Love List # 62

Green
Green
Green
Green
Green

Polish Wycinanki Paper Cutting

MATERIALS:
Construction paper and White paper
Scissors
Pencil
Glue

DIRECTIONS:
Fold a piece of Construction paper in half
Draw a design along the edge of the paper with the fold
Leaving paper folded, cut out design
Glue design to a piece of white paper larger than the design
Glue White paper to a larger piece of colored paper

NOTE:
This project evolved into making paper dolls with 3 year old Mia doing the drawing and me doing the cutting.

From "Folk Art Projects Around the World"

Japanese Star Streamers

Tanabata is a popular Japanese festival based on a story of a Star Princess who was a weaver. She fell in love with the cow-heard star and neither star did their work. The star princess's father sent them to opposite ends of the Milky Way, only allowed to meet on the 7th day of the 7th Month. During the celebration, children write poems on streamers tied to the trees and streets are decorated with streamers made using origami folding techniques.

MATERIALS:
Origami paper or squares of construction paper or wrapping paper 4-5 " on each side
18" of string for each streamer
beads or cheerios, fruit loops, etc
Needle with an eye large enough for your string or yarn
Strip of paper to tie to the bottom long enough for a poem

DIRECTIONS:
To make one paper triangle:
Fold square in half (colored side in)
Fold that rectangle in half again
unfold completely
Fold in half diagonally (colored side in)
Unfold completely
Fold in half diagonally the other direction
Open completely, then using crease lines allready created, fold adjacent corners in making back to back triangles.
REPEAT !
Divide all your triangles into three sets
Thread needle and string triangles and beads. Put at least 3 beads or 6 cheerios in between triangles to keep them apart. Leave extra string at each end.
Knot at top and bottom to keep them from sliding around
Write a poem on slip of paper and tie to the bottom of the streamer
Hang using top end of string

From "Folk Art Projects Around the World"

Indonesian Wayang Shadow Puppets

MATERIALS:
Heavy paper or light card board (cereal box, poster board)
2 skewers, sticks, rulers, or dowels
Tape
Scissors
Notebook paper fasteners that spread apart in the back
Markers or crayons

DIRECTIONS:
Draw a body onto the paper MINUS one arm (use example or make one up)
Draw separately a bent arm and upper arm piece
Cut out pieces and color (optional)
Attach (LOOSELY) arm to upper arm, and upper arm to shoulder using the fasteners
Tape skewers to body and hand

From "Folk Art Projects around the World"

Indian Toran

MATERIALS:
Large piece of felt (12" X 5")
Colorful and contrasting felt scraps
5" piece of drinking straw
Aluminum foil
15" yarn or string
Glue
Scissors
optional: Embroidery thread and needle

DIRECTIONS:
Cut out two pieces of contrasting felt 5" by 2" for ends of Toran
Cut out designs, animals, flowers, etc., out of the felt scraps
Move them around on your base till you are happy
Glue each piece down (OPTIONAL you can embroider them down around the edges)
Cut small circles of aluminum foil and glue onto Toran
Glue one strip to the bottom of the Toran (one inch on the front, one inch on the back)
Fold second strip in half, gluing only the edges, making a tube
Glue only the secured edges to the BACK of the top of your Toran leaving tube free
Insert straw into the tube, thread string through, tie and hang.

From "Folk Art Projects around the World"

Peruvian Mask

MATERIALS:
Thick paper, file folder, or thin cardboard
Aluminum foil
Notebook paper fasteners (the ones where you spread them apart in the back)
Scissors
Markers
String or elastic

DIRECTIONS:
Draw basic mask shape like the one pictured and cut it out of the base
We opted to cut out eye holes so it is wearable
Decorate the mask with colorful designs
Cut small ovals out of the aluminum foil
Use the fasteners to attach them all over the mask loosely. You may need to use scissors to help punch the hole in your base.
Optional: Cut a small slit at the chin,overlap sides and secure and cut the base of the nose so that the mask has dimension.
Tie string or elastic on each side so it can be worn.

from "Folk Art Projects Around the World"

Mexican Beaded Bowl

Borrowed idea from the Huichol Indians of Mexico. Originally produced using dried half gourds, beeswax, seeds, kernels, pebbles, shells, etc.

MATERIALS:
Small lid or saucer (jar lid, plant saucer)
Modeling clay
Lots of big beads, beans, macaroni, pebbles, etc.

DIRECTIONS:
(ADULTS OR OLDER KIDS) Cover lid on the inside, up the sides and over the rim with clay at least 1/4" thick
Draw a design into the clay or let kids place freestyle
See pictures below for design ideas


From "Folk Art Projects Around the World"

Columbian raised line sculptures

Originally made by soldering gold wire to a flat sheet of gold.

MATERIALS:
Thin cardboard (poster board, cereal box)for
Black posterboard, or paint some black for background
Thin cotton cording or thick yarn
Scissors
Glue
Gold spray paint


DIRECTIONS:
Cut a circle from your thin cardboard
Cut a square bigger than your circle out of the black or painted cardboard
Draw a design similar to the one pictured onto the circle OR glue freehand
Glue cording over the design or let the kids just make designs on their own
Let glue dry
Spray paint entire circle with gold spray paint (ADULTS)
Glue gold circle to black background

from "Folk Art Projects Around the World"

Love List # 61

THUNDERSTORMS

Love List # 60

"hello, blender...I think I like you."

Love List # 59

New Projects! Yeay! Also, while I am doing tedious tree drawings, I am also making really cool masks and cultural art projects. I will be posting those soon on either the montessori link or the dress up and play link! This one is going to be a quilt for Mia of her lines. As far back as I can get, and room for more.

Love List # 58

African Violets on the kitchen windowsill. This was a given for my great grandmother, Faith, according to her children. Mia was given her name, so I only thought it fitting to get one. Yeah, I love it.

More fun with paint sample cards

After using paint cards to learn color gradients, we have come up with a few new ideas for them!

First is a game of memory. We use only 3 pairs right now, and can add more as she gets older.


Second is a calendar/schedule chart...still in the works.

Love List # 57

Climbing trees. An alltime favorite activity. Whew, its been a while, but really missed this project. More to come soon.

Mom and me aprons

I made a few sets of these for Christmas presents. Super easy. Lots of fun. Adult Apron: One strip of fabric cut 4" by 64" for the top, rectangle 16" by 32". Child apron: 3" by 48" strip, 12" by 24" rectangle.

Pretty much just hem and attach, gathering the large rectangle to be the same width as length and centered on the waistband. Voila!

Love List # 56

Remember that scene from A Christmas Storywhen the little brother gets stuck on his back in his padded up snowsuit? It really happens. We had our first big snowfall today and the Snowsuit my mother sent from Sweden arrived this AM. Perfect timing. This afternoon was snow angels, snow ice cream, and snowball fights.