Build an Igloo!

 I'm so proud of these boys!  They worked hard for about four hours yesterday, until they had constructed a beautiful igloo.  My son is exhausted today!!!!!

The first thing my son did was draw out the shape and size of the igloo with his feet.  We brought plastic toy boxes, which the boys filled and refilled to make snow bricks.

 The snow was just right yesterday, not too powdery.  The bricks were pretty strong.  They laid them the way a brickmason lays bricks, with each brick covering the gap between two bricks from the row below.  That makes a stronger wall, as any child who plays with lego knows!

 We ate lunch and had hot chocolate in the half-finished igloo.  For most of the time, I read a book in the sunshine, but they asked me to excavate the interior at some point.  That was a good idea!

 In this picture my son is showing me how they solved the problem of how to build bricks across the entrance.  Later, when the wall above was strong, and the boys and I had carved an arch over the door, (an arch is stronger than a flat ceiling, think about bridge construction,) they removed the column.

 Their persistence was incredible!

 Towards the end the boys got very, very tired.  The sun had been out and the snow was getting incredibly heavy.  I helped them with making the last bricks and doing a lot of the lifting.  I'm still tired!  How did they do that for four hours?

 After the igloo was finished, they dumped snow on their heads for the final picture.

 Then they had a snack inside.  They are laughing and joking as they divide up a bag of gummy bears.  They thought about six children could fit inside.  I could sit up inside with 2 or more feet above my head.

 Before we left, some adults came to take pictures of their children peeking out of the door.  Other adults came to shake their heads in amazement and ask the boys how they built it.  We wished the igloo were somewhere we could visit every day.  (It is at a ski resort twenty minutes from our town.)  It was hard to leave, and we might have stayed a little too long.  I had to blast the heat in the car to warm the boys up, and I got a hot drink for our friend, who was wet and chilled.

How long will it last?  Will visitors try to keep it intact?  Will it freeze hard and last until the spring thaw?  I hope so!

Franciful Arts sent a great link on how the Inuit build an igloo.  The little movie was made in 1949, and is fascinating.  The narrator calls the Inuit "eskimos," as we used to when we were little, but this is considered offensive by some, because it may be a denigrating name given by foreigners, and may mean "eaters of raw meat."  Inuit is the name the people have for themselves.  It means "the human beings."

http://www.nfb.ca/playlists/unikkausivut-sharing-our-stories/viewing/how_to_build_an_igloo/

Thank you, Franciful Arts!  We'll try it this way next time!

Snowshoeing!

 My husband and youngest came snowshoeing with me for the first time.  I was so happy!

I loved the way my boy kept making his own paths.  It's strenuous!  The snow was deep.  We could see the tops of fence posts sticking out of the snow.

 We had a snow picnic next to a mazot, a mountain dwelling for the cowherd, his family, and the cows.

 We sat on a pile of lumber in a beautiful spot, just out of the range of the water dripping off the roof.

 I like the way snowshoeing takes you into the quieter parts of the mountains, away from ski crowds and the clanking of the lifts.

I count my lucky stars when we can spend the day in such a beautiful place.  And it is only about twenty minutes from our apartment!  Wow!

Dance Paintings

 We turned on Shakira's "Waka Waka" and danced around the room yesterday.  We thought about what our arms, legs and bodies were doing as we danced.  Then I asked the children to use their crayons to draw themselves dancing, and told them they could dress themselves anyway they wanted.  Some children asked if they had to draw themselves.  I said no.  Look at this DJ dancing on his head!  Look at those great red and orange circles and all the dots above!

What seems to be most important in this picture are the legs, the high kick, and the flowy pants.  There are musical notes in the air!

 This girl is outside and the lines all around the body seem to indicate movement.

 I think this girl was very aware of what her arms do when she dances.  If we look closely, young children tell us what they are thinking about when they paint.

 Flowing hair, and a bright pink dress grab my attention in this painting.  Perhaps the painter was thinking about how her dress billows out when she twirls.

 This girl's whole body is dancing, from her arms, waving in the air, to her fancy high-heeled shoes!

 Another painting with very active arms, and some decorative dots in the air!

 I see a twirling dancer, long hair, a graceful curve of arms overhead, and a shooting star!

This self-aware person is watching her own arms moving, and her legs shifting as she dances.  I sense an expression of movement in the body, too.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a pictures of the last three paintings.  Oh, phooey.

Make Brown Sugar!

Last summer when I left the United States for Switzerland, my suitcases were heavy with brown sugar and chocolate chips!  But I just found molasses in a speciality store in our city, so now I can make brown sugar myself just by added the molasses to sugar.  I love this traditional can and its beautiful label.  I think that it is a picture of a smiling lion surrounded by honey bees.   My son thought it was a dead lion surrounded by flies!

Make Play Dough!

No picture today, just my avowal that people of all ages love to squish, squeeze and knead play dough. I made a vat of it this week, and after the children in after school art finished their projects, they played with it.  I saw a fifth grader run to the play dough table!  Can you ever get too old to play dough?  I don't think so.  Now don't you want to play with some?

