Tag Archives: arts and crafts projects for homeschooled children

CELEBRATE THE SEASONS: SUMMER IS FUN! BANNER

CELEBRATE THE SEASONS: SUMMER IS FUN! BANNER

WHAT IS A BANNER?

A banner is a piece of cloth suspended between two poles and often bearing a design, symbol or slogan. Banners can celebrate the seasons, holidays or bear slogans. The designs in this series of Art Tutorials celebrate summer, spring, winter and fall.

SUMMER IS FUN!

SEASONAL PROJECT: SUMMER IS HERE! BANNER

       SEASONAL PROJECT    

Ages: 5 – 12 years

Time: ½ hour – 1 hour

MATERIALS:

White felt square 36”x 36

Orange Fun Foam*

Yellow Fun Foam

White Fun Foam

Beige Fun Foam

Turquoise Fun Foam

Black Fun Foam

Moss

Black marker

 

1. Measure and cut the white felt to 14” x 20”. Holding the felt vertically, fold a 1” seam at the top and iron. Fold a second 1” seam and iron again. Glue. The dowel rod will go through this loop.

2. Enlarge the photo of the completed banner (above). Then trace and cut the sun from the yellow Fun Foam, the pail from the orange Fun Foam, the shell from the beige fun Foam, the shovel from the turquoise Fun Foam, and all four colors of Fun Foam for the ball. Finally, cut the sunglasses from the black Fun Foam. Glue the pieces down.

3. Take a small amount of moss and glue it on the top of the pail. Press down firmly while it dries.

4. Use a black marker to draw the sun’s cheeks, smile and nose. Sketch a few lines on the shell to make it look three-dimensional. Also, spell out “Summer Is Fun”!

5. Cut the dowel rod to about 16” x 18”. Insert through the loop at the top of the felt. Cut string to a length that is suitable for hanging. Tie the string to the ends of the dowel rod and hang.

Have a fun summer!

Fun Foam is also called craft foam.

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Our Imaginations! Groovy Buttons!

Our Imaginations! Groovy Buttons!
Groovy Buttons

Groovy Buttons in different shapes and sizes

 

Read: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin.

“Pete the Cat puts on his favorite shirt with four, big, colorful, round, groovy buttons.”

But one by one, the buttons pop off and roll away. He realizes that he doesn’t have any buttons on his favorite shirt:

4 – 1 = 3

3 – 1 = 2

2 – 1 =1

1 – 1 = 0

Pete the Cat’s button less shirt opens up and what does he see? His belly button!

What can you do with your buttons?

Project:

Use buttons to decorate…anything! Use your imagination!

List of things to decorate with buttons:

Journal cover

T-shirt

Sneakers

Picture frame

Sunglasses

Book bag or any kind of bag

Materials:

Glue

Lots of buttons

Needle and thread (if you know how to sew)

 

Alternative Project: Make your own buttons

Materials:

Modeling clay in different colors

Pencil

Make small balls and flatten them. Poke four holes in the center with the pencil. What will you do with your handmade buttons?

 

*copyright Art work by Marion Constantinides 2015

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Our Imaginations! Paper Cut-outs: Winter/The Four Seasons Mural

Our Imaginations! Paper Cut-outs: Winter/The Four Seasons Mural
Four Seasons Paper Cut-out/Winter

Winter Panel Four Seasons Paper Cut-out Mural

MATERIALS:

Papers Scissors

Tracing paper

Glue Stick

  1. Research the paper cutouts of Henri Matisse which are a mix of symbolic and abstract shapes. “I have attained a form, filtered to the essentials,” Matisse once said and this sums up his philosophy as an artist. Study the paper cutouts for color and form; www.henri-matisse.net/cut_outs.html.
  2. There will be four panels or sections for the Four Seasons Mural. The first section will be winter. Plan the design for the season. The sample shown features barren trees. There are other symbols for winter: ice sickles, snowballs, snowflakes, snow-capped mountain peaks, mittens, scarves, knitted caps, etc. Sketch your design on tracing paper.
  3. The sample features three colors that evoke winter: black, silver and white. Other colors that evoke winter include shades of gray and cool shades of blue but mittens and other winter clothing come in a variety of colors. Limit the palette to three colors.
  4. Decide the size of the paper cutout. The sample shown is 4” x 6.” Cut the background paper to the size you want for the paper cutout. The sample shows black as the background color. Silver and white are the color choices for the trees.
  5. Sketch the design on tracing paper. Decide the colors for each part of the design. Blacken the back of the design and flip it over on to the papers you will use. Trace the outline of the shapes.
  6. Use embroidery scissors to cut out the shapes. Embroidery scissors enable you to cut inside larger shapes.
  7. Glue the shapes down and you have the first section of the Four Seasons Mural. Winter is here!

 

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