1Arts and Craft Edition

* Hands-On = Minds-On *

May 2011

Arts and Craft EditionMagazine

2 3Artspiration May 2010 Arts and Craft Edition

Arts and Craft Time

Lets Cook It

Go Green

04. Hands - On Is Minds - On Article 06. Butterfly Sun Catcher Craft07. All Natural Play Clay

Fingerprint Art

14. Apple SmilesBanana Bites

15. Twinkling Star TreatsChocolate Scotcheroos

Contents

11. 5 Eco-Friendly Kids Activities 12. Go, Tube- Race, Go !

Chalk the walk13. Cool creatures

Satellite Recycler

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to touch and manipulate things." But more than simply moving materials around, hands-on activities activate kids' brains. According to Cindy Middendorf, educational consultant and author of The Scholastic Differentiated Instruction Plan Book (Scholastic, 2009), between the ages of four and seven, the right side of the brain is developing and learning comes easily through visual and spatial activities. The left hemisphere of

the brain—the side that's involved in more analytical and language skills—develops later, around ages 10 and 11. When you combine activities that require movement, talking, and listening, it activates multiple areas of the brain.

Busy Hands, Busy Brains

As students put projects together, create crafts, or

use familiar materials in new ways, they’re

constructing meaning.

Hands-On Minds-On Second-grade teacher Becky Hicks

has learned that there is no substitute for activities that require kids to use

their hands as well as their minds. During literacy hour in Hicks's class at Blanchard Elementary School in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, students pair up and head to one of 16 "corners," or centers, to tackle hands-on vocabulary, reading, and math activities. In the ABC corner, students thumb through clues to find mystery words. In the math corner, students stack buttons, plastic fruit, and toy bugs to create graphs. And in the spelling corner, they manipulate alphabet puzzle shapes to piece together vocabulary words.

In corners, Hicks's students practice what they know by

playing teacher. "Look closely at the clock's hands," one student says to her partner in her best teacher voice. "Which one shows the hour, and which one shows the minutes?" Some explain their work to other students by showing them how to move, group, or assemble objects. Concepts are explained through tactile procedures, and skills are bolstered as children practice new ideas and test out theories.

Over the years, Hicks has noticed that her students are more engaged and focused when they're working on hands-on projects—even those who fidget during large-group lessons. In her classroom, Hicks has figured out what research has revealed: The best way to engage kids' brains is by having them move their hands.

Busy Hands, Busy BrainsAs students put projects together, create crafts, or use familiar materials in new ways, they're constructing meaning. "Kids learn through all their senses," says Ben Mardell, PhD, a researcher with Project Zero at Harvard University, "and they like

"The more parts of your brain you use, the more likely you are to retain information," says Judy Dodge, author of 25 Quick Formative Assessments for a Differentiated Classroom (Scholastic, 2009). "If you're

only listening, you're only activating one part of the brain," she says, "but if you're drawing and explaining to a peer, then you're making connections in the brain."

Multitasking in the classroom is not a negative when it comes to hands-on activities such as coloring, scribbling, or cutting with scissors. Indeed, even adults benefit from the "busy hands, busy brain" phenomenon: Recent research has shown that people who doodle during business meetings have better memory recall. A report in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology demonstrated that volunteers who doodled during a dull verbal message were 29 percent better

at recalling details from the message. Researchers suggest that engaging in a simple hands-on task, such as cutting out a shape with scissors, can help prevent daydreaming and restlessness during a learning experience. If adults in business

settings can benefit from mnemonic tricks such as doodling, then students should certainly be encouraged to try these strategies.

The Hands-On ClassroomTerri LaChance, a kindergarten teacher at Darcey School in Cheshire, Connecticut, uses hands-on activities all day, every day, to let all her students shine. Currently, LaChance is teaching a student who is a gifted artist but has poor language skills. He fidgets during large-group activities but can spend hours drawing or building. LaChance nurtures his interest and talent by allowing him to make projects; she recalls one day when he carefully constructed bird beaks out of recycled materials, then gave them to other kids to wear in class. Through art projects and play, LaChance has seen the student's language skills improve as he answers questions about his creations and illustrations.

We know our students learn in many different ways: visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, and social. Still, says Dodge, most of us teach the way we're

most comfortable, and that's not necessarily the way our students learn. "It's a missed opportunity if we don't use the way that a child learns best to hook them and get them excited about learning," says Dodge.

