HAND-PRINT POLAR BEARS: Fun Art Project for Kids

On my recent author visit to Ecole Bilingue in Berkeley, California, I saw a display of art projects made by the students, including these polar bears created from hand-prints. This would be a perfect project to go with reading my book A POLAR BEAR'S WORLD. 

How to make a hand-print polar bear:

1. Dip the flat of your hand into white paint that has been poured on a plate. (Alternatively, you can use brown paint to make a brown or grizzly bear.)

2. Press your hand onto a sheet of colored paper to make a print. Let the paint dry. (Be sure to wash you hand!)

3. Cut out the shape of your hand. The four fingers are the polar bear's legs. The thumb is the head and face.

4. With a black marking pen draw claws on the feet and draw eyes, ears, and nose on the face.

This project is suitable for preschool and primary school age children.

FUN ART FOR KIDS at the Louisiana Museum in Denmark

Big Bird overlooking the sea by Alex da Corta at the Louisiana Museum, Denmark

A highlight of my recent trip to Denmark was a visit to the stunning Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, about 40 minutes north of Copenhagen by train. The museum, actually a series of interconnected structures (some underground) built around outdoor spaces, sits at the edge of the sea. On the other side of the water one can see Sweden!

Perched on the top of a hill overlooking the water are a number of sculptures, including a large red stabile/mobile by Alex da Corta. 

Projects done in the Bornehus

Inside the museum a special room (the Bornehus) is dedicated to children for making their own art—with crayons, paint, scissors and a variety of materials. On the day we visited some of the children were making their own miniature versions of the da Corta sculpture, folding the cut paper to make their art stand up. Then each child decorated their piece with various items. Each one was unique! What a great souvenir to take home from a trip to the museum.

Art projects done by kids at the Louisiana Art Museum

 

This project could be done at home or at school as well.

ART PROJECT: FLOWERS IN THE GARDEN

 

Spring Flowers, Lu Sutton Elementary School, Novato, CA

My brother Tom, a third grade teacher in Novato, California, loves to garden and loves to do art projects with his students.  In the fall, the children planted bulbs along the walkways by the classrooms.  By early March the tulips, daffodils and a host of other flowers had sprouted leaves and burst into bloom.

The students then took their drawing pads outdoors and sketched the flowers, making close observations of the shapes and colors of the plants.  Back in the classroom they turned their drawings into beautiful, colorful paintings–a perfect way to preserve and share the beauty of spring!

Note: This post was first published 5/22/13. My brother Tom is now retired, but he still loves to garden, planting bulbs, roses and other plants in his garden at home.

Butterfly symmetrical painting craft

 

With thanks to the Craft Train for this fun project making butterflies with symmetrical wings.

All you need is black paper, scissors, paint and Q-tips! Every butterfly you make will be unique. Click on the link for directions.

STEAM Project: The Egg is Hatching!

When a chick is ready to hatch, it uses its beak to poke a hole in the shell. In my book, Hatching Chicks in Room 6, you can see photos of real chicks in the process of hatching. In this art project ou can create your own hatching chick.

You will need:
Yellow construction paper, about 12 by 18 inches.
Brown construction paper, about 12 by 18 inches.
A small piece of orange construction paper, about 4 inches square.
Pencil.
Scissors.
Glue.
Black marker.

1. Draw a large egg shape on the yellow paper. Cut it out. Use the pencil to trace around it to make another egg shape on the brown paper. Cut it out. Make a small hole in the middle of the brown paper.
2. Spread glue around the edge of the yellow egg. Put the brown egg on top and press to fasten the two pieces of paper together.
3. Carefully tear the paper around the hole, pulling the pieces back to reveal the yellow paper underneath.
4. Use the marker to draw two black eyes.
5. Fold the orange paper in half to make a triangle. Fold under two corners and glue on to make a beak.

Your chick is ready to hatch!

