A blog about teaching children the basics of art and crafting.
Here are ten lesser-known but fascinating stories which I hope will illustrate the many different aspects of the twisted little land of Fairy Tales—a world full of impossible situations, mythical creatures, bizarre happenings, violence, vengeance and greed. Originally fairy tales were designed to entertain and to teach morals and reflected the spiritual and cultural beliefs
FREE printable carnival signs. Perfect for a Spring carnival or birthday party.
Create this renters friendly origami paper crane installation! Perfect for a kids bedroom or a sublet!
Note: I am hoping to put a PDF document together with all of our bird art camp projects in one place for anyone interested (though I'm not sure when I'll get it all done). With this in mind, I am not going to go into quite as many how-to details on these projects. But, the projects are fairly self-explanatory. :-) The final project in my bird camp series: paper bird cages. I came across this project on this blog. The project I was using for our inspiration while cute, just didn't have the bling and sparkle that I know my girls would love. So we dressed it up a bit more by using fun sparkly scrapbook papers and a bling tack to hold it together at the top. We also used paper that was two sided so that the inside of the cage would be fun as well. I thought it would be fun to add in actual feathers so the birds would have a more three-dimensional quality to them. The supplies you'll need are above. After the cages were built, they started on their birds: I used some flower wire I had to hang the birds from the center tack of the cage: And we aren't always serious when we're creating! We goof around a bit too:
Looking to add something special to your house, wedding, or event? Check out these Origami Paper Cranes and the creative things you can do!
I'm so excited to share with you just how amazingly awesome these exotic birds by my second graders turned out! If you subscribe to my YouTube channel, then you might already be familiar with this video lesson I created (and may have used it with your students!). I was uncertain how I wanted the kids to finish them off (to glaze or not to glaze). In the end, we went with this super fun florescent paint and metallic watercolor for the base. Here's the how-to video! For our school-wide art show, our clay sculptures will be based on a pet shop theme with each grade level making animals, reptiles and fish for the occasion. Our theme last year was a 1950's diner where the kids all made food...after doing that fun theme, I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to top it. But these birds have certainly changed my mind about that! In the video, I use skewers as the legs but in the end, I was worried that they would not be strong enough to support the bird. So as the kids finished their birds and bases, I had them bring them to me. I used the skewer to write their name and class code on the bottom of each. Then I pushed popsicle sticks into the bottom of the bird and the base just to make sure they would work together. After the kids left, I removed the sticks, wiggling them back and forth. I did this because I know that clay shrinks as it dries. I then allowed the clay projects to dry for a week or more. Last week, the kids got their birds and bases back and were given bright colors of paint and plenty of visuals to work from. I gently suggested that they might want to make them look like parrots or toucans...but I also wanted them to explore the idea of creating their own idea of an exotic bird. Once the paint was dry, I hot glued the sticks to both the birds and the bases (I had used the stick to add the holes into both before firing). Sparkle ModPodge was added to the finished birds because...SPARKLE MODPODGE. Need I say more? Today, the kids were given sparkle pipe cleaners, feathers (both of which were found at the Dollar Tree) and beads from my unending supply of beads (seriously...do they multiply?!). I gave them a couple of tips on how to twist the 'cleaner and add the feathers...and then just let them go to town. They had a blast and are just so super proud of their birds! I suggested folding the pipe cleaners in half, adding beads if desired and bending the 'cleaners into spirals. Of course, their fave part was digging through the treasures on their tables... Once complete, they brought their birds to me where I hot glued their feathers and pipe cleaners into place. I found this great resource and asked the kids to do a little bit of research on their birds before our short 30 minutes was up. I borrowed some books from the library to help them with that task. Tomorrow, they'll continue writing, add an illustration and learn even more about exotic birds. Now that we are closing in on the art show and the end of the school year, I don't plan on doing too many more projects with these guys. We do have this project to finish up next week...but after that, we'll be working on decorating the art room for the art show! I love all of the creativity that went into these birds! They were colorfully beautiful before...and now they are just fantastic. Teaching clay is one of my all time favorite things because the kids absolutely LOVE it! Ask them what their favorite medium is and it is always clay. I haven't been able to share some of my fave clay projects with you as they are in THE BOOK and, therefore, owned by the publisher. I was so excited last week to get my copy of it! Almost all of the projects in the book (with the exceptions of the edible clay {yes, there is an edible clay project!}) can also be created with kiln-fired clay. So it's perfect for those with or without a kiln...really anyone who wants to explore clay with kids! And, in case you are a little intimidated by clay...OR just want a reason to play with the stuff yourself, you might want to join in on my FREE clay workshop! I'll be hosting it on my Facebook page every Wednesday night LIVE for about an hour. I'll be working with Celluclay, air dry clay and plaster wrap. You can use whatever supplies you have on hand OR you can purchase a kit of the supplies to explore and create along with me (and many others!): I cannot wait. Craft nights on Facebook LIVE have been so much fun! And, stay tuned...I'm unloading that kiln daily and the clay projects coming out of it have just been so fun to see. I find myself scrambling to get to school just to peak inside. Here is an accurate portrayal of my face when doing so, ha! Y'all have a great week!
