Colored Chicks to Order, 1947

      Frankly, we didn’t believe it either. But the evidence looks pretty convincing. It seems that down in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a certain experimental-minded senor named A. R. Zeno injected two dozen eggs with various vegetable dyes two hours before hatching time. When the chicks broke through their shells they were peeping happily and were apparently quite normal except that their feathers were bright blue, red, green, pink and lilac. And here they are as they arrived by Pan American air express eight hours later in New York City.

Easter chicks dyed a variety of bright colors several hours prior to hatching.
 The coloring wears away within a few days; it is harmless to the chicks.

Colored chicks are still for sale during Easter in some countries. 

My mother remembers receiving a few of these in her Easter 

basket just after WWII.

The Butterfly and The Bee by Nell Brinkley

Eleven-Thirty A. M. One gives her beauty and naught else--and there are those who say that is, enough to give a reaching world. 

-and-

Seven-Thirty A. M. One makes the world go 'round, washes babies and feeds men and they are those who say she is beautiful, too. --Nell Brinkley

A Hat To Trim

      Here is an opportunity for all the little readers to play milliner and try their ingenuity at trimming a hat. The little men are invited to compete with the little women. And it wouldn't be at all astonishing if a little man were among the prize winners, for every one knows that sometimes boys are endowed with as good taste as girls. There is such a variety of trimmings that even the most particular milliner must find something to suit to a "T." If she should want a hat severely plain, she will find a band and stiff ribbon bows or quills to use; if a more dressy hat would suit her better, there are flowers, fruit, chiffon and ostrich plumes. The hat should be pasted on a sheet of white paper, the trimming arranged as desired and then pasted in place on the hat.

Millinery trims by Adelia B. Beard to color, cut, and paste.

 

Description of Coloring Page:   a straw hat, trims for the hat: ribbons, bows, flowers, feathers, cherries, paper craft, color, cut-out and assemble an Easter bonnet paper craft

 

More About Bonnets:

• Hat quotes with retro graphics from Christian card ministry

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this children's Easter coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

The Paschal Greetings Easter Egg

The "He is Risen!" Easter egg is simple to craft, all you need to
 make one is some festive trims and a prefabricated, fancy butterfly sticker!

      The Paschal greeting is an Easter custom among Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Christians, as well as among some Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians. Instead of "hello" or its equivalent, one is to greet another person with "Christ is Risen!", and the response is "Truly, He is Risen" (compare Matthew 27:64, Matthew 28:6–7, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:6, Luke 24:34).

      In some cultures, such as in Russia and Serbia, it is also customary to exchange a triple kiss on the alternating cheeks after the greeting.

      Similar responses are also used in the liturgies of other Christian churches, but not so much as general greetings.

      The Paschal greetings Easter egg is made from a Styrofoam half egg that was papier-mâchéd with bright, festive tissue paper and a decorative butterfly purchased from the local paper craft store. I added a little gold tinsel to the interior of the egg to emphasize the gold papers used on the butterfly and then the expression "He is Risen!" in which case a brother or sister in Christ would respond in kind with, "He is Risen Indeed!"

More Related Content: 

• The Origin and Meaning of the Paschal Greeting, Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Washington, DC.
• The Paschal Greeting said in 250 languages on Pascha Polyglotta
• Free, "He is Risen" Easter Egg Cross Stitch Pattern
• A "He is Risen" resurrection pressed penny
• "He is Risen" punch flower Easter Card
• Ministry-to-Children has a "He is Risen" coloring page

Puzzle Picture: Tom, the piper's son

Here is Mother Goose and her son Jack. Now find Tom,

 the piper's son, who stole the pig.

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

Craft a Very Hungry Caterpillar

      Above is a caterpillar craft that I taught during my student teaching. Kindergartener's spent the first day of this project coloring abstract shapes, line and colors onto white paper with crayons. Then they painted with watercolors on top of their crayon designs.
      On the second day, students then traced around giant leaf stencils and cut them out of green construction paper. Then they cut elliptical shapes from their decorated papers and assembled these onto their "leaf frames" with paste. The last step was to add eyes and line details to their caterpillars and leaves with a black magic marker. 