Project: BUTTERFLY SUN PRINTS, a Fun Activity for Kids

Sun prints in the shape of butterflies

In April, I did an author visit at Pilgrim School in Los Angeles as part of the school's Earth Week celebration. Science teacher Kathie Shorkey showed me a wonderful art project she had done with the first graders. Using found objects–ranging from sticks, to buttons, to pop-tabs from drink cans–the children formed the shape of a butterfly on sun print photo paper and then exposed the paper to the sun. The paper was then developed in water and the shape of the butterfly was revealed against a background of blue.

Kathie Shorkey, Science teacher, Pilgrim School, Los Angeles, CA

You can find sun print paper at many sites on the internet or at many science museums. Any object that you can find--natural or manufactured--can be used to make the shadows on the paper.
After arranging your objects on the paper, take your sun print outside and lay it in direct sunlight for 2-5 minutes.
The areas of the paper exposed to the sun will fade from blue to white. When you see most of the color disappear from the paper, your print has been fully exposed. If no direct sunlight is available, don’t worry–just expose your print a little longer and wait for the same fading effect. Under cloud cover, the process will take 5-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the clouds.
After your paper has been exposed, remove the objects and rinse your sun print paper in water. Watch the white turn into blue and the blue turn into white.To get the deepest blue that the paper can give, leave it in the water for a while: 1-5 minutes.
Lay your sun print flat on an absorbent surface and allow it to dry.You can use a paper towel or a piece of cardboard as a bed for your sun print while it dries. Putting it on something absorbent will help to avoid the formation of water spots by drawing the water away from the sun print paper.
A sun print is a kind of photograph called a cyanotype. They are easy and fun to make! Learn more about sun prints at http://www.sunprints.org/how-it-works/ .

CELEBRATING EARTH WEEK, Author Visit at Pilgrim School, Los Angeles, CA

Author Visit at Pilgrim School, Los Angeles, CA

Last week I visited Pilgrim School in Los Angeles, California, and presented to two enthusiastic groups of children--grades K through 2, and grades 3 through 5. I was pleased with their response to my program and good questions. With both groups I shared my new book Butterflies in Room 6, and showed them my cup of caterpillars. Many of the children recalled raising butterflies from caterpillars at school when they were in earlier grades.

Kathie Shorkey, Science Teacher, with butterfly art projects

My visit was initiated by science teacher Kathie Shorkey as part of her Earth Week celebration at the school. She showed me an art project she did with the first graders. Using found objects–ranging from sticks, to buttons, to pop-tabs from drink cans–they formed the shape of a butterfly on photo paper and then exposed the paper to the sun. The paper was then developed and the shape of the butterfly was revealed against a background of blue.

With Carole Koneff, Elementary School Librarian

I thank Kathie and Elementary School Librarian Carole Koneff for inviting me to Pilgrim and making all the arrangements for my presentation and for the book sale. Carole gets the prize for the most creative author introductions. She does them for all visiting authors and this is the second one she has done for me. I love the way she has included so many of my books--and made the lines rhyme!

CAROLINE ARNOLD--PILGRIM SCHOOL 4/25/19

By Carole Koneff

160 books or more have been researched and written down.

She's traveled far and wide and is often out of town.

Dinosaurs, Global Warming, Butterflies, Chicks,

Rain Forest, Easter Island, Things in Room 6,

Taj Mahal, Desert, Eagle, Warmer World,

Many facts and figures have gradually unfurled.

Skeletal, octopus, shockers, hot, cold,

Words from many titles of books that she has sold.

Wombat, Penguin, Zebra, Kangaroo,

Just a few of the animals she's written about for you.

She's retold a famous folk tale and has a story about worms,

A book about the sniffles that surely features germs.

It's her second trip to Pilgrim and we are glad she's back

To refresh our smarts on nonfiction and keep our brains on track.

Thank you Carole!  I also thank the Upper School Librarian Kris Williams for her help with my visit. I had a nice lunch with Carole and Kris before my talks. I had a great day at Pilgrim and enjoyed it very much!

