Tuesday, December 4, 2012
NEW BLOG SITE
All of my future posts will be at my new blog site, www.funartprofessor.com.
Please visit me there.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Stocking the Cupboard: Introduction
Young mother Hubburd
went to the cupboard
to get her child some glue.
But when she got there,
the cupboard was bare
and the child had nothing to do.
I live in South Florida and every year around this time, we get warnings on preparing for Hurricane Season......“ Have 1 gallon of water per person times 14 days, have cans of food and a non-electric can opener, have plenty of batteries, have a battery operated radio, have plenty of cash on hand because the ATMs won't work, etc,.....and make sure you have all this handy in one place so you can find it easily when you need it.”
For those of you with young children, you may often times hear the rumblings of a little domestic storm coming with the sound, “I'm bored”, emanating from your little beloved's lips. How wise would you then be if you already had an activity or art cupboard properly stocked?
My next series of postings will be focused on the elements that contribute to having a well stocked art cupboard including recycled items, found objects, and the proper glues, brushes, paper and paints for different age groups and projects.
Note to Parents: I am not advocating “wimpy” parenting where you cater to every complaint your child has. In fact, my children learned from a very young age to never say, “I'm bored”, because they knew that I would always come up with suggestions they didn't want to hear like, “Well, then let's go clean your room.” I'm simply suggesting that having sufficient art supplies handy in one designated spot can go a long way in turning a rainy day into a wellspring of creativity.
went to the cupboard
to get her child some glue.
But when she got there,
the cupboard was bare
and the child had nothing to do.
I live in South Florida and every year around this time, we get warnings on preparing for Hurricane Season......“ Have 1 gallon of water per person times 14 days, have cans of food and a non-electric can opener, have plenty of batteries, have a battery operated radio, have plenty of cash on hand because the ATMs won't work, etc,.....and make sure you have all this handy in one place so you can find it easily when you need it.”
For those of you with young children, you may often times hear the rumblings of a little domestic storm coming with the sound, “I'm bored”, emanating from your little beloved's lips. How wise would you then be if you already had an activity or art cupboard properly stocked?
My next series of postings will be focused on the elements that contribute to having a well stocked art cupboard including recycled items, found objects, and the proper glues, brushes, paper and paints for different age groups and projects.
Note to Parents: I am not advocating “wimpy” parenting where you cater to every complaint your child has. In fact, my children learned from a very young age to never say, “I'm bored”, because they knew that I would always come up with suggestions they didn't want to hear like, “Well, then let's go clean your room.” I'm simply suggesting that having sufficient art supplies handy in one designated spot can go a long way in turning a rainy day into a wellspring of creativity.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Spilt Milk
“Don't let one cloud obliterate the whole sky.”—Anais Nin
Do you remember, as a child, lying in the grass on a warm summer day, looking up at the sky, watching the clouds change formation as the wind tossed them across the blue landscape? This is the magic that's captured in the charming little picture book, It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw, published in 1947.
The graphics in the book are simple white shapes against a blue background. The back cover entices you with the verbiage, “Sometimes it looked like Spilt Milk. But it wasn't Spilt Milk, Sometimes it looked like a Bird or an Ice Cream Cone or a Birthday Cake or an Angel. But it wasn't a Bird or an Ice Cream Cone or a Birthday Cake or an Angel. What was it?” The answer to the mystery, of course, is that “it” is a cloud. The suggested age level for this book is from 4 -7, but I have used this book in my toddler classes with children as young as 2 ½ as an inspirational tool for some very simple art projects in which a child can create his or her own cloud scene.
Collage - Paint with glue onto blue construction paper or cardstock, then attach stretched out pieces of cotton balls to the sticky places. (Keep some inexpensive brushes with your art supplies that you use only for glue applications, because after using them for glue, they will no longer be useful for paint.) Shiny star stickers can be applied to transform the picture into a night scene.
Paint 1 – On blue construction paper, drop white acrylic painted that's been watered down a bit, onto the center of the page. (The water addition will make the paint look more like milk.) Blow the paint around on the paper with a straw or fold the paper in half and then reopen it.
Paint 2 - Do a reverse technique. Dab or drip heavily watered down blue watercolor paint onto white construction paper or watercolor paper. Blow the paint around with a straw.