Hands-on projects obviously engage kids who are tactile or kinesthetic learners, who need movement to learn best. They also engage students who are auditory learners, who talk about what they're doing, and visual learners, who have the opportunity to see what everyone else is creating. For social learners, the time spent in small group conversation will strengthen their knowledge. Just as Hicks has found in her classroom, hands-on activities let students become teachers. "When students explain and demonstrate skills to each other," says Sheldon Horowitz, EdD, director of professional services for the National Center for Learning Disabilities, "they are validating their understanding of the material being learned and, often in ways that adults are less successful, helping their

peers to build and master new skills.”

Hands-on activities also lend themselves to authentic assessment and observation, says Lanise Jacoby, a 2nd grade teacher at Pierce School in Arlington, Massachusetts, who observes how well her students follow directions and use fine motor skills during center time. Next time your students are working on a craft project or in centers, ask each student to quickly explain what they're doing and why, as well as what they're learning along the way.

Using tools such as markers, scissors, and glue in hands-on projects also builds the fine motor skills that children will need to use for functional activities throughout their lives. Simple tasks such as buttoning, tying shoes, and using a key to open a lock all require manual precision. The best way to build that precision is, of course, through practice.

Yet practice need not be dull and repetitive. Activities such as constructing a miniature city out of recycled materials, or crafting a butterfly's life cycle using fabric scraps, not only help kids strengthen their hands and minds -- they are also fun and engaging. The more arts and crafts that teachers can bring into the classroom, the

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By Samantha Cleaver

We know our

students learn in many different ways: visual, auditory,

tactile, kinesthetic, and social.

Want to Engage Every Student? Break out the Old-Fashioned Scissors and Glue

6 7Artspiration May 2010 Arts and Craft Edition

Butterf ly Sun Catcher Craft By Linette Gerlach

Materials:• Tissue paper in your favorite colors • White glue• 8 ½ x11 black construction paper or cardstock• 8 ½ x 11 white notebook paper • Pencil• Scissors • Clear tape• Googly eyes (optional)

Use the notebook paper to make the pattern. To do this, fold your notebook paper in half. Draw half the butterfly with the butterfly’s body along the center fold (see photo); use the entire page to draw your butterfly: draw the butterfly’s body from the top of the page to the bottom, along the fold, and make the wings fill the whole page all the way to the edge.

instructions:

Once you have the butterfly drawn exactly how you want it, cut out the half butterfly leaving it attached at the fold, so that when you unfold it you have a full butterfly. Use this as a pattern to draw the butterfly on the black foam.

3. To draw the butterfly on the black foam sheet, fold the black foam sheet in half, and lay the folded white pattern on top, with the body on the same side as the fold. Trace around the pattern, and cut out the butterfly.

4. Once you have your black foam butterfly, keep it folded in half and make another cut about ½" in from the edge and cut all the way around the top wing creating a round shape in the top section of the wing. Then, do the same thing in the bottom section of the wing. When you are done you should only have the outline of the wings left (see image below step #5).

5. Unfold the foam to reveal the outline of your butterfly

6. Lay out a sheet of tissue paper in your favorite color. Lay the butterfly over the top of the tissue paper and trace lightly on the tissue paper around the inside of the wing.

7. Cut out the tissue paper a little larger than your pencil outline. Repeat the process for each part of the wing. When you’re done you should have 4 tissue paper cut outs.

8. Dispense a thin strip of glue all the way around the back of the wing around each round outline, and glue on the tissue paper. Repeat this process for all 4 sections.

9. Add antennas to the butterfly by cutting 2 antenna shapes out of the remaining black foam and gluing them onto the butterfly, (or alternately, you can use pipe cleaners to create your antennas).

If you want, you can add googly eyes the butterfly, too.

Use your tape to stick the Butterfly Sun Catcher in the window, then watch the light shine through.

http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/butterfly-sun-catcher-craft.html

All-Natural Play ClayAdd color to this no-cook dough using ingredients from your kitchen, and you won't have to worry if some ends up in your toddler's mouth (though the taste probably won't be to their liking).

Materials : * 1 cup flour

* 3/8 cup salt

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

* NATURAL DYE

* BROWN: 3/8 cup plus one table spoon hot

water and 4 tablespoons cocoa powder

* FUCHSIA: 3/8 cup hot beet juice (we used

the liquid from a 15-ounce can of beets)

* ORANGE: 3/8 cup hot water and 1

tablespoon paprika

* YELLOW: 3/8 cup hot water and 1

teaspoon turmeric

Instructions : 1. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour and salt. Pour in the oil and

your chosen natural dye, and stir well.

2. All-Natural Play Clay - Step 2 Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few minutes. If the clay is too soft, add a bit more flour.

3. Store the clay in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

Kids love any excuse to get their little fingers messy. Making finger tips pictures, provides that excuse. Design note cards, gift tags or fight the boredom blues.