Art Project: TORN PAPER PENGUINS

I am always delighted to find art projects inspired by my books. On a recent visit to Jennifer Best’s kindergarten class at Haynes School in Los Angeles, she showed me the cut paper penguin art the children had made after reading my book A Penguin’s World. The children had looked carefully at my illustration of a pair of penguins at their nest and then recreated their own versions with colored construction paper, doing an excellent job of matching the colors. In contrast to my art, which is cut with scissors, making a hard edge around each piece, the children tore the paper shapes, giving a wonderful soft edge to the pieces. The only pieces that were cut were the orange beaks and toes. The final works of art were then laminated. The best thing about this project is the individuality of each child’s art–no two pieces were alike and the penguins look wonderfully animated. Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing this project with me!

Zebra Stripes Art Project at Haynes School, Los Angeles, CA

Last week I spent a very enjoyable hour with Jennifer Best’s kindergarten class at Haynes Center for Enriched Studies in Los Angeles, California--reading my book A Zebra’s World, going on a “Lion Hunt” and working with the children as they made their own zebra art. For the art project each child received a cut out shape of a zebra–but without any stripes. We looked at a picture of a zebra to notice which way a zebra’s stripes go, and then the children glued black strips of paper onto their zebra shapes to give them their stripes. Black dots made with a paper punch were glued on for eyes.

Then they chose green and blue paper (for grass and sky) for the background and cut out suns, clouds, butterflies, trees and other objects of their choice to include in their pictures. I was impressed with the variety of ways they chose to create their art and how each child’s picture was unique. Before I became a children’s book writer I was an art teacher, and projects like this remind me of the joys of doing art with children. I thank Jennifer Best and the children in her class for sharing their time with me!

The template for the Put the Stripes on the Zebra project can be downloaded from my website on the zebra book page.

PAPER PLATE DINOSAURS

Who doesn't love dinosaurs?  First graders at a school I visited read my book Dinosaurs All Around, which tells how artist Steven Czerkas creates life-size dinosaurs for museum displays, and then created their own dinosaurs with paper plates.  The curved edge of the paper plate is perfect for attaching the bony plates on the back of a stegosaurus.  I love the way students gave the dinosaurs all sorts of different colors.

Dinosaurs All Around was published in 1993 by Clarion Books.

Stephen Czerkas's dinosaur models, ranging from the largest carnivores to hatching babies, are widely exhibited in museums. This book is based on a traveling exhibit, "Dinosaurs: A Global View," organized by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and a visit to the artist's studio. Czerkas draws on a painstaking study of fossil bones, living reptiles, and modern animal behavior in the process of putting skin over the bones, choosing color and markings and action poses for the most true-to-life portrayal possible.

Learn how such models are constructed, and the decisions the artist must make in portraying these long-vanished reptiles. Find out how models like these help us to understand what life was like millions of years ago when dinosaurs were alive.

ART TOAST: Edible Art Project

Art Toast by Ida Frask: Frida Kahlo, Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser

A friend sent me a link to photos of The Art Toast Project by Norwegian artist Ida Frosk and an interview with her by Tish Wrigley.  Assembling fruits and vegetables and other food items, she recreates famous paintings using a slice of bread as her canvas.  Ida Frosk has done Van Gogh's Sunflowers, a Jackson Pollack drip painting, Munch's Scream and many more.  I was particularly charmed by Frida Kahlo's Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser.  It occurred to me that making art toast would be a perfect project to do with kids.  Not only would they learn about art, but in the end, they could eat their creations!  The possibilities are endless.
Ida Frosk was asked about what happens to her projects after they are finished?  She says:
I usually eat it! This is not an art project as such, everything is made to be eaten. Seems like a shame perhaps but since it has been documented, there's always the chance to experience it once more - and to share it with others. I particularly enjoyed eating the Monet toast, made with pistachio butter, apples and kiwi - so yummy and beautiful!

