Earl Legacy Park - flower planting

What a fun time we had working together!

I was amazed at the diligence of the kids, and at the beauty of their efforts.  The rock border for the flower bed was a great addition.   Fabulous job!

Andrew Wyeth Extension Activities

Don't forget to join us to plant flowers this Tuesday evening!

Here are the details:

Tuesday 4-17-12 6:30PM

Earl Legacy Park in Bedford

200 New Boston Road

Corner of Wallace and New Boston by Riddlebrook School

directions available here

Bring your own shovel/trowel if you have one!

Did you know:

Andrew Wyeth was a homeschool student from the age of 8 until he turned 18. He tells about his education history in this short interview with the Center for Talent Development.

Meet the Artist:

The great thing about 20th century artists is that we have many records of their lives as well as their work. Take a look at this short video of Andrew Wyeth at work.

Try it yourself:

Andrew Wyeth is known for his ability to create intense emotion through his choice of interesting backgrounds. Try cutting out a small portrait from either a photograph or magazine and placing it on different backgrounds. Plain white, a jungle scene from a magazine, or a photograph of your own backyard will offer drastically different results.

See it in Person:

Andrew Wyeth spent many summers only a few hours from here. If you are traveling to Maine soon, swing by the Farnsworth Art Museum Wyeth Center in Rockland. In addition to seeing quite a few paintings by Andrew Wyeth and his famous family, you will also have the opportunity to tour the Olson house, setting for Wyeth's famous painting Christina's World.

April - Andrew Wyeth

Are you ready to study a realistic painter again? After the abstract shapes of Matisse and the surreal qualities of Kahlo's work, this artist is going to be a big change.

Andrew Wyeth comes from a long line of famous artists, and his work is easy to find. Take some time this week to study the painting below. There is a story that goes along with this painting, and I'll share it with you on Tuesday. See if your family can make up their own stories. You might even be right!

Christina's World

1948

The Museum of Modern Art

New York, NY

We are going to be making pins this week. I hope you will all be able to join us to plant some flowers at 6:30 Tuesday April 17th. I will have directions available on Tuesday. There is plenty of room to play, so bring some comfortable shoes and join the fun!

To make your pin you will need:

• One 9x12" sheet of white construction paper
• One 9x12" sheet of construction paper (any color) to cut for a stencil
• Colored pencils
• Crayons
• Scissors
• Pencil (any kind)
• optional - masking tape to hold your stencil in place

See you this Tuesday, April 10th at 6:30 for class!

Animal Rescue League towel donations

The artwork that the children created this month was used to benefit the Animal Rescue League.  We placed several posters and boxes around town to collect towels for the pets, and the response by the community was fabulous.  There are going to be some warm, clean, and comfy animals in town.

If you have time, stop by their Bedford location (just down the street from the church).  They love visitors, and you might just find your next best friend.

Kahlo Extension Activities

Frida Kahlo's life was far from easy, yet she took as her motto "Viva-La-Vida" (Live Life). This isn't an easy thing to do. We all have struggles, and many of us become absorbed in those problems. How wonderful it is to know that we can give those troubles over to God. He is the great comforter and he has promised us life without pain forevermore.

Revelation 21:4 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Here are some activities to add to your study of Frida Kahlo.

Read:

Frida Kahlo: The Artist who Painted Herself. Written from the viewpoint of a young girl writing a report about their favorite artist, this book is fun and approachable.

Watch:

BrainPop did a great 5 minute short biography on Frida this past week. You can view it here, just sign up for the free trial if you don't already subscribe.

Color:

The youngest artists might like to color a simple version of Kahlo's self portrait with birds. And those who enjoy Ms. Kahlo's more surreal side can color a copy of her Roots painting.

Try it youself:

The obvious project when studying Frida Kahlo is to create your own self portrait, but to be honest, I really like the fun beaded necklaces that Eclectic Chica made during their Frida party.

March - Kahlo

Frida Kahlo is the subject of this month's study. Her art is well known for its Mexican influence and its sad reflection of the artist's tragic health struggles.

Frida Kahlo

(pronounced: KAH-loe)

Mexican

1907-1954

In preparation for class, please print the image below and hang it in a place where your children will be able to view it often.

Still Life With Parrot

1951

For a printable image click here

This month's project will require the following supplies:

• One 12"x12" piece of red, green, or blue construction paper
• One piece of white(blank) copy paper
• Oil pastels
• One toothpick
• Pencil (any kind will do, a drawing pencil is not necessary)
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Black fine tipped marker or colored pencil
• Paper towels
• OPTIONAL - old towels to be donated to the Animal Rescue League

This is the perfect class for animal lovers. After we complete our projects, the children's artwork will be turned into a poster and used to collect supplies for the pets at the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire.

See you Tuesday, March 13th at 6:30!

Gifts for Soldiers

Everyone loves cookies!  Our soldiers are going to be thrilled to receive yummy treats wrapped in the beautiful artwork that was created this month.