 "Two girls A.R. and G.H., ages 9 and 11, took my puppet workshop. After graduating from the advance level they performed The Very Hungry Caterpillar all on their own without any help. A.R. plays the caterpillar and the butterfly. G.H. handled all the props. They did this video in one take, I am so proud of them!" from hagley productions

More Related Content:

• Eric Carle Activities and Lessons
• Hungry Caterpillar Charm Bracelet
• The Cocoon - Child Sermon
• Kelsey's Crafts: Egg Carton Caterpillar
• 20 Facts About The Caterpillar/Butterfly

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.

Noah's Ark ABC Prints

       I've restored the pages of a vintage ABC book that has since passed into the public domain. I think these pages would make lovely prints for a small child's room or nursery. Click directly onto each image to download the largest possible file before printing them out onto some fine paper.

Ark, Ass, Alligator, Bull, Calf, Dog, ABC Print

Elephant, Fox, Giraffe ABC print.

Horse, Hare, Hyena, Ibex, Jackal ABC print.

Kangaroo, Kid, Lion, Leopard, Monkey, Mouse, Noah, Otter, Ox, Pig, Porcupine ABC print.

Quagga, Ram, Rabbit, Stag ABC print.

Tiger, Unicornis, Rhinoceres, Vampire ABC print.

Wolf, Xiphias, Yak, Zebra ABC print.

• Restored Antique Alphabet Prints at Thrifty Scissors  and The Old Testament Alphabet
• Animal Alphabet Flash Cards by Charles Buckles Falls

Bible Lap Books for Kids

       A lap book, lapbook, layer book, flap book, or shutter book is a type of single-subject book created by a student, generally as a supplement to a curriculum.

       A lap book generally consists of a paperboard folder such as a file folder with small pieces of folded paper glued inside. These folded papers may contain facts, diagrams, illustrations, etc. related to the subject. Lap books can be adapted for any subject and grade level. Teachers and parents who use lap books with students say that they enhance creativity and critical thinking while integrating subjects such as science, language, history, geography, and mathematics, depending on the subject of the lap book.

• Beware of the 3 C's of Lapbooking
• 75 Awesome Things to Include in Lapbooks

Bible Lap Book Links: 

• The Book of James Lapbook
• The Beatitudes Bumble Bee Lap Book
• Parables of Jesus Lapbook and The Miracles of Jesus Lapbook
• New Testament Lap Book

This detailed "rainbow lap book on rainbows, colors,
 and Noah's ark is by SchoolinRHome.

Craft a Tiny Spinning Ark

      You will need a paper plate, one brass paper fastener, glue, masking tape, magic markers and newsprint or newspaper for each student in order to make this unusual Noah's ark craft. The project is ideal for second and third graders. 

 

      Students will need to color wave motifs and fish circling the top side of their paper plate. A tiny hole will also need to be made in the center of the paper plate; it should be just large enough for a brass paper fastener to fit through it tightly. Then students will need to crush paper into a simple ark or boat shape using masking tape. I find that old telephone books have the best paper pages for crushing small shapes. After you have crushed an ark and masked it into shape with tape, glue a brass faster to the bottom of the boat, layer tape over the head of the fastener to hold it in place of over night as the glue dries. Then you may paint your ark brown. I used a permanent marker to color mine. I also Mode Podged my tiny ark to prevent it from coming apart after many small people play around with it. Insert the brass fastener into the center hole of your paper "ocean" plate and spin it around as you like.

 

      You could turn this craft into a kind of game board if you prefer. Number off the fish and tape an additional arrow to the bottom half of your boat. In either case, children enjoy the novelty of this simple craft assembly. You may find them obsessing over a variety of ideas using the same concept in time.

More crafts with paper fasteners:

• Teddy Tells the Time
• Glossy paper flowers
• Hatching sea turtles
• Donkey puppet craft
• Hatching chick picture

The Sunset by Darlene Stern, (age 8)
The sunset is very picturesque;
The sun works by day but at night takes a rest;
He throws on his rosy bedclothes;
The firefly his little lamp shows
And beckons night to come on!

Craft Noah's Ark with Animal Crackers

       I made this simple picture of Noah's Ark with animal crackers. The project is perfect for tiny tots who are just learning to count up to two and also distinguish between an elephant and a kangaroo! I printed out the ark graphics below on tan paper and then added a few yellow details for added color highlights, a process of which even a very small student can do. Also show your little tot how to draw raindrops and color these blue. Then line up the animal crackers two by two to board the ark. I glued mine down for the teacher's sample but you may never get a full set from someone younger. If you are concerned about the child eating these later, glue them on with a quick drying icing instead of white glue. You can also try this project with animal cookies or animal gingerbread.

