Decorating Wrapping Paper

One of the ideas for the summer camp I'm helping with is that the children will paint a plate each Monday (at a pottery painting place) and then decorate wrapping paper each Tuesday and then on Friday when they are given their fired piece, they can wrap it and make a gift tag. Even if children do all 9 weeks of the camp, they can make 9 plates and give them to moms and dads, grandparents, friends, etc.

Today after I clean each room (which, hopefully, won't take an entire hour) and have extra time leftover, I will be making wrapping paper samples with my spare time, to show the teaching staff what the ideas look like "on paper." Here are my 12 suggestions:



Tuesday Art Project:
Decorating Wrapping Paper

1. Draw a map of how to get from your house to the gift recipient’s house and cut out magazine pictures to show what you would pass along the way.

2. Use small pieces of sponge and different colored paints to sponge-paint a design on the paper.

3. Make snowflakes out of colored construction paper and glue them on your gift wrap.

4. Decorate the wrapping paper with your handprints or footprints.

5. Paint the back of leaves you found on your nature walk and print the gift wrap.

6. Trace two large overlapping circles on your paper, fill one circle in red or blue and the other circle in yellow – mix the colors where they overlap.

7. Collage the gift wrap with different pieces of tissue paper.

8. Use a screen, an old toothbrush, and some paint to spatter-paint the paper.

9. Write an acrostic poem with the name of the gift recipient. Draw his/her portrait.

10. Use old buttons to create a pattern on your gift wrap.

11. Dip tennis balls in paint and bounce them on your gift wrap.

12. Use bubble wrap and paint to make bubble prints on your paper.



Tuesday Art Project:
Materials List

General Supplies

White glue
Crayons
Sponges
Small jars with lids
Tempera paint (yellow, red, blue, white, black)
Construction paper
Scissors
Aluminum pie plates
Paintbrushes
Popsicle sticks
Paper cups
Tissue paper
Plain white craft wrapping paper


Additional Items

#1 Old magazines, such as National Geographics

#5 Freshly gathered leaves

#8 An old window screen and several old toothbrushes

#10 Buttons

#11 Tennis balls

#12 Bubble wrap