Pipe Cleaner Letters - Love Theme

One of the materials found in our art corner is pipe cleaners.  The other day, Miss was busy working with her art materials and proudly showed me her newest creation that she called decorated letters.  She had used pipe cleaners and beads to create letters.

She gifted me with an assortment of the pipe cleaner letters.  Like many craft projects, they sat on my counter for awhile before I displayed them.  I decided to surprise Miss E with an "I Love You" sign with her letters.  I spelled I and You with her letters, and I made a heart out of pipe cleaners to complete the saying.


Miss E knew how to read "I love you" right away, and grinned from ear to ear when she noticed it hanging above the fireplace.  Sometimes adding my own touches to her artwork isn't always met with enthusiasm from her, but she loved the addition of the heart to the letters.  She later made her own heart to gift to her preschool class for Valentine's Day, but she insisted her own heart be completely covered in sparkly beads.   
This shows that access to art materials allows children to explore concepts in literacy in ways that are meaningful to the children.  
This post is part of Nurture Store's Kids Art Explorers.  This month's material to explore was pipe cleaners, and she encourages parents and teachers to allow children to create with a variety of art materials.  If your children have explored with pipe cleaners. head on over to Nurture Store to share your idea at the Kids Art Explorers Linky Party or at Nurture Store's Facebook Page.