Teach sculpting with vegetables? Yep, here it is again, recieved in one of those continuously forwarded emails...more food art. The creativity is awesome, the carving is great! Enjoy!
Want to see more fun food art? Go see the other posts on this topic of art, and check out the many links in the side bars on cheap art materials.
Poison Ivy is endemic in the Mississippi Delta. It's just here and in your face (or on your legs, hands....), most of the year. As a community service, here are some photos from the many poison ivy plants emerging or leafing back out within a 2 minute walk of our house.
Here is THE rule: Leaves of 3 let it be, Leaves of 5 let it thrive
Here are some other rules:
Leaves of 3 let it be, leaves of 4, give me more
Leaves of 3 let it be, leaves of 5, you can jive
OR, more to the point : Leaves of 3, You'd better flee!!!!
Not everyone is allergic to poison ivy, some people have not been exposed to it, and others just never developed allergies to it. I never really knew what poison ivy was (growing up in Australia where it does not exist), except for THE famous camp song by Spike Jones (Hello Mother, Hello Father) .....
| Hello Mother, Hello Father lyrics |
| Spike Jones |
|
Hello muddah, hello faddah,
I went hiking with Joe Spivey,
All the counselors hate the waiters,
No, I don't want this should scare ya,
Take me home, I promise I will not make noise,
Dearest faddah, darling muddah,
When we get into poison ivy by accident, suspect we may have been near poison ivy, or breakout in a rash, we take a shower with Tecnu Skin Cleanser 32 Ounce Often, poison ivy is transfered all over your body by scratching the first spot where you got some, getting the poison on your fingers and then scratching somewhere else. Another way to get poison ivy is from patting your pets after they have been rolling in the stuff (usually doesn't affect them!). Happy Camping! Aussie Kim |
I love the guinea fowl. This is mainly because they look like they have a face which was made of plasticine by a kid and then melted in the sun. Plasticine for those who do not know is a type of clay normally for kids which never hardens. It has a magnetic attraction to carpets and the space between pillows on couches. It sticks to shoes.
Their feathers look like they are little old ladies in great hoop skirts, with their petticoats just showing.
They walk around in big groups (like teenagers?) with non stop talking, and every now and then a big drama happens, and the discussion of the event becomes deafening. Big dramas include people, dogs, cats, snakes, insects, cattle, sheep, other bird life and anything which wasn't there 5 minutes before.
What's even more amazing is their co-ordinated movement, and how panic spreads so quickly through the flock...
"Oh wait, that looks like an American tourist...." (Co-ordinated look right)
"Like, wow, look at what they're wearing."
"It's totally rad."
"Wow, look at that white fluffy cloud."
"Is that a Gap shirt?"
"Did that leaf move?"
"That shirt is the bomb diggity"
"Wait, I think I saw that leaf move"
"I like that cap, it's just perfect."
"What is that they're holding?"
"Is that food?"
"Food, did someone say food?"
"Food, everyone, Susan said she saw food."
"I saw it first"
"I'm off wheat at the moment - it's my blood type diet"
"Wait, I'm sure that leaf moved"
"Which direction was the food?"
"If you squint your eyes, I swear that cloud looks identical to Elvis."
Co-ordinated look up
"Oh, they're comming closer."
"Why is that boy comming closer?"
"Wait, that leaf really did move."
"Look out, here comes the 8 year old boy"
"Hold on, that's not a leaf, it's a rock."
"AAAAHHHHHH here comes the boy, he's going to kill us...."
"Holy, Fried Chicken, I'm getting out of here."
More co-ordinated panic.....................
"AAAHHHHHH The boy is comming, lets run left........."
"AAAAHHHHHHH no, lets go right..........."
"Circles, cirles, we must run in circles to escape."
Meanwhile, the Galahs sit and watch entranced at the shenanigans.
Aussie Kim
What's the downside of having a bird nest in the rose bush just outside of your back door? You get locked in the house until the baby birds can fly.................
The real title of this post could possibly use the "streakers defence" or "it seemed like a good idea at the time". Encouraging your kid to play in the mud. So here's the down side in full visual force for you. Here's the other downside I discovered today. The normally unused screen door lock had to be used today, but it was jammed up with mud from above mentioned learning experience (muddy hands turning the knob to get in). Consequently we stood for 5 minutes in the VERY cold wind attempting to jam the key into the lock, past the mud, now turned to a powder very simliar to cement....
With temperatures around the 75F mark (22C) for the middle of winter, we were not going to sit inside all day doing school. OK, we were not going to sit inside very much at all - at least until the Severe Thunderstorm Warning (hail and 45mph winds) and the Tornado Warning went off. At that stage, school inside looked like a good idea. But until then, Mud Pies were the obvious activity of choice for outside. Plenty of water from previous rains, large mud patch which the dogs had dug around a tree, and temperatures warm enough for light clothing and barefeet.