Felt Board – Glue a sheet of blue felt onto a piece of cardboard. Cut out random shapes of white felt. The white felt will stick to the blue felt without any further adhesives.
Encourage your child to tell you what his or her “cloud” shapes look like. You could even staple the pages together to make a cloud book. It Looked Like Spilt Milk is such a great book to add to your library of picture books. And there are actually used copies of the book for sale at Amazon.com starting at one cent!
Do you remember, as a child, lying in the grass on a warm summer day, looking up at the sky, watching the clouds change formation as the wind tossed them across the blue landscape? This is the magic that's captured in the charming little picture book, It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw, published in 1947.
The graphics in the book are simple white shapes against a blue background. The back cover entices you with the verbiage, “Sometimes it looked like Spilt Milk. But it wasn't Spilt Milk, Sometimes it looked like a Bird or an Ice Cream Cone or a Birthday Cake or an Angel. But it wasn't a Bird or an Ice Cream Cone or a Birthday Cake or an Angel. What was it?” The answer to the mystery, of course, is that “it” is a cloud. The suggested age level for this book is from 4 -7, but I have used this book in my toddler classes with children as young as 2 ½ as an inspirational tool for some very simple art projects in which a child can create his or her own cloud scene.
Collage - Paint with glue onto blue construction paper or cardstock, then attach stretched out pieces of cotton balls to the sticky places. (Keep some inexpensive brushes with your art supplies that you use only for glue applications, because after using them for glue, they will no longer be useful for paint.) Shiny star stickers can be applied to transform the picture into a night scene.
Paint 1 – On blue construction paper, drop white acrylic painted that's been watered down a bit, onto the center of the page. (The water addition will make the paint look more like milk.) Blow the paint around on the paper with a straw or fold the paper in half and then reopen it.
Paint 2 - Do a reverse technique. Dab or drip heavily watered down blue watercolor paint onto white construction paper or watercolor paper. Blow the paint around with a straw.
Felt Board – Glue a sheet of blue felt onto a piece of cardboard. Cut out random shapes of white felt. The white felt will stick to the blue felt without any further adhesives.
Encourage your child to tell you what his or her “cloud” shapes look like. You could even staple the pages together to make a cloud book. It Looked Like Spilt Milk is such a great book to add to your library of picture books. And there are actually used copies of the book for sale at Amazon.com starting at one cent!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
National Picture Book Week
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to inspire and nurture creativity in children is through the reading of picture books. Today, May 1, 2011, marks the first day of the First Annual National Picture Book Week.
To find out more about what inspired this idea and how you can be a part of the event, go to NationalPictureBookWeek.com. Also, check out the Facebook page for NPBW and have your child contribute to the discussion and post a drawing of his or her favorite picture book.
First Annual National Picture Book Week Set for First Week in May-Press Release
Hollywood, FL – December 10, 2010- A recent article in the New York Times, Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children, prompted author Linda Eve Diamond to initiate a nationwide awareness of the importance of picture books in creating a love of reading and in developing critical reading and thinking skills.
According to the New York Times article, many parents are pushing young children away from picture books exclusively into chapter books out of a concern for education and achievement test scores.
Diamond states that on the contrary, “Picture books are not the cause of the country's literacy problems, and they can even be part of the solution. Picture books inspire a love of books from an early age. The linking together of words and pictures sparks imaginations and may even help to develop critical thinking skills. Picture books often use words and concepts that are beyond a child's reading level because the pictures help the child grasp the overall story and learn new words without even realizing it. Language play and poetry are common in picture books, and rhythm, rhyme and word patterns also help early language development.”
National Picture Book Week (NPBW) is scheduled to occur on May 1-7, 2011. Educators, librarians,museum directors, bookstores and parents are being encouraged to schedule events during that week to showcase the beauty of picture books as learning tools and works of art. NPBW events may be large or small, ranging from readings in libraries, schools and community centers to larger, sponsored events.
A web site, NationalPictureBookWeek.com, has been created as a resource for interested participants to receive information and share ideas for the week long celebration.
To find out more about what inspired this idea and how you can be a part of the event, go to NationalPictureBookWeek.com. Also, check out the Facebook page for NPBW and have your child contribute to the discussion and post a drawing of his or her favorite picture book.
