A Mother Goose To Cut Out

Cut around the outline of goose and wings. Fold the goose together and cut out triangle. Bring the parts A and B together and fold dotted lines. Roll up one wing and place through triangle so that C. D. and E. in wings will fit in through dot F. Slip a string under it and slide Mother Goose along the String.

• Watch Mother Goose Fly!
• How to Host A Mother Goose Party
• She's dreaming of Mother Goose
• A Christmas Reunion "Mother Goose" Character Play
• Color Old Mother Goose and Jack

Craft a Paper Mosaic of Jesus

A mosaic making exercise that trains little ones how
 look and apply color to define objects in two
 dimensional space. This project is good for fourth
and fifth graders, ages 9-11.

      This is the type of art project that appears more difficult than it actually is. Because I am both an art educator and a studio artist, I am always looking for methods that aid students on their long road to becoming confident makers of art. This simple process of crafting a paper mosaic on top of an image helps young budding artists to understand how color works to describe shape and illusion. Once the student has completed a couple of these processes, he will be ready to develop a mosaic from scratch because  he will remember the logical choices he made previously through this process.

      Tear from a catalog, a photo of Christ and then proceed to shred small piles of paper of similar colors that you see in the photograph. You will be layering the tiny shreds of paper on top of your image with white glue. The more practiced you become at this mosaic exercise, the closer your version will be to the one you are pasting on top of. 

      Teachers may wish to give each student a colored photocopy of the picture they are working on top of, in order to help guide them should they make mistakes that they will need to alter later. 

      It is very advantageous to teach the young through literal practice such as this. I understand that there are many art teachers who are apposed to such measures. But, often their agenda is not to aid in the development of an "actual" artist who is to become a confident, skilled professional. There are many reasons for teaching the young less literally. Art educators teach innovation and creative processes in which students must come up with answers to problems on their own. This is good and I develop a great many projects that require such analysis. However, I do not sacrifice good old-fashioned training for it. This is because I know that repetition in development of formulating how something is produced is necessary for those students who would take their creative learning into the production of actual art works. Many art educators will quickly sacrifice their protege for the sake of facilitating their own philosophy. This kind of instruction alone grieves me; art students need a balanced diet of ideas/applications in order to become the best in their field of study.

      It is my goal to produce in my students creative thinking and confidence and technical prowess. If they become artistically articulate early in life, they will have time then to embrace the philosophy of practice that means the most to them personally when they are older. I do not approve of indoctrination of students in 'art movements' or 'school's of thought' whilst they are young. Let them grow and become for themselves what is most meaningful for their own generation and time. They may learn a great deal from the past and indeed, I do teach them about the past. But, there will be a unique vision and collection of events for every generation that is particular to itself. It is not for the educator to decide what it should be or how it should be defined based upon what they personally prefer or approve of.
      A exercise similar, yet more advanced, is posted here. I wrote this lesson plan for students in high school. Here the requirement is for teen art students to craft a paper mosaic by observing a space or a photograph. This slight alteration in the exercise causes students to interpret what they are actually observing. A more difficult application would be for them to produce a mosaic from no reference material at all. Do you see how these exercises advance in steps? Excellent training proceeds thus.

Coloring Links to Lenten Themes:

• Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss
• Kiss of Judas and Prostration of the Guards
• Color The Mocking of Christ

       Mosaic of The Kingdom

       ''In some of the great halls of Europe may be seen pictures not painted with the brush, but mosaics, which are made up of small pieces of stone, glass, or other material. The artist takes these little pieces, and, polishing and arranging them, he forms them into the grand and beautiful picture. Each individual part of the picture may be a little worthless piece of glass or marble or shell; but with each in its place, the whole constitutes the masterpiece of art. So I think it will be with humanity in the hands of the great artist. God is picking up the little worthless pieces of stone and brass, that might be trodden under foot unnoticed, and is making of them part of His great masterpiece.'' Bishop Simpson 

Cluckity's Children

Cluckity and her chicks.“Cut-cut-cut-ca-dah-cut!

Lay and egg every day and then go to bed,

Barefoot, barefoot, barefoot!”

      That was the song that Cluckity sang for weeks and weeks, and all, as it seemed to her, to no purpose. As fast as she laid an egg it was taken away from her, and she was left to brood hopelessly over a comfortless chalk egg.

      Poor Cluckity!

      But all things come to one who can wait. One April morning Cluckity was placed on a nest of fresh clean straw in which were nestled thirteen fair white eggs. Food and drink were placed near her, and Cluckity knew that her business for the next three weeks was to keep those eggs warm.

      What a time that was for thinking. Nothing to do, but think.

      Well, the eggs hatched; and what a proud mother was Cluckity. “Chip! chip! cheep!” There never was such music! Then she had to scratch very hard for a living. Life began to grow earnest. One day Cluckity saw a huge cat prowling around. She was anxious. She called to her chicks. But one of them did not run with the rest. He twirled saucily on his yellow leg, and said he could take care of himself. Ah! The cat took care of him! Pert little Peep never slept under his mother’s wing again.

This is from a reader for 1rst and 2nd graders. It is unusual in that it primarily focuses on conversation. Teachers may use the materials freely in the development of lesson plans.
 
Stories And Pictures Of Domestic Animals By  Anna F. Burnham Boston: D. Lothrop & Co., Publishers, 30 And 32 Franklin Street copyright, 1879

Craft a Paper Robin Toy for Spring

"Little Robin Redbreast Sat upon a rail:
 Niddle, naddle went his head:
 Wiggle waggle went his tail"

      Cut out the circle, Figure 1, and the robin, Figure 2. Cut slits along the heavy lines A and B, and D. D. Figure 1, Slide the robin's head from the back of Figure 1 through the slit A. his tail through slit B. Push the strip E, Figure 2, through slit D. D. Figure 1. Bring the short slit in the robin's breast, C. Figure 2, down over the Space C. below the slit A. Figure 1. Move the strip E. from side to side, and see the little bird try to get the grasshopper for his dinner, as he picks at it, moving his head and tail up and down, just like a real live robin. Figure 3 shows how Figure 1 and Figure 2 look when properly put together. You can recite the rhyme from Mother Goose just below the image above, as you play with the toy.

Goodbye, Maytime; Hello, June!

Illustrated May Pole dance by Nell Brinkley.

       May's a jolly month, fresh out of her skins and winter burrow; she means primroses and woolly lambs and the end of misty rains; blue scrubbed skies with cottony clouds floating over, the far-coming of the pop-corn man; she's the wild maid in the story who burns winter's thongs away from your wrists and lets you out  into the sun again when you thought you'd die in darkness and cold, an yet when she goes we don't cry! That's because a lovelier lady follows--June. When Maytime slips out of our gate, looking back over her delicate shoulders, her primrose garments fluttering their last until another year; in at the same gate, brushing her very robe, golden and warmly scented and loaded with flowers, against pale May, comes June--singing, snapping her fingers, more tender of sky and air, mocking, bringing warm waters for the body that would a-swimming go, merry of eye, rich in color, May's lovelier sister.

      May promises things and gives us a peek at them--but June comes with a magic sack and an open palm.

      So that is why we dance May in and out again, and laugh at her farewell fete! by Nell Brinkley.