Repurposing everyday materials for STEAM invitations can pretty much be done with anything. Assemblage is the art of assembling materials together from objects, in this case ping pong and ball pit balls. The materials are used to make 3-dimensional art and often involves building, collaging, exploring, and creating sculptures.
For this invitation we used dollar store ping pong balls, ball pit balls, hot glue gun, and tempera paint. Simply invite the child to glue the "snowballs" together in whatever structure they want and let them paint!
As they work with the materials together to explore the concept of assemblage art they are: comparing items (shapes, textures, lines, height/width, size), negative space, spatial awareness, cognitive thinking, communication/collaboration, gravity + viscosity, fine + gross motor skills, hand eye coordination, all while empowering their creativity throughout the whole process.
Invitations such as this opens a child's mind to the many ways of creating art. When children learn about diverse types of art the more well rounded and creative they become. Art is a fundamental component of early childhood education therefore continuous exposure leads to seeing the world in different ways and learning about all the beautiful forms of art.