Are you thinking of getting an Unalome Tattoo? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Today, you will learn everything about this meaningful symbol that has become a popular design for tattoos, art, and jewelry.
Boneless skinless chicken Breasts quickly baked in an intensely flavoured honey, garlic and Dijon mustard glaze.
You know, it's funny, I was talking to someone the other day (could've been myself, I don't remember), and I don't know when I started doing all of this kid art that's coming out. I guess, I just decided there will be a time when I can do my own "adult" art- but now, I'm plunging in, the time is right for my kids' involvement (I would be concentrating on my own projects and wouldn't pay attention to "anything" in the room) ... and with a few other kids added to the equation... BIRDIES FOR MOM'S DAY! Here is another beautiful handprint project(spotted over at the Craft Nest) for Mother's Day that my kids gave to their grandmas! I'm loving the birds outside chirping this time of year... even my little noisy birdies in my house... that's all year!
Do this simple wind experiment with your young children and discover science in a fun and hands-on way!
Designed by a member of my team: Marina Ayueva. Bird Cherry Romper is a knitting PATTERN for intermediace knitting skills calculated for 5 sizes: 3-6 m/6-9 m/9-12m/12-18m/18-24 m. The pattern is written with standard English knitting terms and provides full description with charts and diagrams. You should be able to read charts! This is NOT a recipe like my other patterns, you will have to obtain gauge and follow my instructions. Gauge in a swatch of 10 x 10 cm [4 x 4 in], in stockinette stitch on 4 mm [US6] needles: 16 sts and 25 rows Yarn: DROPS Brushed Alpaca Silk (140 m / 25 g [153 yds / 0.9 oz]) 3/3/4/5/5 skeins and DROPS Baby Merino (175 m / 50 g [191 yds / 1.75 oz]) 3/3/4/4/4 skeins* Knitting needles: Larger circular needles – 4 mm [US6] with 40 cm [16 in] cord, and DPNs in same size (for knitting the sleeves); smaller circular needles – 3 mm [US2.5] with 80 cm [32 in] cord, and DPNs in same size (for the ribbing). Needed skills: Knit and purl stitches, increases and decreases, provisional crochet cast-on using a crochet hook and waste yarn, Kitchener grafting, working from charts, three-needle bind-off, basic sewing skills (reinforcing buttonholes, sewing on buttons). The romper is worked from the top down, beginning with raglan shaping in back-and-forth rows with turning. This pattern can also be used to make a tunic or dress by lengthening the body of the garment. *testers used the following yarns: • 1 strand YarnArt Jeans 50 g / 159 m [1.75 oz / 174 yds] + 2 strands Alpina Alpaca Tweed 50 g / 300 m [1.75 oz / 328 yds] held together; • Fibra Natura Sensational 50 g / 82 m [1.75 oz / 90 yds]; held single; • Alize Lanagold fine 100 g / 392 m [3.5 oz / 429 yds]; • DROPS Air 50 g / 150 m [1.75 oz / 164 yds]; • Gazzal Rock ’N’ Roll 50 g / 115 m [1.75 oz / 126 yds]; • Knoll Yarns Merino Lambswool 50 g / 212 m [1.75 oz / 230 yds]; • Lanerossi Albany 100 g / 1,500 m [3.5 oz / 1,640 yds] held double; • Nako Paris 100 g / 245 m [3.5 oz / 267 yds]; • Sandnes Garn Babyull Lanett 50 g / 175 m [1.75 oz / 191 yds]; • 1 strand Vita Candy 100 g / 178 m [3.5 oz / 194 yds] + 1 strand DROPS Kid-Silk 25 g / 210 m [0.9 oz / 230 yds] held together; Please, feel free to ask questions!
Create James Rizzi art with your students using watercolors and oil pastel. Teach detail and expression to your children's work of art with watercolor faces
Today we read "A Bird or 2: A Story About Henri Matisse" by Bijou Le Tord. This wonderful book told about his life as an artist in Nice and why he choose his color palette. We also sang our lion hunt song and talked about Matisse's painting of fish before we created our own versions. Check out our work!
FREE printable carnival signs. Perfect for a Spring carnival or birthday party.
Sensory bin filled with colorful pipe cleaner worms for preschoolers to use fine motor skills to sort colors while feeding the baby birds!
Free downloadable Lotus hummingbird tattoo design and outline with description of the meanings. The lotus flower symbolizes overcoming d...
For my daughter’s first birthday party I wanted to throw her a party in a beautiful local park that took advantage of the lush greenery and serene atmosphere at the...
Keep reading for pet activities and centers for a fun theme in your preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten room.
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Tons of Pre-K activities and printables are sorted by theme unit here. Just click each button. Access my Theme Sequence using the button below to see what
Chiaki Kuriyama as Gogo Yubari (2003)
There are so many tools your kids can use for creative art projects. Here’s twenty five tools that will create some fantastic works of art!
