.
- Repurpose & Recycle Art Materials
- Use household items as art materials: old cereal boxes as canvas, egg cartons for sculpture, newspaper strips for papier-mâché, fabric scraps for collage.
- Teach kids that art is not just about new supplies, creativity thrives when we reuse, re-imagine and convert the everyday into expressive work.
- Have a “found materials” challenge: one evening, set a timer and each person finds 5 items around the house to use in a collage or sculpture.
- Use household items as art materials: old cereal boxes as canvas, egg cartons for sculpture, newspaper strips for papier-mâché, fabric scraps for collage.
- Daily Sketchbook Habit
- Provide each child (and maybe parent) a sketchbook. Encourage 5–10 minutes each day, quick sketches, doodles, color studies, collage inlay.
- No pressure for “finished works”, the idea is consistency. Over time the sketchbook becomes a record of growth, ideas, experimentation.
- Occasionally pick a favorite sketch and expand it into a fuller piece (watercolor, mixed-media collage, etc.).
- Provide each child (and maybe parent) a sketchbook. Encourage 5–10 minutes each day, quick sketches, doodles, color studies, collage inlay.
- Connect & Learn with Other Artists
- Find local art classes, workshops, museum or gallery youth programs (your county may have many options through the Arts Alliance or local libraries).
- Take inspiration from the HAA Arts Camp professionals, keep an eye on the “Master Artists” from camp and what projects they’ve done.
- Watch short video tutorials together (YouTube has many watercolor, tie-dye, collage lessons) and then try them at home.
- Find local art classes, workshops, museum or gallery youth programs (your county may have many options through the Arts Alliance or local libraries).
- Celebrate & Reflect on the Year
- At the end of each term (season), compile a “creative portfolio” of the child’s work: photos of their pieces, their favorite techniques learned, what they want to try next.
- Create a “Next Steps” list: maybe it’s “paint outdoors”, “create a tie-dye gift”, “make a collage with my own photographs”, etc.
- Share it with the camp community or post-camp gallery via the Arts Alliance mailing list or social media, this helps kids feel connected to the larger creative community they enjoyed at camp.
- At the end of each term (season), compile a “creative portfolio” of the child’s work: photos of their pieces, their favorite techniques learned, what they want to try next.
Why This Matters
The week of camp creates a creative spark, but regular, accessible art-moments at home help that spark become a habit. When kids (and parents) engage in art together:
- They build confidence in making mistakes, experimenting, and trying new techniques.
- They deepen observation skills and appreciation for the world (seeing textures, colors, shapes, patterns).
- They keep developing artistic “muscles” so that when next year’s camp arrives, they’re ready to dive in even stronger.
- They create memories around art: it becomes less of a “special event” and more part of life.
Quick Art Tips for Parents
- Provide a dedicated spot (even a small corner) for art supplies so creativity is ready and visible.
- Keep basic supplies stocked (watercolors, heavy paper, fabric pieces, glue, old magazines, fabric dye, string, etc.).
- Encourage but don’t pressure: the goal is exploration, not perfection.
- Join in! When parents make art alongside kids it signals that creativity is valued.
- Display the work: hang it, photograph it, make a rotating “art wall” or “gallery shelf”.
- Check in with your child: ask them what technique they enjoyed the most at camp, what new idea they’d like to try next.
We hope your family has a fantastic time carrying the creativity of camp into every day. If you ever need new project ideas, inspiration, or connection to local arts resources, the Henry Arts Alliance is here to support you. We can’t wait to see what you create next!