Make a Book (or Notecards or a Poster or a T-Shirt) with Children's Artwork.
SEE LESSON PLAN ABOVE
Picture This!
Children will listen to Vivaldi’s famous work; discuss his intention to capture each season through music; and create a tree representing Summer, Fall, Winter, or Spring inspired by what they hear. Children can choose a season or you can assign one to them.
SEE LESSON PLAN ABOVE
SEE LESSON PLAN ABOVE
The Project:
Children will listen to the Dan Zanes’ silly folk song; discuss imagination and how songs tell a story and create / encourage imagery—especially through their lyrics; and create a whimsical piece of artwork inspired by the lyrics of this song.
Option #2: artwork
and on that clock there was a puppet…
A class "coffee table book" of the children's artwork is often a popular Auction item. This can be done a number of ways, from a home-made self-bound book, to scanning children's artwork and uploading to a site such as Blurb.com or Shutterfly. For an example of a book done by a Kinder class, click here.
Ideally, the theme of the book should be one that allows each child to show his or her personality, providing a “snap-shot” of our children’s thoughts, dreams, skills and personalities at this point in their development. Artwork accompanied by children’s descriptions, or accompanying stories or thoughts often provides a richer end product.
Themes might start with prompts such as…
- Describe a perfect day…
- The best time I ever had with my family was…
- I like to ________________ with my family
- My favorite animal is__________ (and why)…
- When I grow up I want to be a…
Ask your teacher if there is anything the children are studying that might lead into a good project. Are they studying animals? Their project could be about their favorite animal and why, or what animal are they most like and why. Are they studying the seasons? Or biomes? Space? Try to personalize and connect the children’s learning to their own thoughts and interpretations through an art project
Be sure to begin each project with a discussion about the topic, eliciting responses from the students, giving examples, etc. to get their creative juices flowing. Sometimes reading books, or listening to music, or bringing in other pictures, objects, or examples when appropriate, helps as well.
Once the artwork is complete, you scan it and utilize one of the sites above to make your book (or other project).
To follow are a few projects we expanded upon to jumpstart your own ideas. We’ve included conversation starters to help set the context for the projects; materials you might need; websites; reference books, and in some cases music. Even if you choose different themes, it may help give you ideas regarding how to help facilitate the kids’ creativity (and these also make fun stand-alone projects, if you're not doing a book).
Have fun!
What Instrument Are You?
The Project:
After a discussion, each child will draw or paint the instrument that best represents him/her. First, have the children sketch their instruments with pencil, then ask them to use oil pastels or perhaps markers to outline their drawings before they start painting. For reference, please see the black crayon and paint method used in the Owl and Paul Klee projects.
The children are free to draw literal interpretations of orchestra (or rock-n-roll, etc.) instruments, or they can make up their own imaginary instrument that fits their personality (we’ve included a painting by Chris Reccardi for reference).
Be sure the students leave room to include a sentence or a word or two regarding WHY they ARE this instrument. The writing should be done in black marker either around the instrument or in any blank space on the page. Children can color in the backgrounds if they choose.
Before you start this project, please consult the size guidelines of the format you’ll be using (we suggest looking at blurb.com or shutterfly.com). You will be scanning the children’s artwork in order to make the book on one of these kinds of sites. Books can be done starting from $14.99 for 20 pages plus shipping. Shop around for deals
Discussion starters and guidelines:
- Display images of various instruments from a classical orchestra: (piano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, trumpet, French horn, tuba, harp, drums, cymbals, xylophone, bells).
- There are many different types of instruments in an orchestra. They all have different sounds, or “personalities” that help them create different emotions, and tell different stories.
- Play “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” by Tchaikovsky (call out instruments as you hear them in the piece, i.e. when the strings come in they sound mysterious). Or show near the beginning of Disney’s “Peter and the Wolf” noting how each character has an accompanying musical instrument and musical theme which demonstrates something about that character’s personality.
- What are some of instruments you hear in this piece? Hear how each of the instruments creates a distinct mood and has its own personality? Think about if you were an instrument, what kind of instrument would best represent you? (If you have time you could also listen to another piece of music in another genre--country, jazz, rock-n-roll, etc.--pointing out the different instruments, and giving the children a chance to discuss how that music and the individual instruments make them feel / what kind of personalities those instruments have as well. You might display images of these kinds of instruments too).
- Show images of instruments again. If you don’t see or hear one that you identify with, it’s okay---you can be any instrument you want to be, these are just examples. You can even be a combination of two or more instruments.
- Show image of Chris Reccardi painting.
- Today you’re going to create a piece of art of the instrument that is YOU.
SEE LESSON PLAN ABOVE
*Make sure the students write (with a fine tip black marker) a description or single words about how they ARE this instrument. (For example, the writing could be in sentence form around the frame of the drawing or around the instrument, or just descriptive words in the blank space).