• the best Gingerbread Glue

 Above are two arks drawn by me for two separate projects, I will link back to this graphic with the second Noah's Ark mobile after it has been posted.

Two Mother Goose Rebus Puzzles

 Challenge your students to decipher these two rebus. Each of them is a Mother Goose rhyme.

Crafting Noah's Ark from Popsicle Sticks

       This simple Noah's Ark craft project is designed to teach young students about texture, rhythm and repetition. I recommend the project for first grade through third. The challenge is in the cutting of the waves. Students may either draw and cut their own or teachers may provide templates for them to trace around and cut from alternating blue and white papers.

       Teachers will need to provide five large popsicle sticks (tongue depressors) one of these will need to be cut as is shown in the center photograph above, and additional smaller wooden sticks or toothpicks for the upper portion of the ark. Teachers do not need to match the selection I have here perfectly. Simply use similar wooden pieces that you have on hand. Glue these down to a large piece of heavy blue paper. Then glue alternating shades or colors of waves underneath the ark, add raindrops and your picture is complete.

Waves cut from blue and white paper.

More crafts made with Popsicle sticks:

• Easy wood crafts to make
• Popsicle stick boat lamp
• Great puzzle idea!
• Barnyard animal puppets made from Popsicle sticks

Noah's Ark For Little Ones

 

"The Day The Ark Sailed" cartoon from The Times Dispatch, 1903

A Noah's Ark Thought.

When I look at my Noah's Ark,

I always think how good

It is that animals all grow

Exactly as they should.

Just s'pose the elephant had horns!

How awful it would be!

He'd get his trunk all scratched and torn

By the sharp points, you see.

And if the zebra had no stripes

We would not know, of course,

If we saw one in Africa

That is was not a horse.

If ostriches could fly and sing,

How different they would be.

And yet I like them better as 

They are, it seems to me.

More Links to Noah's Ark Crafts from The Web:

• Paper Plate Noah's Art Craft
• Noah's Ark Craft - Number 2 and Rainbow Crafts: God Keeps His Promises!
• Old Testament Bible Crafts
• Noah's Ark preschool lesson, craft too
• Crafty Crafters: Noah's Ark Craft
• Charlotte Braddock's Ark Template
• Children's versions of Noah's Ark
• Noah's Ark Crafts from Joyful Jewish
• Noah's Ark Craft for Kids

Sewing Crafts with Noah's Ark Themes:

• Noah's Ark from Princess Fabrics
• Noah's Ark Quilt Pattern by Sindy Rodenmayer
• Noah's Ark Quilt: secret project
• Noah's Ark Quilt for AJ
• Noah's Ark Pattern by Critter Pattern Works
• Noah's Ark and ABC's
• Vintage Ark Quilt at the High Desert Museum Exhibit

Worksheets, Coloring Pages and Games About Noah's Ark:

•  An Ark Maze from biblewise
• Noah's Pals Word Search

Video from Youtube About Noah's Ark:

• The Story of Noah by Pastor Chuck Smith
• Animated story of Noah's Ark made by classroom students in Oslo Norway
• Moving Picture Books: Noah's Ark
• Love this shape sorting playset!

  Tim Hawkins includes Noah's Ark in his comedy routine

Free Books Online with Ark Themes:

• Cruise of the Noah's Ark by David Cory

The Latest News From Noah's Ark

      These cartoons, "The Latest News From Noah's Ark", were published in 1911-1917. I have cleaned them so that non-profit organizations might enjoy printing them again in bulletins for students, teachers and clergy etc... The cartoons were used to illustrate all kinds of commentary and articles from several popular newspapers. I have not been able to successfully identify the artist as of yet. I think he had a funny way of identifying human frailties in his animal characters. These cartoons would make excellent illustrations for sermons.

Annoying habits are sometimes just instinct.

Fowl Gossip

Foxy Deceptions

New dance trends

False Pride

Christian Cartoons:

• The Back Pew
• Joyful 'toons
• Reverend Fun
• Len Jones

Heads Of The Christ

 

Famous Heads of Christ

How Artists Have Depicted The Savior's Features

Hoffman's Divine Painting, Showing the Tender Pathos of "the Man of Sorrows" --Raphael's Masterpiece--One of the Most Pathetic Pictures of Christ Is the One Called "Carrying of the Cross"--Guido Reul's "Ecee Homo."