This recipe is from the now defunct and much missed Garden Mama blog.

By the way, it is bliss to squish WARM play dough.  Next time you have a cranky, bored, tired, or sick child, try play dough.  Don't even announce you are doing it.  They might think they have outgrown it. But no one can resist it.

Gardenmama's Homemade Family Play dough recipe :.

One cup of flour
One cup of water
One half cup of salt
One teaspoon of oil
One half teaspoon of cream of tartar

Mix your flour, water, salt, oil and cream of tartar in a small saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, continually stirring until the mixture holds together.
When the dough is cooled, knead it together and enjoy your time of play!

.: Homemade play dough will last for a long time. We store ours in waxed paper taped closed.  It also can make for a lovely gift when wrapped up with a pint-sized rolling pin, apron and cookie cutters! :.

You're Ready to Be an Illustrator

This project is called "Winter Birds," and I learned about it on Deep Sparkle Space, an art teacher's blog.  Go down to the next post for some instructions and a link.  The grade 2-5 class amazed me today.  This child and her neighbor experimented with the lengths of their birch trees, and put snow at the bottom of the picture, and made their own bird designs.  (I provided templates for those who wanted them.)  They were very successful at creating a sense of depth in a forest.

This bird seems to have just taken flight.  Look how effectively the artist made trees of different widths, creating a wonderful sense of perspective.

I feel so inspired today.  I try to inspire these children.  They inspire me back.  I make art almost every day as a result.  Look at this dynamic color combination, and this very determined-looking bird.  I like the way the trees are leaning apart a little in this picture.

I just noticed that the sun is peeking from behind a tree in this picture!

The artist who did this picture told me that it bothered her not to see both eyes, so she did two.  I envy these color choices, they are so striking.  I love what looks like a very complacent or perhaps fatalistic expression on the bird.  Snow, again?

This bird reminds me of a woodpecker because of its position.  The snow makes a beautiful pattern.

I feel that the spirits of these children come through in their birds.  I could look at their art for a long time.  Look at the delicate curves of the branches.

I would like to know more about this bird, and about the drawings on its back.  It's fascinates me.

Another bird on a hurry through the woods!

I was a little blown away when I saw this black and gray and white design.  The boy who did it cut up the front of the sketch book for this beautiful collage.  Look at the curved beak.  Even the lack of an eye seems to be right.  And look at that little touch of orange.  When I watch this child work, I can see how important art is to him.

Another unique creation.  I love it and I wonder about that open mouth.  Is it making a sound?  There is an inherent drama to this picture.

Teaching art, part time, like I do, feeds my own creativity.  I love to be around artists of any age.  We spark one another.  We inspire one another.  I love it.

Winter Birds

 I saw this beautiful project on Deep Sparkle Space at: http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/2012/02/29/winter-bird-art-lesson/winter-bird-art-lesson/
and decided to try it with the kindergarteners and first graders.  I adapted the project to our time limits and made posters to show the steps, to help the children keep track.

I love the colorful bird above, and its untroubled expression as it flies in the snowy forest.  It was snowing hard the day we did this project, making it all even more special.  Don't you wonder what the birds are doing when it is snowing hard?

 I gave each child two white strips of paper for their birch trees.  They dipped a little rectangle of cardboard into black paint and scraped and tapped the cardboard to make bark.  If you have time you could also provide gray paint.

 Each child picked out a construction paper background color they liked and glued on their trees.  (We actually had to start working on the birds before we could glue the trees, because they were wet for a little while.)  Our work spaces got cluttered.  That frustrated the children some.  I might make work stations next time, to spread out.

 Now each child picked out five different colors of our fabulous collage papers, and either created a bird of their own design, or used some cardboard templates.

Ta-da!

Although I provided templates for the children who wanted to use them, the birds are all wonderfully different, depending on the child's color choices, and how they used the pieces.  Look at this bird.  It's flying.  Look how its head is pushed forward with the effort.

 This bird is hunkered down to keep warm in the cold, snowy night.

 This one is perched but seems to be flicking its wings, perhaps to shake off snow.  I like the striking checkerboard pattern of the three birch trees in the background.

 This one is flying and there is an intensity about it, with its swirl of an eye.  I love the crest on its head, too.

 This one seems to be resting, enduring the weather patiently, fluffing itself a bit to stay warm.

 This special bird was made without templates by a tiny and very creative girl.  It seems like a brave bird to me.  Notice its feet and the leaf rubbing body.

 This bird has a wonderful expression and a metallic gold beak.  I brought the metallic gold to add to the collage box today.  It was from a chocolate box.  The children love metallic paper, and we can't get enough of it.

This proud bird is flying right off the page.  I think the vertical tree limbs on orange are striking, and I like the way the trees are side by side.

 There is something very hopeful and striving about this bird, trying hard to fly up.

 Pink and red are wonderful together!  What a nice, happy, and colorful bird!  What a wonderful project to do on a snowy winter day!