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A sensory bin to explore Starry Night!
I am no art major. I took a few art appreciation classes in college and enjoy going to art museums (when my husband agrees to accompany me!) When I do appreciate art, I try to be specific about the elements of the art that I am drawn to in a particular piece (the elements of art are shape, form, value, line, color, space and texture). Of all the elements, I find texture the most intriguing. Whether it be true texture or implied texture, I always want to run my hand across the canvas and feel it! I want to be able to interpret the art with my sense of touch it, but that is a BIG no in the art world! I think that’s why I enjoy this sensory bin so much- It is so textural and hands on! And I think my boys made some truly awesome Starry Night (inspired) art from it!
Supplies:

I didn’t get a picture of me actually dyeing the pasta, but it’s really a simple procedure I explain in this post. My oldest son, Cannon, had been watching me and asking a TON of questions about what I was doing, so while the pasta dried I sat with him and we looked at art online. That’s when I introduced him to Starry Night. Unfortunately, it was just on the computer screen. No way he could appreciate the texture of the art from there! Once the rice was dry, though, we were ready to get some hands on experience with texture!

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We spread the blue rice for the base layer in our white container, while the other pasta was in a smaller baking dish. The yellow star pasta was a big hit! We sprinkled stars across the blue sky, made a tower of green cypress tress with penne pasta, and added buildings below (made with broken and dyed pieces of manicotti pasta). I loved the finished product…
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…but I didn’t love it nearly as much as I loved their inspired artwork that came afterwards!

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A simple wooden mixing spoon gave more mixing opportunities in this beautiful sensory box!

I call this one “Deconstructed Starry Night”

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Did someone say construction? Of course no activity would be complete without my boys finding a way to incorporate tractors into it!

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Give preschoolers a chance to explore the famous Starry Night painting with this hands-on sensory bin!