Mud Pies are a wonderful activity on many levels. Those new to homeschooling with young kids should take note. Mud Pie "work" strengthens the muscles in the fingers they write with and improves their dexterity. It allows for uninterupted (stay away from them!) play - this improves their ability to focus. 
Ever seen a child in "The Flow"? Watch one (from a distance) playing with mud or sand. "The Flow" is when you go into a time warp, your mind is on your activity and is not cluttered up with running through the "to do" lists. (Remember how that used to be?)
If Mud Pies are made with friends, then this often helps them role play social situations ("Would you like some tea with that mud?").
What better introduction to pottery or other three dimensional media? The science of Mud Pies, you learn that if you add dry dirt to wet mud, your creation becomes firmer (Chemistry). 
What happens if you throw a mud pie that is sloppy? Is it easy to catch (Physics)? 
I could go on and on, but you get the idea. There's more benefit in letting your kid play outside in the mud than just a quiet house. But the main reason I think Mud Pies are a must as part of a childhood is simply because it is fun.
Almost forgot! Mud is another VERY cheap art material....
Note: The boy version of Mud Pies is Mud Bombs.
Aussie Kim
Sometimes, it's just fun to leave these lying around and wait for the reaction. Fun fruit like this can cheer up anyone's day. Kid's instantly smile. Even those under the weather with a Sue Flu.... All you need are black eye peas and an orange and a sharp knife....
For more designs go look at the fruit and vege link in the left hand column...
Just when y'all thought I had run out of cheap art materials, I have found the ultimate use for cast offs from those couch potatoes who will be watching the Football games this weekend...pistacio nut shells.
These photos are by Balla Tamas, http://www.ballatamas.com/kreativ/en_creative.html for more information.
Corlette T. Baylock from Cleveland has his own website (art on the half shell) where you can go and discover the many uses of pistacio nut shells. The photo below is courtesy of his website.
How can we turn the humble pistacio nut shell into a method of teaching children body proportions? Well, I remember learning if you draw a round shape for a person's head, then the typical person will be seven more heads long.
Another of his neat projects - You can make a rain stick by sealing the pistacio nuts into a cardboard tube. Note to self: keep pistacio shells next time I indulge - that sounds like a really fun open ended project for kids!
But why stop at people? these nut shells also make awesome looking jewel beetles (Christmas beetles - June bugs); jewellery; furniture decorations (might be hard to sit on though) and any other 3 dimensional craft.
Kid's bored and needing entertainment? Can you imagine how well a pistacio nut shell with a face on it would fit onto your finger - and there you go, a mobile finger sized puppet theatre. Don't care if the kids see you drawing on your hands? Then you could finish off the body down your fingers. Note to self: place pistacio nut shells into pocket for doctors waiting room (how Corlette got started).
OK, now the kicker, he recently completed a commissioned (think largish sums of money) nut-art picture of a crowd scene - 700 faces including Paul Newman. I wonder if he's done the Mona Lisa yet?
Here's an interesting aside: Pistacio trees are a quite ancient crop thought to have originated in Central Asia. One of the main producers in the world was Iran, until the war. The dramatic decline in supply has caused prices to rise, and other areas with similiar climates (California and Australia) are beginning to grow this crop. After grafting it is 4-6 years before you get your first crop, and 20-25 years before the trees bear fully. Trees often continue to bear nuts for 40-60 years more (at the ripe old tree age of 85). Before you think about putting some trees in - check if your climate is right: cold winters (less than 5ºC in July, and down to -18ºC) and long, hot dry summers (more than 32ºC in January, and up to 38ºC).
Regardless of your chance to grow these trees, you're nuts if you don't recycle these shells nextime you buy a bag......
Aussie Kim
There is an annual international compteiton held for art constructed out of cans. It is called Canstruction, and it has the noble aim of raising the public's awareness that hunger is here and everyone needs to help. The finals are held in Austin, Texas (it's always bigger in Texas).
Want to see what can be done? Here are the 2007 National Winners. And here are some publicly available photos of many sorts of can art.
Here are some other construction projects from cans.
Just think: I can!
Aussie Kim
. This adheres to the poison when you lather it on your skin and poison and all goes down the drain with it when you wash it off. It's also not a bad idea to squirt some in the washing machine with your contaminated clothing. You can get it in small quantities from some of the drug stores, or walmart, but for some reason the bottles seem really small. Way too small for Mississippi anyhow - I get the bulk size online.
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