You’ll need:• Ink pad•Paper•Coloredpencilsormarkers

Fingerprint Art

What to do:•Firmlypressfingeryourtipontoaninkpadandimmediately press onto paper. •Usingmarkers,addarms,legsetc.toyourcreation.

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10 11Artspiration May 2010 Arts and Craft Edition

Wondering how you can keep your kids from spending the summer planted on the couch watching TV and playing video games? Get your children outside with activities that involve them in the environment, instill respect for the planet and create family time and memories.

5 Eco-Friendly Kids' ActivitiesBy: Melissa Johnson

things kids want to plant, says Vanessa Keeley, director of youth programs at Growing Gardens, a community garden in Boulder, Colo. She also cautions against too much too soon. “Do it in small doses, and not during the hottest part of the day,”

Keeley advises.

2. Get Crafty

Rainy day? Turn cereal boxes into magazine organizers (or a fun way corral kids

books) by covering them in used wrapping paper, or

paper grocery bags you decorate together. Explain the importance of

reusing materials that still have a useful life, rather than throwing them in the landfill.

Or make a quick model of the solar system with clay and straws - and talk about how Earth is the only planet we know we can live on, and why we all need to take care of our planet.

"Whether you live in a cabin in the woods, a house in the suburbs, or an apartment in the city, you'll find natural treasures that you can turn into a huge number of projects and gifts," says Laura C. Martin in her book "Nature's Art Box." Martin teaches how to make twig baskets, clay pots, potato stamps and dozens of other eco-friendly projects.

3. Take a Hike

“For younger children, the benefit is in shorter distances that are full of wonder, observations and questions,” Keena says. “For older kids, give them a reason to hike with you. What’s in it for them?” She (continue on page 12)

1. Grow a Garden

A vegetable garden is an easy start. “Ask your children what they would like to have as a fresh ingredient in a family dinner,” Keena says. “Talk out loud as you garden together - the need to amend the soil, what plants need to produce food ...” And let kids get right in there in the dirt when planting, tending and picking. Even toddlers can use a small plastic shovel, put seeds in the soil, and pull a carrot out of the ground .

No room for growing veggies? Grow a few in pots on a balcony, or find local farmers' markets. Local Harvest offers a wonderful directory of farmers' markets and family farms. Or find a community garden in your area through the American Community Gardening Association.

To connect children to the plants, plant

Bardwell points out that eco-friendly activities don’t have to mean a trip to the wilderness. Eco-friendly can mean working on an outdoor service project, growing a garden, or getting crafty with nature’s art supplies.

“It’s about finding ways to explore the outdoors that fit with the children’s interests,” says Lisa Bardwell, executive director of Front Range Earth Force, a nonprofit that organizes programs to engage young people in environmental responsibility.

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(more opportunity they have to reach every child in the room, from kids with sensory difficulties to those who need an extra challenge in order to stay focused. Hands-on, creative, and artistic activities help students to focus and retain knowledge, and at the same time emphasize the importance of beauty and design in our world.

TIPS FOR USING TACTILE LEARNING

Here are more ways to increase the amount of time your students spend with their hands and minds in motion: Provide self-check materials:Hands-on activities naturally lend themselves to differentiation, but Cindy Middendorf suggests adding in tools, such as number charts, for kids to use at each center to help them work independently.

Include assessment: In addition to observing and asking students to talk about what they've learned, teacher Becky Hicks has students record their center work and what they learned on individual

accountability sheets. Judy Dodge suggests creating flip books with a page for each center so children can record what they learn at each station.

Keep kids moving: Dodge suggests using rotation stations that change every few minutes. Some examples: an observation station where students peer at objects under a microscope; an exploration station where students explore materials that you've just introduced; a visualization station where students draw what they've learned; a collaboration station where students talk about what they've learned; and a "ketchup and mustard" (catch-up and must-do) station where students can make up work they didn't get to.

Move the materials: If you can't handle all the movement of center rotations, Dodge suggests putting each activity and the necessary supplies in a basket. Then pass the baskets from table to table instead of moving the students.

Group students by interest: Grouping

students according to what they're interested in can increase their engagement. "When you're in a small group, you have more air time," says Ben Mardell, PhD, with Project Zero at Harvard University. "Kids can talk more and if you put a group together based on interest, then you have kids who share a passion and they're more involved in being there." Small groups also build accountability, as each child has to attend to the activity for the product to come together.

Incorporate language: As students move into third grade and beyond, the amount of language used in class will increase. Prepare them by incorporating speaking skills into your assessment of tactile activities: Ask students to explain what they're doing and end some units with oral presentations.