Suggested listening:
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Suggested reading (all books available at local libraries):
I Like Music (Carson Turner)
Ah, Music! (Aliki)
What Instrument Is This? (Hausherr)
Zin, Zin, Zin, A Violin! (Lloyd Moss)
Modifications:
You could also use the artwork from this project to make a poster or t-shirts or notecards (or anything else you can think of), tiling the children’s artwork so that each child is represented.
collage/artwork inspired by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (Classical)
The Project:
Children will listen to Vivaldi’s famous work; discuss his intention to capture each season through music; and create a tree representing Summer, Fall, Winter, or Spring inspired by what they hear. Children can choose a season or you can assign one to them.
Option #1: collage
If making a collage, keep in mind you will have to photograph each piece of artwork before scanning in order to make your book (or poster, or calendar, or t-shirt or notecards, etc.).
You will need heavy construction paper (white or in 4 colors to represent each season); Elmer's glue (not glue stick); pencils; crayons or marker or pastels; purchased or more natural / found “collage” items (bark, twigs, cotton, glitter, buttons, fabric strips, tissue paper, corrugated cardboard, sugar, etc.).
After discussion and choosing a season, children will draw their trees in pencil before adding color and gluing on various collage adornments. Encourage them to use the majority of the paper. If you like you can add words or sentences describing their artwork or why they chose this season. It could become a “favorite season” theme, in which case they can describe why they chose this season or a favorite memory from this season. Older grades may require an accompanying page of writing to complement their artwork. It’s up to you!
Option #2: artwork
Same as above, except you can choose another medium. Paint, pastels, or a combo of crayon or marker with paint (like our Owl and Paul Klee projects). can be a nice way to go. Black marker is a good option if writing children’s words and thoughts directly onto artwork (sketching these words out in pencil beforehand is often a good strategy).
Discussion starters and guidelines:
- Music often tells a story. Either by the words in the songs, by how loud or soft, or fast or slow, by the instruments in the song—many ways. Have you ever noticed how different music sometimes just makes you feel different? (you can expand on these concepts with personal observations and ask children to give examples of their own—many children may be familiar with these concepts through music class).
- Today we are going to listen to a famous piece of music written almost 300 years ago by Antonio Vivaldi, called the “Four Seasons.” It is a very famous song known for how it tells a story and creates a mood using only violins—no other instruments—and no words. It is a VERY long song (about 42 minutes long) and has 4 different parts—one for each of the 4 seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Each part tells a story about each season. In Summer you will hear the Thunderstorm, in winter you will hear the icicles and the cold icy sleet falling. The music in each season has 3 parts, a fast, a slow, and then a fast part again. Let’s listen, paying attention to the different parts of the music, the stories they are telling and how they make us feel. And let’s imagine the different seasons in our heads, and what might be going on. Think about how the music tells a “story” about each season.
- Play excerpts from each season and point out which season is playing, and how the music helps tell the story and make them feel something about the season. Stop between each season’s concerto to discuss each season before moving on to the next. Ask the children about what they are hearing and how it makes them feel.
- Today, you’re going to choose a season and create a tree that tells a story from that season, like Vivaldi did with his music.”
- Play Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” in the background as kids create their art.
SEE LESSON PLAN ABOVE
Suggested listening:
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Suggested reading (all books available at local libraries):
Background about Vivaldi’s Four Seasons:
Modifications:
You could also use the artwork from this project to make a poster or t-shirts or notecards (or anything else you can think of), tiling the children’s artwork so that each child is represented.
Picture This!
collage / artwork inspired by the Beatles’ Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
collage / artwork inspired by the Beatles’ Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
The Project:
Children will listen to the Beatles’ famous song; discuss imagination and how songs create / encourage imagery—especially through their lyrics; and create a whimsical piece of artwork inspired by the Beatles’ lyrics.
Option #1: collage
If making a collage, keep in mind you will have to photograph each piece of artwork before scanning in order to make your book (or poster, or calendar, or t-shirt or notecards, etc.).
You will need construction paper; glue; pencils; crayons or marker or pastels; purchased or more natural / found “collage” items (cellophane, sparkles, etc.).
After discussion and choosing a phrase or idea from the song, children will draw their visual interpretations of the lyrics in pencil before adding color and gluing on various collage adornments. Encourage them to use the majority of the paper. If you like you can add the lyric, or the children’s words or sentences describing their artwork.
Listen to the song while creating the art.
Option #2: artwork
Same as above, except you can choose another medium. Paint, pastels, or a combo of crayon or marker with paint (like our Owl and Paul Klee projects) can be a nice way to go. Black marker is a good option if writing children’s words and thoughts directly onto artwork (sketching these words out in pencil beforehand is often a good strategy).
Discussion starters and guidelines:
- Talk about how music tells a story and creates imagery with the instruments that are playing, the melody and rhythm and the lyrics.