Art Project: Flowers in the School Garden

Spring Flowers, Lu Sutton Elementary School, Novato, CA

My brother Tom, a third grade teacher in Novato, California, loves to garden and loves to do art projects with his students.  In the fall, the children planted bulbs along the walkways by the classrooms.  By early March the tulips, daffodils and a host of other flowers had sprouted leaves and burst into bloom.

The students then took their drawing pads outdoors and sketched the flowers, making close observations of the shapes and colors of the plants.  Back in the classroom they turned their drawings into beautiful, colorful paintings–a perfect way to preserve and share the beauty of spring!

Project: Teotihuacan Mask

Paper mask inspired by stone mask found at Teotihuacan

Not far from Mexico City, lie the ruins of another great city, Teotihuacan, the center of an ancient Mexican culture that developed 2,000 years ago (long before the Aztecs) on the high plateau of central Mexico.  A rich and diverse culture thrived at Teotihuacan.  The remains of stone and adobe buildings show where people lived, worked, and worshiped.  Sculptures, carvings, and multicolored paintings help us to learn about their beliefs and customs.  Pottery, tools, baskets, jewelry, and other items tell us about their daily lives.  One of the most beautiful treasures discovered at Teotihuacan is a stone mask, encrusted with turquoise, red shell, mother of pearl, and obsidian.

Teotihuacan Mask, Photo by R. Hewett

When I visited Vintage Science Magnet School recently in Los Angeles, I learned that a fifth grade class had read my book City of the Gods: Mexico’s Ancient City of Teotihuacan, illustrated with photos by Richard Hewett.  Then, using a photo of the mask as a guide, they had created their own work of art using pieces of colored paper to reproduce the mask shown in the book.  It is a stunning piece of art and helps call to mind the glory of this ancient culture.

My book is out of print, but you can look for it in your library. (Teotihuacan is pronounced Tay-oh-tee-wha-KAHN.) And, perhaps, you can make your own version of the beautiful mask in the book!

Sandpaper Camel Art Project

Knitted Creche from Chile

In scenes of the nativity at Christmas, the three wise men are typically shown riding on camels.  Here is a project that you can do making a picture of a camel on a piece of sandpaper.
Read about camels in my books African Animals or Camel and make a note sheet of what you have learned. Draw a picture of a camel on a piece of paper and cut it out. Trace the outline of the camel with a crayon onto a piece of very coarse sandpaper. Use crayons to fill in the outline and draw other desert plants and animals.  Place the sandpaper on a board or heavy piece of cardboard face up. Put a piece of wax paper on top of the sandpaper. Then put a piece of brown paper (shopping bag cut open) on top of the wax paper. Iron the sandpaper illustration with the heated iron so that some of the crayon beneath begins to melt into the sandpaper. The heat creates an unusual effect on the illustration. Cooled pictures may be hung for display. Students may post their note sheets beside the illustrations. (Adapted from Internet School Library Media Center) [You can look for African Animals (Morrow Junior Books, 1997) and Camel (Morrow Junior Books, 1992) in your library.]

Video: Put Stripes on the Zebra Art Project

Last spring I taped a television program for the local PBS station (KLCS) for series called Homework Hotline. The programs are linked to the LAUSD schools and teach various lessons after school. My program featured creating a piece of cut paper art using similar techniques that I use in my illustrations. The program is called "Put the Stripes on the Zebra" and promotes both A Zebra's World and the other titles in the series. The project is really meant for elementary school age children, even though the kids helping to demonstrate it on the program are in high school. This was a VERY low budget program. No rehearsals, no editing. What you get is what goes on air! All things considered, I think it turned out quite well. The program was broadcast on April 22nd, and will be rebroadcast at intervals throughout the year. It is available to teachers in LAUSD for use in their classrooms. Anyone can purchase a DVD of the program by calling KLCS (213-241-4007)
The program has also been put on YouTube. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBSoJHTfNTg&feature=relatedThere are three 9 minute segments. When you finish the first you'll see a link to the second.
Being on television was an interesting experience. Perhaps it will help sell a few books!