First Annual National Picture Book Week Set for First Week in May-Press Release
Hollywood, FL – December 10, 2010- A recent article in the New York Times, Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children, prompted author Linda Eve Diamond to initiate a nationwide awareness of the importance of picture books in creating a love of reading and in developing critical reading and thinking skills.
According to the New York Times article, many parents are pushing young children away from picture books exclusively into chapter books out of a concern for education and achievement test scores.
Diamond states that on the contrary, “Picture books are not the cause of the country's literacy problems, and they can even be part of the solution. Picture books inspire a love of books from an early age. The linking together of words and pictures sparks imaginations and may even help to develop critical thinking skills. Picture books often use words and concepts that are beyond a child's reading level because the pictures help the child grasp the overall story and learn new words without even realizing it. Language play and poetry are common in picture books, and rhythm, rhyme and word patterns also help early language development.”
National Picture Book Week (NPBW) is scheduled to occur on May 1-7, 2011. Educators, librarians,museum directors, bookstores and parents are being encouraged to schedule events during that week to showcase the beauty of picture books as learning tools and works of art. NPBW events may be large or small, ranging from readings in libraries, schools and community centers to larger, sponsored events.
A web site, NationalPictureBookWeek.com, has been created as a resource for interested participants to receive information and share ideas for the week long celebration.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Open House for Butterflies
While sorting through a box of old books I purchased at an estate sale years ago, I came across a tiny yellow picture book written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, published in 1960, titled Open House for Butterflies. Not having a storyline, as usually expected in this type of work, I found it to contain random, mostly silly thoughts that could be likened to a child's thought process. Whimsical illustrations are accented by statements such as, “Open house for butterflies is a good thing to have.” “ Look, I'm running away with my imagination.” “ Nojuice is a good word to know in case you have a glass of no juice.” and “A good thing not to be is a little tree because you might grow up to be a telephone pole.”
I was not familiar with this little classic, but was immediately struck with the thought that it would be a perfect inspirational tool to use with young children when encouraging them to write their own picture book. I was particularly taken with the author's statement that, “If I had a tail I'd pull my wagon with it while I was picking flowers.” I was fortunate enough to be able to test out my theory during a visit with my 6 and 7 year old nieces, Annie and Molly. Both being true creative spirits in their own right, the sisters asked me if I would write a book with them. (They had remembered the books I had written and read to them when I last saw them a year earlier.) I suggested the title, If I Had a Tail. They loved the idea and began shouting out all the things they would do if they possessed that appendage. We jotted them all down, then listed all the rhyming words we could think of that worked with their ideas. Then all three of us put paper cupcake liners on top of our heads, upside down, calling them our "thinking caps" while we strained our brains linking the thoughts together and editing them down into a little poem.
When we were happy with the end product of our writing, the girls moved onto the illustration process. Molly worked diligently at designing the cover, placing the title in the center and over 40 different tails around the edges of the page. Annie contributed the artwork for the first page. I then showed the girls how to search on Google Images for pictures they could “borrow” for their personal book. Although this picture book will never be in line for a Caldecott or a Newbery award, the girls had the opportunity to stretch their imaginations, learn some new skills and deem their old, great aunt officially cool.
If I Had a Tail
by Molly & Annie Mullahy
If I had a tail I could sail like a whale
with a white sheet tied to its tip and my feet.
I could swat a lot or hit a bit, at bugs and baseballs
or punch a bully in the nose with it.
Swing on a tree or bounce up high like tigger.........wheeeee!
But now I'm so hot, I need to cool down.
I'll use my tail like a fan while strolling into town.
In a quiet time, it could be a quill pen
to write a rhyme or paint a picture of a fat hen
To celebrate all my fun, I'll frost a cake.
Then I'll eat it all up and get a tummyache.
I was not familiar with this little classic, but was immediately struck with the thought that it would be a perfect inspirational tool to use with young children when encouraging them to write their own picture book. I was particularly taken with the author's statement that, “If I had a tail I'd pull my wagon with it while I was picking flowers.” I was fortunate enough to be able to test out my theory during a visit with my 6 and 7 year old nieces, Annie and Molly. Both being true creative spirits in their own right, the sisters asked me if I would write a book with them. (They had remembered the books I had written and read to them when I last saw them a year earlier.) I suggested the title, If I Had a Tail. They loved the idea and began shouting out all the things they would do if they possessed that appendage. We jotted them all down, then listed all the rhyming words we could think of that worked with their ideas. Then all three of us put paper cupcake liners on top of our heads, upside down, calling them our "thinking caps" while we strained our brains linking the thoughts together and editing them down into a little poem.