Adjust expectations: Kindergarten teacher Terri LaChance admits that during hands-on activities, her classroom is louder. To manage the volume level, LaChance limits the number of students in each activity to two.

12 13Artspiration May 2010 Arts and Craft Edition

Go, Tube Racer, Go!Total Time Needed: 2-3 HoursHow can you turn a toilet paper tube into a hot rod? Take this idea for a spin.

Materials:* Toilet paper tube* Acrylic paint* Scissors* Hole punche* Black craft foam* Aluminum foil* Glue* Paper for decorations (optional)* Small paper fastener

Instructions: 1. Coat the tube with

acrylic paint. When it's dry, mark the location of the cockpit, steering wheel, and wheels as shown.

2. Snip out the cockpit and punch holes at the wheel and steering wheel marks.

3. Fold the steering wheel flap down and the other flap up to serve as a seat back

4. Cut 4 wheels about the size of the toilet tube ends and a quarter-size steering-wheel out of black craft foam.

5. Cut 4 quarter-size hubcaps out of aluminum foil.

6. Punch holes in the centers of all the circles. Glue the hubcaps onto the wheels and decorate the steering wheel with foil accents.

7. Give your mean machine a custom paint job; we glued on paper decorations and added numbers as well.

8. When you're ready to roll, attach the wheels and steering wheel to the tube with small paper fasteners. Start your engines!

Don't just throw away those take-out tubs you get at the deli or supermarket. Instead, let your kids use them as canvases for reverse painting, a style that calls for painting in layers - from the details out - to the inside of a clear container.

Materials : • Clean, see-through plastic container • Acrylic paint and brush • Craft foam • Scissors • Tacky glue • Markers • Googly eyes

Cool CreaturesTotal Time Needed: 1-2 Hours

Instructions :1. On the inside of the container, paint the first layer of detail, such as the black spots on the ladybug, the teardrops on the turtle shell, or the swirls on the butterfly wings (we trimmed our butterfly container first to resemble wings). Let it dry for 10 to 15 minutes or until the paint no longer smudges.

2. Add as many more layers as you wish each in a different color - by painting right over the original design. Just be sure to leave some plastic exposed if you plan to apply another coat and allow each layer to dry before moving on to the next.

3. Use the container as a guide to cut a body from craft foam. Glue on or draw details such as eyes and antennae, then glue the craft foam to the painted shell.

Cosmic Crafts: Satellite RecyclerTotal Time Needed: 1 Hour

Drive the sturdy, smooth-riding Satellite Recycler around the neighborhood on regular collection days, or park beneath the Waste Shooter for a quick fill.

•Wheels: 4 plastic lids, cardboard liners removed (we used peanut butter jar lids)

•Axles:2bambooskewers or wooden dowels, 1/8 inch thick and a few inches longer than your truck body is wide •Hubcaps:4smallplasticcaps (we used soda caps)

•Axleguards:1toiletpaper tube, cut in half lengthwise

•Body:1liddedplasticbox (we used a wet-wipes box)

•Dish:1smalldisposablepietin(oursis 3-1/2 inches in diameter), duct tape, 2 silver pipe cleaners 1 large round plastic lid with a flip top (we used a wet-wipes top), aluminum foil, 1 small plastic cap

•Tools:craftknife,pushpin,pointyscissors, wire snips, tape

Wheelsandhubcaps:Useacraftknife to make a trash-collecting hole in the lid of the box (a parent's job). Next, make a hole in the center of each wheel and hubcap. The skewer axlesshouldfitthroughsnugly.Usingthe same method, create two evenly spaced larger holes near the bottom of each long side of the box.

Pushalidandacapontothepointed end of a skewer. Thread the skewer through the holes and attach

a second lid/cap pair on the other side. Trim the excess skewer with wire snips. Repeat for the second set of wheels. Rest the trimmed toilet tube halves over the axles so the truck's contents won't interrupt wheel movement. Tape them down.

Satellite dish: Reinforce the back of the pie tin with a small piece of duct tape.Useasilverpipecleanertoattachthe pie tin to the flip top of the plastic lid. For optimal reception, mold an aluminum foil ball onto the protruding end of the pipe cleaner.

Pierceaholeinthetruckwhereyou'd like to attach the dish and another in the center of the small cap. Attach the dish to the truck with the second pipe cleaner. On top, thread the pipe cleaner through the flip top and the small cap, then twist. Easy as pie.

