When I taught preschool in the states years ago before becoming a missionary and subsequently a preschool director, I was always on the lookout for creative, unique and incredible gifts for our parents. I was looking for ideas that would be meaningful, that the parents would want to keep forever and ever. You know what I mean, the gifts that are handmade and are still hanging in your parent's house even now. Now, the younger the kid, the easier it is, just paint their feet & hands and make those prints into something cute & seasonal. We did that a lot and the parents went CRAZY for them. But the older the child, the harder it is because it needs to be something that the child can do themselves but still has the same feeling as the hand & footprints. So I put my thinking cap on, as usual and a memory flashed.
Remember those old silhouette pictures on the walls of our grandparents or great-grand parents. You know the ones. Sometimes they were in a picture frame on the way but sometimes they were on a bookshelf or a piano. Occasionally they were a part of a necklace or a broach. They look sort of like this:
Remember those old silhouette pictures on the walls of our grandparents or great-grand parents. You know the ones. Sometimes they were in a picture frame on the way but sometimes they were on a bookshelf or a piano. Occasionally they were a part of a necklace or a broach. They look sort of like this:
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When I taught the 4 year old class, I wanted to give the parents something that they could remember their kids at age 4 that was unique. So I began looking at these silhouette pictures and trying to figure out a way to make them. I wanted the kids to be able to help me as well.
Now we came up with TONS of different ways to do this but I think this one is the best and easiest way of all.
SUPPLIES:
Digital Camera
Printer (black and white is fine)
white card stock
black paint, tempera or washable is best for small kids
paint brush
To get started, simply take a profile picture of your child(ren). This means take a picture of the side of their head. You want to frame the picture so that their head takes up most of the shot. You want to be able to see the outline of their eyes, nose and mouth (this is what make the silhouette so special). This is easiest to do in front of a window because you automatically get the shadow/backlight feel that you want. Another option is just in front of a blank wall.
With your computer, blow this picture up to a 8x10. You want it to take up the whole sheet of paper. It doesn't matter if the picture is a little (or a lot) blurry as long as you can see the outline. (You will understand later). Print this picture onto a sheet of White Card Stock (really thick paper).
Have your child paint the entire back side (not the side the picture is on, you will need to be able to see that) with black paint. Allow this to completely dry. The paper will probably curl on the edges. For now, this is fine.
Once the paint is completely dry, you can cut out their silhouette. Simply use the picture as a guideline and cut along the outline of their face, including any clothing or out of place hair. After you have cut out the face you may want to place in a heavy book to help flatten out the image (as it may have curled in the drying process).
When I did this for the preschoolers and parents, I attached the silhouette to a piece of white card stock and mounted that onto a larger piece of black construction paper. This gives it a more finished, professional look. Do this for everyone in the family and frame them.
You can make smaller ones (4x6 or 5x7) for a card or a table-top.
Now we came up with TONS of different ways to do this but I think this one is the best and easiest way of all.
SUPPLIES:
Digital Camera
Printer (black and white is fine)
white card stock
black paint, tempera or washable is best for small kids
paint brush
To get started, simply take a profile picture of your child(ren). This means take a picture of the side of their head. You want to frame the picture so that their head takes up most of the shot. You want to be able to see the outline of their eyes, nose and mouth (this is what make the silhouette so special). This is easiest to do in front of a window because you automatically get the shadow/backlight feel that you want. Another option is just in front of a blank wall.
With your computer, blow this picture up to a 8x10. You want it to take up the whole sheet of paper. It doesn't matter if the picture is a little (or a lot) blurry as long as you can see the outline. (You will understand later). Print this picture onto a sheet of White Card Stock (really thick paper).
Have your child paint the entire back side (not the side the picture is on, you will need to be able to see that) with black paint. Allow this to completely dry. The paper will probably curl on the edges. For now, this is fine.
Once the paint is completely dry, you can cut out their silhouette. Simply use the picture as a guideline and cut along the outline of their face, including any clothing or out of place hair. After you have cut out the face you may want to place in a heavy book to help flatten out the image (as it may have curled in the drying process).
When I did this for the preschoolers and parents, I attached the silhouette to a piece of white card stock and mounted that onto a larger piece of black construction paper. This gives it a more finished, professional look. Do this for everyone in the family and frame them.
You can make smaller ones (4x6 or 5x7) for a card or a table-top.
Every time I do this project with a class or a student, I am ALAWYS shocked at how much they look like the child. And every time I do this project, the parents always beg me to do the same for their other children. I do like giving this gift for a particular class like the 4 year old end of the year gift. This way it is something that each child will get and give parents something to look forward to. It's like a tradition.
Leave a comment below with an idea that you do that your class parents gush over or something that you made that your parents still have prominently displayed. Even better, leave a link. I'd love to hear about it.
Leave a comment below with an idea that you do that your class parents gush over or something that you made that your parents still have prominently displayed. Even better, leave a link. I'd love to hear about it.
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