      Among the many beautiful conceptions of the divine face of Christ that artists have endeavored to portray on canvas are five that are so surpassingly beautiful and so wonderfully in harmony with the ideal of the God-man that suggests itself to most people that they have been universally declared to be masterpieces of sacred art. These five famous "Heads of Christ" are here reproduced. They form a collection that both saint and sinner will study with interest. 

      The picture of the Savior of mankind, shown with the face in profile, straight hair falling down to the shoulders, and a look of intense earnestness in the eyes, is taken from the world-famous painting of "Christ Before Pilate" by Munkacsy. This painting has been exhibited all over the world, and copies of it hang on the walls of countless homes. It represents Christ at one of the most trying periods of His troubled life, when brought into the presence of Pontius Pilate for declaring himself to be the Son of God. 

      The picture differs from almost all other famous pictures of Christ, in that it depicts Him with features that are stern and set, and with little trace of the compassionate sweetness that so many artists have given to the face of Christ. With the rabble howling around Him, Christ faces Pilate, and were it not for the position of the two, Pilate on his throne, Christ standing before him, it would seem that the relations were reversed, and that Pilate was the accused, Christ the accuser.

      The masterly had of the artist has thrown into the upturned face of Christ a latent suggestiveness of supernatural power that lifts it up from those surrounding it, and marks clearly the distinction between the divine and the human in the throng.

Christ before Pilate, 1881 by Mihály Munkácsy,
oil on canvas 417 x 636 cm

Guido Reni's "Ecce Homo,"

      For a picture of the beautiful, the divine, the compassionate, for all that Christians love to look for in the face of Christ, the masterpiece of the modern artist Hoffmann is the one to turn to. The head of Christ is taken from Hoffmann's "Christ at the Door," The familiar picture representing Christ with a shepherd's crook in hand, knocking at the portals of a home. The tender sweetness of the face, which is turned full towards the spectator, is wonderfully shown. It is a face in which gentleness is emphasized by the settled melancholy of a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," It is pleading, pathetic, but not weak. The artist has ennobled the features of Christ so that the womanly attributes of gentleness and sympathy are made majestic by the strong manly attributes that save the face from any suggestion of effeminacy. The attitude is dignified and expectant, the face calmly, seriously, solemnly impressive.

      Raphael has given us the beautiful head of Christ, shown with the crown of thorns on the brow. It is taken from the picture entitled "Carrying of the Cross." It is one of the most pathetic of the entire gallery, and the face is one of the most interesting studies of all pictures of Christ.

      In the original, Raphael depicts Christ bending beneath the weight of the heavy wooden cross. The suffering eyes look patiently out from the shadow of the plaited crown of thorns whose sharp thorns pierce the forehead. The genius of the artist was never more strikingly shown than in the expression of this face of Christ. Even with the suffering and pain depicted on the countenance there is plainly seen the sympathy of the divine nature that prompted the utterance "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."

      There is no resentment, no trace of indignation. The artist has made the face one of heavenly beauty and tenderness, even in the dreadful hour of the cross.

      Among the best known of the Biblical paintings is Guido Reni's "Ecce Homo," showing Christ in the agonies of His last hores, with the crown of thorns on His head, and dying eyes turned heavenward. It is one of the most pathetic of all the head of Jesus, and is a great favorite with many people. It is doubtful whether any artist has given us a more beautiful conception of Christ than has Guido Reni in his  "Ecce Homo."

      A picture that is unique among the conceptions of Christ is that of Titian, called "The Tribute Money." Christ is here shown with a calmly judicial face, with a tinge of the sadness that all artists impart to the Savior's features; it is the face of one who reasons convincingly, but without a shade of triumph over the successful turning of solemn pitying rebuke the befits the subject.

      Just left, is Titian's painting "The Tribute Money." The Tribute Money (Italian: Cristo della moneta - literally Christ of the money) is a circa 1516 oil painting by Titian, now held at the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden. It is signed "Ticianus F.[ecit]". It depicts Christ and a Pharisee at the moment in the Gospels (Matthew 22:15-22, Mark 12:13-17, Luke 20:20-26) when Christ is shown a coin and says "Render unto Caesar..."

