creating with what we already have - tinfoil sculptures

If you have tinfoil and markers nearby, keep reading for some colorful abstract sculptures you can create with your family.

I found it interesting to take a small sheet of tinfoil (8 inch by 8 inch) and color on it with art supplies I already had on hand. If you're careful with the edges, tin foil is a fascinating surface for little fingers to explore with parental supervision. It's shiny and slippery!

As a team of experimenters, can you and your little one(s) find something that from around the house that you can use to safely and gently imprint a design onto the tinfoil, without letting it rip?

Personally, I found it intersting to use a dull pencil to etch some fun designs onto my piece of tinfoil after wrapping it around a plate, to create a geometric shape.

From there I decided to dip my fingers in water and watercolors - a new habit I've inherited from teaching toddler classes at work - and rubbed those colors all over this crinkly, delicate material. What other materials might leave color on this surface? Do crayons work? What about some plants or flowers from outside?

When my watercolor rubbings dried on the tinfoil, I carefully removed it from the plate to see what else I could do with this piece of material. I folded the pointy edges backwards, and smashed the corners between my fingers. I took this little creation out into the sunlight, and watched as light bounced around on the now colorful tinfoil whenever my hands moved.

Maybe this could become an object in a series of little happy orbs I could hang as a fun display near a window? Where else could this form exist in space? I thought this would be a fun experimental project to practice with students in the future.

From here, I tried making a different shape with my little circular shape, carefully folding and bending the edges. It was almost magical how this little circle could turn into what looked like a flower with a few pinches and folds here and there.

A collection of these made with different colors and textures might make for an interesting bouquet, perhaps!

Thanks for reading! I'm excited to see what you can make with a piece of tinfoil and some imagination from your family members. If you make something that brings you joy, please email me a picture! fallin.meg@gmail.com