Teaching Tips: Glue

Glue is messy, there’s just no way around it. However, you can make life easier in the art room by planning ahead.

Glue can be handled a variety of ways.

⭐️GLUE STICKS

Pros: Cleaner than liquid glue.

Cons: Little ones tend to twist the glue up too high, resulting in more glue than necessary. Won’t hold heavy pieces of paper very well.

⭐️GLUE POTS

Pros: Glues well.

Cons: Can get clogged. Often waaaaay too much glue is used.

⭐️GLUE SPONGES

(This is when you put small kitchen sponges in resealable containers and saturate them with glue and water. Then, the kids dip or drag their papers across the glue sponges.)

Pros: It only allows so much onto the paper so the mess is minimized.

Cons: You need to rehydrate the glue and make sure the lids are sealed or the glue will dry out.

⭐️GLUE IN CONTAINERS

(paper plates, condiment cups, etc.) with old paintbrushes, cotton swabs, craft sticks, etc. This is usually my preference.

Pros: Much easier to control than glue pots.

Cons: Can be messy, especially if papers are accidentally laid on top of the glue.

HOW TO MAKE A GLUE SPONGE

To create a glue sponge, place a damp sponge inside a resealable plastic container. Pour white glue onto the sponge and let it soak in. Children can lightly rub their paper pieces onto the sponge to pick up just a small amount of glue!

When not in use, seal the container with a lid and add more glue and spray with water from time to time.

How do you use glue in your art room?