Continent Boxes: Australia and Antarctica

I have a few new posts up on my main blog regarding our Continent Boxes for Australia and Antarctica.  Meant to provide a fun, hands-on way to explore different cultures, these boxes hold a variety of goodies that reflect the animals, food, currency and items one could find there.

To use the workbox for this, simply place a card in the box instructing the student to go through it.  Oh, and possibly a timer because we all know how a child can get lost in an activity like this.  If you have a worksheet that may go along with it, then you could toss that into it as well. I made the card to the left here, but have not uploaded it anywhere so my readers can print it.  I haven't done that in a while, so once I have time to dust off the cobwebs of my mind-I will do that. More than likely I won't be able to get to that until sometime in December tho.  I have a lot of stuff coming up and very little time.  Anyhoo- you can visit my blog to read up on what I have in ours, and take a look at the Aboriginal painting project we did.  It was simple, not too spency and fun!

 Australia/Oceania Continent Box

 Antarctica Continent Box

Aboriginal Painting Project

Hey if you don't visit my other blogs-you may wanna to see this cool art project

I have all the instructions and pics there for ya.  It was a fun one to do-just remember that it will take several days b/cuz you have to allow for drying in between.  But the results are well-keepsakes!

First post

Instructions
I will be moving this post to my main blog soon (2014)

Enjoy!

I told you I would get creative~eventually~My Artist Memory Game

So, I purchased those dollar store bulletin board packs way back, just knowing I could make something from them (this one has 5 each of an artist palette, glue bottles and packs of crayons) and then a pack of 25 little easels.  What I thought I could use them for, I had no idea.  But I could see the potential.  Finally, it came to me-we study at least 3 artists a year.  So why not make a matching project/game that my son could do, to help retain the artist styles and typical art work?

I visited Olga's Gallery for Mary Cassatt's and Winslow Homer's images; and for J. J. Audubon's art to create these little gems!  I had fun-and I was able to get 8 different easels for each artist palette.  I will grab some more when I go to the local Dollar Tree, and hopefully find some more of these packs so I can continue with this (adding artists as we go).  I have yet to laminate them, but was so excited to show them off. 

This is a very easy project-simply size the pics [on your MS Word or similar program] to fit the easel and type the title (I didn't put the year for 2 reasons-wasn't sure I could fit it all on, and the pics dates were not listed, so I have to search each one to get that...so they remain dateless..but you could do that if you wish), and on the back put the initials of the artist in a corner (this serves as a self-check, but don't tell your student if you want them to really work at it. This is a Montessori trick...it allows you to say, "Check it", if you don't have time to come and do so yourself.  You need to be careful with children who will simply flip it to get the answer, and not sit a moment and ponder the picture to make a guess. My son knows the "trick", but also knows I expect him to be honest about trying to figure it out first-which he will).

This makes a great workbox activity.  Just store in a Ziplock or envelope and let em at it. :0)

And without much further ado-My Artist Study Memory Game

 3 artist palettes with the individual artist's names and DOB/DOD

with 24 art easels (8 each)

So when the child plays, they look thru the mixed up pile, 

and place the correct image under the correct artist!

~Have fun~

Monday's Workbox goodies-Art Appreciation

Finally!  I have these ready to post (well not all of it-but the beginnings of it)...

SO I am really trying here to do more in the Art Appreciation (CM related) department, instead of "getting to it later." My intention this year is to study at least 3 artists. Being that we are into Am. history this year, I chose 3 folks who express the true essence of America.  I wanted someone who also recorded aspects of nature-so we are starting with John James Audubon.  Couldn't think of anyone who better fits the nature loving (OK mostly birds) requirement.  What's more, it so nicely ties into our regular nature study course (and I am throwing in the bird study too)!  Geez, I feel so special having this click so well together!

 The Study of Famous Artists book

The Artwork of Famous Artists book

I popped the books and a baggie with the necessary papers and a glue stick into their boxes.  Normally, we would have a book to read (but we finished it and are awaiting our other choice to arrive at the library) but today, it was mostly just assembly and doing some basic notebooking. I wrote what the boy wanted on his page (lined notebook pages I purchased, and are a part of an Audubon eBook-just chose the 2 per page print option to get em smaller)...and the teen will journal her answers on her own pages...then those will go after the basic artist info. I am going to also have a couple of their favorite pics he drew printed up (small) to place in there too-

We are also making a whole Audubon/Bird study book using coloring pages of birds, notebooking pages, data, some lapbook components and NS drawings to complete this whole study.  Once I get that built up a bit, I will post those pictures for ya.

And that is just some of what we had in our boxes today. 

Since we work on this as a group-I place it right after the Bible wkbx of my daughter's and in the 3rd one, for my son (because her study takes longer and his are quick moving-so usually that works out and we sit down together do the Art Appreciation as a family)-which is a helpful hint to those who have some group material...just do it all first together or place it so the kids finish the other assignments about the same time (and to be sure you have all your bases covered-have a "spare" box available with a quiet time, do-on-your own activity for those who finish sooner)...

Little craft project for the week

This was packed with the goodies needed to paint the little wood truck we found at Wally-World (IE: Wal-Mart). Please note the "piggy bank" number card. These are from the Money Center set I submitted to HSS. I think they're kinda cute and I am using them because we are still working on the money center-kinda like adding "matching shoes" to your outfit.


They also had little buses, trains, cars and such. I found this in the section with the unfinished wood stuff and craft paints.


His finished product. We also do the Home Depot Kids Workshops-so he gets loads of practice building and painting. Usually they host those on the first Saturday of every month from 9-12. We have quite a collection of projects the kids have built. I guess this now requires me to take a pic of em all! LOL

A fun geography/art project

I downloaded the Make a Globe project from Enchanted Learning. I put almost all the stuff needed into the workbox for the boy to do. He really enjoyed it, and I think I did too-kinda fun sliming up your hands with flour glue and slapping it on a balloon. The larger workbox was just perfect for this big project.



The globe is currently hanging from my kitchen light fixture, drying nicely. It should be dry by Monday to paint in the typical globe fashion-oceans and continents. That reminds me-I need to pick up some more paint. Hmmm.

This is what we did for Art

Well, we did a few more things than this, but that is going up on my lapbook blog.
Ok, I put this neat book into his workbox, some inks, cleaner, paper and pen. He loved it. His Aunt gave him this book for his birthday (last summer) and this is the first time we really had a chance to use it. It is the neatest book-called Ed Emberley's Complete FunPrint Drawing Book. It shows you how to use ink and your fingerprints to make the neatest critters, flowers and so forth.


My boy's final masterpiece-and yes, his bunny is a flying one to boot! Ok, he started with the bunny and then forgot to give it land, so we drew a pencil marking his hop up there.