Chalk the WalkSupplies: Colored Sidewalk Chalk

Chalk-Activity Detail• Mark off an area of your driveway, sidewalk or any

other washable surface and let your kids go to town with Sidewalk Chalk. You can ask them to draw shapes, letters or numbers, or just let the little ones doodle. I'll draw objects or animals and then ask my son to run and jump on them, which adds a little physical activity. My son loves to finish up the chalk play by leaving daddy a welcome home message on the driveway!

http://www.savvysource.com/activities/activity_bm_41_chalk-the-walk

(Countinued from p 9)recommends getting a local phenology the study of the times of recurring natural phenomena) book detailing the natural processes that occur during specific times of the year. You can also get a field guide to your area from the Audubon Society.

“You can even theme your hike around those

events,” Keena adds. Try a “name that wildflower” hike in mid- o late spring, for example.

Encourage your child’s school to offer environment-oriented field trips and activities, too. Earth Force is a great resource, offering programs to help educators bring Environmental stewardship topics, events and activities into the curriculum.

4. Bike to the Store

Between 1990 and 2001, miles driven for shopping grew more than 40 percent- three times as fast as all other types of driving - according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Ride bikes to the store together - get a cruiser bike with a big basket (or take a backpack). It’s great exercise and a great opportunity to talk with kids about how using fossil fuels impacts the Earth. Take a stash of reusable shopping bags with you.

5. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint TogetherFrom recycling to composting to using less water, eco-friendly activities can start before you leave the house. Then involve your kids in steps you can take to make it smaller - such as switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs, which use 75 percent less energy than standard incandescents. “Just getting kids outdoors often leads to happen stance environmental education - discovering an earthworm, for example, or a honeybee on a flower. Set aside time to play in the backyard or walk to the park with your kids a couple of times a week, and experience the environment together even when you can’t get away.

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14 Artspiration May 2010 15Arts and Craft Edition

Ingredients:• 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine • 1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows - OR - 4 cups miniature marshmallows • 6 cups Rice Krispies® • Canned frosting or decorating gel • Assorted candies or multi-colored sprinkles

Directions:1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool slightly. Using cookie cutter coated with cooking spray cut into star shapes. Decorate with frosting and/or candies. Best if served the same day.

Prep Time: 20 minutes • Total Time: 40 minutes • Servings: 12

Twinkling Star Treats

Ingredients:

• 1 cup light corn syrup • 1 cup sugar • 1 cup peanut butter • 6 cups Rice Krispies® or 6 cups Cocoa Rice Krispies® • 1 package (6 oz., 1 cup) semi- sweet

chocolate morsels • 1 cup butterscotch chips

Prep Time: 20 minutes • Total Time: 1 hour 20 min • Servings: 24

Chocolate Scotcheroos

Directions:1. Place corn syrup and sugar into

3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Mix well.

Microwave Directions:In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes.

Stir until smooth. Now follow steps 2 and 3 Microwave cooking times may vary.

2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated. Press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.

3. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm. Cut into 2 x 1-inch bars when cool.

Banana Bites By Annabel Karmel

This light dessert is fun for children to make. It works best with slightly under ripe bananas.

Makes 6 Banana Bites

You Will Need• 1-2 bananas • 4 oz chocolate -milk or plain• Dried coconut • Chocolate sprinkles• Colored sprinkles

Peel the banana and trim off the ends. Chop the banana into 6 bite sized pieces.

2. Break the chocolate into a heat proof bowl. Put the bowl over a pan of hot water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water and melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Leave to cool slightly.

3. Push a straw through the banana, and then drizzle melted chocolate over each piece. (Don't worry if it's not perfect, it will still taste delicious!)

4. Roll the chocolate-covered banana in the coconut or sprinkles. Let the chocolate harden, and then serve. Store in the fridge and eat within 24hrs

Apple SmilesBy Annabel Karmel

This snack is easy to prepare and will certainly bring a smile to your child's face

Ingredients:• Smooth peanut butter • 1 red apple cored and sliced

into eighths • Squeeze of lemon juice • Miniature marshmallows

Directions:

1. Spread peanut butter on one side of each apple slice (squeeze a little lemon juice over the apple if not serving immediately).

2. Place four small marshmallows on one apple slice and then lay another apple slice, peanut butter side down, on top.

http://family.go.com/food/recipe-ak-836893-apple-smiles-t/

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All children are natural artist. They express themselves freely through color and drawing. Give children more than crayons; give them a creative coloring tool made for young hands. Available in nine, creamy, smooth colors, crayon rocks are perfect for blending, shading or just playing around.

Warning: Not Recommended For Children Under 3. Washable with soap and water.

Clementine artNatural. Fresh. Real

Give Creativity