When we were happy with the end product of our writing, the girls moved onto the illustration process. Molly worked diligently at designing the cover, placing the title in the center and over 40 different tails around the edges of the page. Annie contributed the artwork for the first page. I then showed the girls how to search on Google Images for pictures they could “borrow” for their personal book. Although this picture book will never be in line for a Caldecott or a Newbery award, the girls had the opportunity to stretch their imaginations, learn some new skills and deem their old, great aunt officially cool.
If I Had a Tail
by Molly & Annie Mullahy
If I had a tail I could sail like a whale
with a white sheet tied to its tip and my feet.
I could swat a lot or hit a bit, at bugs and baseballs
or punch a bully in the nose with it.
Swing on a tree or bounce up high like tigger.........wheeeee!
But now I'm so hot, I need to cool down.
I'll use my tail like a fan while strolling into town.
In a quiet time, it could be a quill pen
to write a rhyme or paint a picture of a fat hen
To celebrate all my fun, I'll frost a cake.
Then I'll eat it all up and get a tummyache.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Musings on School Projects
I was in line at Michael's Craft Store today behind a mother with her 9 year old daughter. The mom and the checkout woman were commiserating about how expensive it was to by the supplies for all the school projects that are required. “Maybe I'm old-fashioned.” the checker exclaimed, “but I don't know why they don't just have the students do reports anymore. They have to do projects for Science, History, English.” I joined in on the discussion, secretly relieved that those days were behind me.
Several projects of my own children came to mind. In fifth grade, my younger daughter had to do a diorama for a novel they were reading. Being her self sufficient self, she helped herself to our spice cupboard. Into the bottom of the box, she glued down what she thought was parsley to represent grass. Unfortunately, what she thought was a basically odorless green herb was in actuality, a spice blend call It's A Dilly, whose predominant scent was garlic. Her teacher kindly said that she enjoyed it's “aroma”, claiming that garlic bread was her favorite food.
That project did not have the honor of joining the myriad of others still stored in our basement. Even though my older daughter is now approaching 26, I can't bring myself to throw out her beautiful foam core rendition of the Blitzkrieg. I also have so many fond memories of our trip to St. Augustine, FL, that I still gaze lovingly at my younger daughter's triptych of the city she created when studying Florida history in 3rd grade. (She's a senior in college now.) However, one of the memorable projects did not survive the test of time.
In seventh grade, my son had to recreate an American monument. By the time he got around to picking one, all the easy monuments were already taken. He had the monumental task (excuse the pun) of sculpting Mt. Rushmore. Or should I say, “we” had the monumental task since it became a family project, spearheaded mostly by my artistically gifted daughter. We used sculpti clay to form the heads, but in order to be more economical, we made clay out of flour, water and salt to side the mountain. It did come out to be rather impressive, even though Teddy Roosevelt bore a striking resemblance to John Lennon. So after all that work, how could one possibly throw it out once it returned home? It was placed on a high shelf in the basement until one day when I decided it was time to retire it to the trash. As I reached up above my head to retrieve it, I was showered with mouse droppings. Apparently the flour based clay provided a very large and yummy meal for the creature which is now referred to as, “the mouse that ate Mt. Rushmore.”
This posting will not be sharing any fun art ideas or instructions, but I will reveal a secret to parents who have these years approaching. Unless a school project is for an actual art class, do not have any compunction about pulling in whichever person in the family has an artistic bent to assist the one who does not. And when that day does come, or if you are in the middle of it right now, know that there is someone out there who feels your pain.
Several projects of my own children came to mind. In fifth grade, my younger daughter had to do a diorama for a novel they were reading. Being her self sufficient self, she helped herself to our spice cupboard. Into the bottom of the box, she glued down what she thought was parsley to represent grass. Unfortunately, what she thought was a basically odorless green herb was in actuality, a spice blend call It's A Dilly, whose predominant scent was garlic. Her teacher kindly said that she enjoyed it's “aroma”, claiming that garlic bread was her favorite food.
