Monet Extension Activities

It is easy to get fully absorbed in the beautiful paintings by Monet. Thankfully, there are many online exhibits to lead you through his works. InterMonet will walk you through many collections. While you are at the site, don't miss Monet's brief autobiography; fascinating reading.

You may also want to look for Katie Meets the Impressionists by James Mayhew at your local library. This book beautifully draws children into the works of Monet and other impressionists through the fun tale of a little girl who quite literally climbs into the artists' work to gather flowers for her grandmother.

Monet's fascination with painting the same subject repeatedly makes his work fun to analyze. Take a look at the many variations of his Haystack series. Can your child determine what season and time of day it is based on the colors and shadows?

Monet's work is so beloved that you can easily spot reproductions in your daily life. Keep your eyes open and you will find more than just prints in the craft supply store. His paintings are often reproduced on umbrellas, tote bags, and more.

Try making a Monet inspired sponge painting using the instructions at KinderArt. Take your paints outside to get the best natural light for your subject, or try copying one of Monet's famous works.

There are lots of great coloring pages of Monet's work. Take a look at these:

Picnic

Parasol

Garden (lots of detail in this one)

We have used lots of different art supplies during the course of the year. Try doing the same coloring page in pastels, paints, and crayons. Compare your results. Which is your favorite? Which looks most like the work of Monet?

I am looking forward to seeing all of you at our art show next month where we will get to put all of these great artist in order while we create our timeline. Don't forget to bring in your favorite artwork to share.

April - Monet

This month we creating cards for soldiers serving far from home.

Parents, if your children are anything like mine, they like to be warned ahead of time when a routine changes. We are going to be doing things a big differently this week. This is the one time that I will ask the children if they would like to donate their original work to our community service project. The kids will be allowed to create several cards. They may choose to keep one, all, or none of their works. This is completely voluntary. We will still take photos of their work and any children who wish to take their original art home can write their message to the soldiers on blank cards that I will provide and I will add the photos of their artwork later.

Also, if your child struggles with handwriting but wants to write their own message, you may want to work with them ahead of time. They can bring in an index card or two with a simple message ("Come home soon" or "Thank you" would do nicely) and their signature to paste into their card.

We will be studying

Claude Monet

(pronounced moe-NAY)

French

1840-1926

In preparation for class on Tuesday, please print the image below and place it where your child will see it often.

On the Bank of the Seine, 1868, Art Institute of Chicago

For a printable image, click here.

You will need to bring the following supplies:

• One paper plate or paint pallet per person
• One 9x12 sheet of light construction paper per person
• Four or more cotton swabs per person
• Paper towels
• Baby wipes
• Tempera paint in red, yellow, and blue
• Paintbrush
• Crayons
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Optional: Index card(s) with pre-written message to a soldier

See you on April 12th at 6:30!