Frogs, Toads And Pollywogs for Spring

      Cut out the two sides of the frog and paste them together, with a cardboard in between. After pasting the two sides back to back, with the cardboard in between, cut the inside contours, such as between the legs and the arms. Then punch out the holes for the string and fasten the string to a small stick to complete the trapeze. Hold the frog by this stick as you make him go through his performance. Besides the two ways of hanging from the trapeze shown in the sketches, he can also bend his body and hook on (at the places marked X) by one leg. Or he may slide up and down, with the string passing through those places marked with X's.

Need to draw lots of pond life? Here are some step-by-step drawing guides for those of you who need to learn about dragon-flys, water-lilies, frogs, and tadpoles.

Teachers may download the image above and print one for each student. Ask the students to give the King of all pollywogs a crown, scepter, perhaps even a robe. Then challenge them to doodle thousands of tadpoles, frogs and toads surrounding their King.

Frogs, Toads, and Pollywog Crafts:

• Glazed Clay Frogs and Unglazed Clay Frogs from Artolazzi
• Froggy Friend at Lakeshore Learning
• Clever clothspin crafts - frog and fly
• Frog Gift Boxes
• Frog Valentine Holder
• Frog Pouch
• Paper bag frog puppet
• Paper plate frog puppet
• Painted Rocks: Frog In The Well and giant pinned collection
• Adorable Frog Easter Basket
• A stuffed frog prince tutorial and download

The Life Cycle of Frogs: 

• Frog Play
• Life Cycle of Frog: accordion fold booklet
• life cycle spinners for games
• A nice collection of frog life cycles for teachers

Games with Frog, Toad and Pollywog Themes:

• Consonant Digraph Sorting Activity
• Frog and ladybug toss
• Counting with frog and flies
• kiss the frog

More Collections of Frog Studies and Crafts:

• Frog Lessons From 3Mommies
• Frogs Unit Study
• Kinder Printables: Frog Theme

      "A Year With Frog and Toad" is a musical written by brothers Robert (music) and Willie Reale (book and lyrics), based on the Frog and Toad children's stories written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. The musical follows the woodland adventures of two amphibious friends, a worrywart toad and a perky frog, with their assorted colorful hopping, crawling and flying companions, over the course of a year. The show broke new ground by bringing professional children's theatre to Broadway, sparking the interest of the age 3-to-10 set.
      Arnold Lobel's daughter, Adrianne Lobel, commissioned a musical based on her father's characters. She also designed the set, based on her father's writings. Her husband, actor Mark Linn-Baker, adapted the stories into a theatrical script, and later played Toad in the musical's Broadway debut. The intimate, 5-actor piece is frequently played by community theatre companies.

• A Year with Frog and Toad by Arden Theatre Co.

Craft Your Own Jingle Stick

      Jingle sticks can be made at home easily with very limited equipment. You will need a hammer, two sizes of long nails, bottle caps and some scrap wood. I used a long piece of cedar because it was what I had on hand. One of the nails you will need to use to make the holes in your bottle caps with. This nail should have a slightly larger dimension than those long nails you will use to permanently attach holding the bottle caps. 

      Hammer the holes with the larger nail into the metal caps and place a wooden scrape underneath the cap to give it support. Then you can through away this scrap wood and nail after you've completed the step. 

      Then you will need to rub down your stick with sandpaper and seal it with acrylic varnish. This procedure will insure that little ones will not get splinters from the instrument. After the varnish has dried overnight, hammer the long thinner nails through the holes in the bottle caps and into the wooden stick firmly. 

      Look closely at the picture above; note that the longer finish nails have wide heads. These prevent the caps from falling off the stick while it is shaken.

The Choir performing Ndyahimbisa mukama during the 20th Anniversary of the Choir in Vancouver in 2004 on stage in front of 2200 people.

Want to know more about the Choir and Music for Life? Go to http://africanchildrenschoir.com

Help Jesus Help 12 Million Orphans!!

Craft Your Own Sandblock Instruments

The finished sandblocks are ready for music class.

      Children and or teachers can craft sandblock instruments for their music class, a performance or just for fun. All you will need are blocks of wood, felt and a medium weight sand paper. I used a wood glue to adhere my sandpaper to one side of my wooden tablets after I cut and glued a layer of felt to the wooden blocks. The felt acts as pad to extent the wear of the sandpaper over time. Eventually, you will need to adhere more sandpaper to your instruments as the gritty surface wears down to the felt layer.