That project did not have the honor of joining the myriad of others still stored in our basement. Even though my older daughter is now approaching 26, I can't bring myself to throw out her beautiful foam core rendition of the Blitzkrieg. I also have so many fond memories of our trip to St. Augustine, FL, that I still gaze lovingly at my younger daughter's triptych of the city she created when studying Florida history in 3rd grade. (She's a senior in college now.) However, one of the memorable projects did not survive the test of time.
In seventh grade, my son had to recreate an American monument. By the time he got around to picking one, all the easy monuments were already taken. He had the monumental task (excuse the pun) of sculpting Mt. Rushmore. Or should I say, “we” had the monumental task since it became a family project, spearheaded mostly by my artistically gifted daughter. We used sculpti clay to form the heads, but in order to be more economical, we made clay out of flour, water and salt to side the mountain. It did come out to be rather impressive, even though Teddy Roosevelt bore a striking resemblance to John Lennon. So after all that work, how could one possibly throw it out once it returned home? It was placed on a high shelf in the basement until one day when I decided it was time to retire it to the trash. As I reached up above my head to retrieve it, I was showered with mouse droppings. Apparently the flour based clay provided a very large and yummy meal for the creature which is now referred to as, “the mouse that ate Mt. Rushmore.”
This posting will not be sharing any fun art ideas or instructions, but I will reveal a secret to parents who have these years approaching. Unless a school project is for an actual art class, do not have any compunction about pulling in whichever person in the family has an artistic bent to assist the one who does not. And when that day does come, or if you are in the middle of it right now, know that there is someone out there who feels your pain.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Fun Art 101: Play-dough Perfection
“What insane person invented glitter play-dough?”
- Me
My older daughter was an angel for Halloween when she was five. Like most little girls, she couldn't wait to try on the glitter speckled nylon mesh wings as soon as they arrived in the mail. How cute. How sweet. How maddening when that glitter started cloning itself all over the house. From that point on, glitter was officially banned in our home. Even Christmas cards we received took a quick trip to the trash can if they were glitter laden. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when she received glitter play-dough as a birthday gift. (If you can't figure it out, check out the above quote.)
Commercial Play-dough possesses enough annoying qualities of its own without adding glitter to it. Besides the fact that its smell triggers my gag reflex, I also have a sneaking suspicion that it shares the clone ability DNA with glitter. But unlike glitter, play-dough was never banned because it has redeeming creative qualities. How cool are those fun factories? And how about discovering very interesting abstract art structures on the bottom of your shoe?
Here is a lovely home-made play-dough recipe you can make with your child. It has no smell and it doesn't seem to dry out when playing with it, leaving all those little chunks all over the place. Let your child help you mix it up. That's half the fun. Mix together 1 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of salt, 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons of white vinegar and 1/3 cup of water. For color in your dough, add about 1 tablespoon of food color to the water before you add the water to the other ingredients. You can add more water if needed. Then knead it.(pun intended) Store the dough in an airtight container. You can add more water later if the dough dries out.
- Me
My older daughter was an angel for Halloween when she was five. Like most little girls, she couldn't wait to try on the glitter speckled nylon mesh wings as soon as they arrived in the mail. How cute. How sweet. How maddening when that glitter started cloning itself all over the house. From that point on, glitter was officially banned in our home. Even Christmas cards we received took a quick trip to the trash can if they were glitter laden. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when she received glitter play-dough as a birthday gift. (If you can't figure it out, check out the above quote.)
Commercial Play-dough possesses enough annoying qualities of its own without adding glitter to it. Besides the fact that its smell triggers my gag reflex, I also have a sneaking suspicion that it shares the clone ability DNA with glitter. But unlike glitter, play-dough was never banned because it has redeeming creative qualities. How cool are those fun factories? And how about discovering very interesting abstract art structures on the bottom of your shoe?
Here is a lovely home-made play-dough recipe you can make with your child. It has no smell and it doesn't seem to dry out when playing with it, leaving all those little chunks all over the place. Let your child help you mix it up. That's half the fun. Mix together 1 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of salt, 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons of white vinegar and 1/3 cup of water. For color in your dough, add about 1 tablespoon of food color to the water before you add the water to the other ingredients. You can add more water if needed. Then knead it.(pun intended) Store the dough in an airtight container. You can add more water later if the dough dries out.
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