This one has something for everyone! For many, the fun will be hunting sticks that can stand and trimming them up just right. It’s not easy to get just the right balance! For others, the best part will be painting the sticks and wrapping them up in yarn. For the younger set, the juiciest part may come after in the form of imaginative play. Use your stick sculptures to adorn a deck or garden. Set them on a bookshelf. Make one for every family member. Name them. Write a story about them. Just have fun!
 

SPLIT-PIN PUPPET

TOOLS: scissors, pencil, split-pins

ASSEMBLY:
Download and print the image onto a full A4 sheet of paper.
Color-in and/or decorate your puppet pieces.
Once finished, cut out pieces and make holes for the split pins (paper fasteners) to go through with a pencil. The black dots on the puppet pieces illustrate where the pins should go.
Construct your puppet using split pins to join the pieces together. A finished image of the puppet is included in the upper right corner as a guide for assembly.
Now your puppet is complete and ready to play with!

The template can also be used for fabric dolls:

STUFFED FABRIC DOLL
To create, trace each puppet piece onto fabric and cut out 2 fabric pieces for each part. (Alternatively, trace design onto tracing paper, cut out parts, and pin to fabric. Cut out 2 of each piece using tracing paper as a guide.)
For facial features, cut out separate pieces for each feature; add before stuffing body.
Sew each pairing part together on three sides, leaving an opening to add stuffing.
Once your puppet is stuffed, finish sewing parts shut, and then stitch each piece onto the body

Moose Puppet

Moose Split-Pin Puppet Download

 

 

 Racoon Puppet

 Racoon Split-Pin Puppet Download

 

Hedgehog Puppet

Hedgehog Split-Pin Puppet Download

 

Notice the way the sunlight animates your home. Which spots are touched by the morning sun? The setting sun? On sunny days, light and shadow are deeply contrasted and sharp. On overcast days, the light is gentle and diffused. How do these differences change the way you see the objects being illuminated? Perhaps take photos of the same place in your home for several days in a row. Or maybe attempt to capture the fall of light and shadow in a drawing. Take a video of the movement of light and shadow on a breezy day. Place your body or your hand in line with the sun so you become a part of the composition. Making is secondary to seeing so you can always just observe. For more art prompts and tutorials, check out our Creative Classroom.

Light and shadow

 

The little ones love this process based way to create a colorful background for their artwork! Four ingredients and you’re on your way: watercolor paper, tissue paper, scissors, and a spray bottle. When the background is complete, a marker or crayon drawing can be added on top. Consider keeping the now- multicolored tissue pieces and using them to add three dimensional detail to the work. Simply put down some double sided tape, wade the tissue up and stick it on! Et voila! ? For more creative ideas, visit our Creative Classroom.

Last quarter in our Art Academy classes, we focused on collecting as an act of remembrance, of study, of transformation and of joy. Put on your collector’s hat today and wander out to your backyard, or the closest open space, and gather nature’s remnants- seed pods, leaves, stems, and flowers. Arrange them, display them, photograph them. Identify and locate each plant or tree from which they came. Look at them through a magnifying glass if you have one. Draw them. Place them in small bottles and allow them to dry. Remember, transform, and study them. Find joy?

Pic Backyard Botanicals

Take a walk today and notice all the lines and shapes painted beneath your feet. Street lines and markings are a great place to find inspiration for an abstract art work. Notice textures especially. Time, wear, and weather create interesting differences. Find something that sparks your creative mind, and take a picture to work from. Be curious about the role of these markings. What purpose do they serve? How can we transform them into something new? For more creative activities, check out our Creative Classroom.

 

Copy of Matchbox book ART PROMPT    IMG 4271

 

IMG 4368