The felt pad is sandwiched between the wooden surface and the sandpaper.

      I applied a layer of acrylic sealer to the surface of my sandblocks after gluing these vintage pictures onto the top halves of my sample instruments. The acrylic sealer will help to protect the instruments from wear and tear over time. If you would like to make sandblocks like the ones pictured above, you may click on the restored vintage graphics below to download and print the same images that I used for my teacher's samples.

Vintage pictures of a hound playing musical instruments.

The Metropolitan Baptist Church Cherub Choir (ages 3-5) sings 

"What a Mighty God We Serve!"

More Related Content:

• Children's Music by Nancy Stewart
• Homemade Percussion & Junkmusic

The Last of Summer by Nell Brinkley

I have cleaned this lovely cartoon butterfly girl by illustrator, Nell Brinkley. Brinkley has long since flown from the earth but her work is still just as endearing. If you'd like to see more of it, I could include a category here at this blog of her work only. She really was quite a popular artist in the early 20th Century. What do you think?

Nell Brinkley Says:

      Butterflies go with the ending of Summer ---butterfly girls go with the ending of the gay night that is their lives. Butterflies grow rare and at last do not flicker gold anywhere, when the sumac turns scarlet and the aspen on the far hills changes into little golden coins; butterfly girls vanish and are no more dimples and sparkle and laughter when there is no more fun to have, when the lights are out and real work comes. But I love a golden butterfly in the sun; and who doesn't joy to watch the butterfly girl dance her way through the sober faces and the earnest!

      Somebody said, " A butterfly lives but a day-- and what if that day is rainy!" So, little butterfly girl whose day is so short, may it be sunny and clear.

More About Illustrator Nell Brinkley:

• Biography and sample illustrated medallions by Brinkley

Craft Giant Easter Egg Art!

      Below are student examples of three Giant Easter Egg pictures. Although each example is created with a distinct drawing or painting method, all of the pictures have the same theme. Sometimes crafts on the web are mislabeled under categories that use a method of working to describe the theme. It is the theme that is the subject of an art lesson and it is the method that is the verb describing an art project's process. When art educators are required to write lesson plans, they learn that the title of an art lesson includes the subject and that the description includes the process. 

      But on the web, teachers, crafters and companies selling their ideas and product will list the methods as the subject in order to drive traffic under different words and phrases to their web pages. This is why it is advantageous for teachers to search under both the method or the theme when surfing the web for any sort of craft/art idea.

• Easter Eggs for You To Color

      This giant Easter Egg was crafted using a popular wax resist method. Young students learn to color with firm pressure onto drawing paper before painting a watery solution of colored paint over the surface of their wax colors. The paint will then leave traces of painted paper where ever the crayons have not been applied. The use of this method is very popular in grade school because it shows students how they can use art materials and also develops their eye-hand coordination.

      This giant Easter Egg sponge painting requires young students to use unconventional tools in the act of painting. Sponges are easy for little hands to manipulate and these hold all kinds of sticky, messy paints made from inexpensive mixtures that kindergarten teachers can quickly shake together without investing large sums of cash in a art project. Small children do not generally produce art that will be kept forever by anyone other than their parents so, it is important to use materials that may be expendable but also fun to work with. The key to developing student performance in art is repetition and inexpensive materials ensure that the activity is repeated frequently.

      This giant, bright colored Easter egg was painted with watercolor paints and a soft camel hair brush. First the student used a black marker to draw her whimsical butterfly, fish and flowers. Then she painted in her picture with bright, festive colors. I have discovered that very young students produce marvelous watercolor paintings but grow apprehensive about the resulting finished product as they age. This is because the younger an art student is, the less inhibited they are about "how" their artwork looks. Their inhibitions are the unfortunate result of growing old, I'm afraid.

More Helpful Links to Homemade Paint Mixtures:

• Homemade Paints from About.com
• Homemade Paint: Make Your Own Paint
• Easy Homemade Paint Recipe

This video, from Nuttin' but preschool, demonstrates an excellent step-by-step process for making homemade "tempera" paints. However, if you are an artist, you know that actual tempera paints used by professionals include an egg binder. So here is an old recipe for high school students.