- What kind of music do you like to listen to and why? How does it make you feel when you hear it?
- The famous Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” was written about a drawing that Beatles John Lennon’s son Julian made when he was in preschool. Little Julian named his drawing “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”. John was so inspired by his son’s creativity that he wrote this song all about whimsical thoughts and imagination of a child and how they see the world.
- Let’s listen to the song and pay close attention to the lyrics and think about what pictures are in your mind when you hear these fun lyrics.
- After listening, discuss some of the lyrics from the song with the kids and ask them how it makes them feel, what pictures they see in their heads, what they think about it all. You may want to help define some of the words like cellophane, and plasticine porters, and kaleidoscope, etc., both through words and visual examples; and explore some of the concepts and ideas presented in the lyrics—ask them what they think, and perhaps help expand upon their thinking by supporting it with some of your thoughts / ideas too.
- Then put lyrics up on the Elmo (or print out strips of paper with phrases from the song), and encourage kids to choose a line or two, or an idea from the song to turn it into a piece of artwork.
- Today, you’re going to draw a picture of what image those lyrics create in your mind.
SEE LESSON PLAN ABOVE
Required listening:
“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” by the Beatles
Modifications:
You could also use the artwork from this project to make a poster or t-shirts or notecards (or anything else you can think of), tiling the children’s artwork so that each child is represented.
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
(lyrics)
Picture yourself in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Towering over your head
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
And she's gone
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah
Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
That grow so incredibly high
Newspaper taxies appear on the shore
Waiting to take you away
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds
And you're gone
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah
Picture yourself on a train in a station
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah
repeat
Picture This!
collage / artwork inspired by Dan Zanes’ Rattlin’ Bog
collage / artwork inspired by Dan Zanes’ Rattlin’ Bog
The Project:
Children will listen to the Dan Zanes’ silly folk song; discuss imagination and how songs tell a story and create / encourage imagery—especially through their lyrics; and create a whimsical piece of artwork inspired by the lyrics of this song.
Option #1: collage
If making a collage, keep in mind you will have to photograph each piece of artwork before scanning in order to make your book (or poster, or calendar, or t-shirt or notecards, etc.).
You will need construction paper; glue; pencils; crayons or marker or pastels; purchased or more natural / found “collage” items (twigs, sparkles, felt, feathers, etc., see lyrics for ideas).
After discussion and choosing an image from the song, children will draw their visual interpretations of the lyrics in pencil before adding color and gluing on various collage adornments. Encourage them to use the majority of the paper. If you like you can add the children’s words or sentences describing their artwork, or how it or this silly song make them feel.
Listen to the song while creating the art.
Same as above, except you can choose another medium. Paint, pastels, or a combo of crayon or marker with paint (like our Owl and Paul Klee projects) can be a nice way to go. Black marker is a good option if writing children’s words and thoughts directly onto artwork (sketching these words out in pencil beforehand is often a good strategy).
Discussion starters and guidelines:
- Talk about how music tells a story and creates imagery with the instruments that are playing, the melody and rhythm and the lyrics.
- Let’s listen to the story song “Rattlin’ Bog”, performed here by Dan Zanes, which tells the tale of a bog, which is like a muddy pond, and all the funny things that live there.
- Pay close attention to the lyrics and think about what pictures are in your mind when you hear these fun lyrics. This song repeats a lot, so once you get the pattern, sing along!
- Play the song. Put lyrics up on the Elmo. Point out that there are “a lot of things in that bog!”
- How did the music and the lyrics of this song make you feel? How did the music and the lyrics help take you to the bog or muddy pond, with all the friends? What did you think about all that? What’s your favorite part? Do think this place is real? Would you go there if you could? What else might be there?
- Today, you’re going to draw a picture of that bog and the things that you find in it. It could be all the things or just a few, and you can get creative and add your own.
SEE LESSON PLAN ABOVE
Required listening:
“Rattlin’ Bog” by Dan Zanes
Modifications:
You could also use the artwork from this project to make a poster or t-shirts or notecards (or anything else you can think of), tiling the children’s artwork so that each child is represented.
Rattlin’ Bog
lyrics
(each verse sung in same pattern, adding each new item;
chorus sung between each verse)
hi ho the rattlin’ bog
the bog down in the valley-o
hi ho the rattlin’ bog
the bog down in the valley-o
and in that bog, there was a tree
a rare tree a rattlin’ tree
tree in the bog and the bog down in the valley-o
chorus:
hi ho the rattlin’ bog
the bog down in the valley-o
hi ho the rattlin’ bog
the bog down in the valley-o
and on that tree there was a limb
rare limb a rattlin’ limb
limb on the tree and the tree in the bog
and the bog down in the valley-o
chorus
and on that limb there was a nest…
and in that nest there was a goose…
and on that goose there was a hat…
and on that hat there was a fish…
and on that fish there was a clock…