I have always believed that you make your own moments of joy - often very literally. This year all our celebrations have had to take on very different forms. However, we can still have little moments of joy. For me, making holiday decorations always connects me those joyous moments. Below are directions for a 3D Star of David. There are endless ways to use the simple template and make some Hannukah decorations that are uniquely you. You'll Need:
Here's the template: ![]()
Below are some videos on how to put it all together. Start with this one for an overview of the project. Then check out step 1. Finish up with step 2. Happy making and Happy Hanukkah!
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This, my friends, has been a very strange second half of the school year. I have missed seeing your faces and making with you in our CREATE space. However, the projects you have been doing at home and sharing with me have been amazing! I am so proud of your positive attitudes in these challenging times. I am so looking forward to seeing your faces when we can go back to school. Please watch the video below to see a sample of this week's project, climbing critters! For this project you will need:
Watch the video below for the first part of your directions. After cutting out your symmetrical critter from paper, trace it onto cardboard and then cut out the cardboard critter. Play the next video when done. Now use marker, crayon, colored pencil, and whatever else you have on hand to decorate your critter. Then watch the next video. Begin by making straws or attaching bits of straws you have to to the back of your critter. You want them parallel and at an outer part of critter (like the arms). When done, move on to the next video. Quick edit! You probably want about 2 yards of string for each side. Create a tassel at the bottom of each section string. When done, move on to the next video. Thread the string through your straws and then tie the non-tassel end to your hanger. You want the strings to be the same length. You can use some tape to secure the string to the hanger at the appropriate width. Now your done! Watch the video below to see how to operate your climbing critter. I hope you had fun making your climbing critter! I would love to see your creation! Please email me a picture or video to [email protected].
This week is all about silly inventions. Look around the house for some interesting items, put them together, and create something new. I took a short stroll around my home and I collected a pair of hotel slippers, ![]() ![]() a lint roller, and a roll of pretty pink tape. I taped strips of sticky paper from the lint roller on the bottoms of my slippers and made a little, okay kinda big, label. Now I have slippers that pick up hair from my cat as I walk around the house! Cardio and cleaning in one comfy shoe. I had so much fun making my silly invention, I decided to make an advertisement for it. So, for this week make a silly invention. Take a picture of your invention, or if you really want to get creative, make an advertisement. Please send me an email with whatever wonderfully silly idea you come up with. My email is [email protected].
Check out the intro video below. In short, use paper, tape, staples, and/or glue to create your fashion sensation. Then send me a video or photo to show it off ([email protected]). Here's a site you can visit for inspiration: http://www.katescreativespace.com/tag/paper-clothes/ Paper bags work great too! I have a confession to make, I LOVE Pixar movies. Time at home has given me time to rewatch some of my favorites. The artistry of films like Up and Inside Out got me thinking about the art of animation. This week we are going to look at two of the earliest types of animation, phenakistoscopes and zoetropes. Watch the video below to learn a little bit more about these nifty devices. Materials To Gather:
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PhenakistoscopesGrab the 2 sheets of printouts labeled phenakistoscope and your scissors and then hit play on the video below. To recap, cut out the big circle, glue it to a piece of cardboard, and then cut out the cardboard circle. See the video below for some helpful tips on cutting the slits into your cardboard circle. Watch video below for your next steps. To recap, set aside your cardboard circle. Cut out one of the smaller paper circles. Using a pencil, sketch a simple movement series. One small motion is each of the sections. When happy with your design, go back and color. Bold marker works best for this project. When done, press play on the video below. To recap, glue your small circle onto your big circle. Make sure to center it as best you can. Stick a pushpin through the center of the circles. Stick the pushpin into a cork. To operate your phenakistoscope, stand in front of a mirror and face the drawing side of the phenakistoscope toward the mirror. Spin the phenakistoscope and look through the slits at the mirror. You will see your image moving in the mirror. Check out my two examples below.
ZoetropesGrab the 2 sheets of printouts labeled zoetrope and then watch the video below. Cut out those two shapes (circle and rectangle) and then move on to the next video. To recap, glue the circle to a piece of cardboard and set aside to dry. Fold the large rectangle in half, black sides facing out, the use a school glue stick to glue the non-printed sides together. The fold the rectangle along the white line near the bottom. Cut each side of the white slits and then fold the white pieces back. Snip of the white pieces at the base. Then cut out the cardboard circle. When ready, watch the next video. To recap, use a thumbtack to poke a hole in the center of the circle. If needed, widen the whole with a pencil tip so that the circle easily spins on the thumbtack. Tape the rectangular piece to the circumference of the circle. Wrap the tabs formed by the fold around and tape to the bottom. Be sure to keep the spacing so you can look through the slits. You may need to trim the rectangular piece a bit. When it is all together, watch the next video. To recap, look at page 2 of zoetrope printouts. In one row of panels, sketch a simple movement sequence. Use pencil first and then go back a color in with something bold, like marker. When done, watch the final video. To recap, cut out the strip you just illustrated. Tape the two ends together to form a ring with the illustrated side facing into the circle.
Slip the rind into your zoetrope, spin, and look through the slits. You should see the image move as you look through. You can change up different illustrations in the zoetrope. Please email me with photos or video of your creations ([email protected]). Can't wait to see them! Inspiration for this week's challenge come from Bert in Mary Poppins and his imaginative one-man-band contraption. If you are not familiar with this marvelous creation, watch the short clip below. The Challenge Your job is to create your own one-human-band contraption. It must have a minimum 3 separate instruments controlled by 3 separate body parts. You need to take a video of you making music with this contraption. See the chart below to help with your planning. Watch the video below for some tips and tricks for putting your one human band together. Here's my one-human-band in action. This is a little piece I composed called Inside. I cannot wait to see what you come up with! Please send be a short video clip to [email protected] or if your adult(s) are game, post to Twitter using #sfbrandeismakes.
This week we are combining building, mechanical engineering, and storytelling to create a story box with a moving setting. The videos give detailed instructions but I will give written instructions too for those who prefer them. You will need:
I was originally going to do this project last week but I needed to move some things around. In the first video I say this is challenge 4, it is actually challenge 5. Flexibility is essential in these times. If you happen to have 2 paper towel rolls and a shoebox, there is a large version of the project here that might be easier for smaller hands. Please watch the first video. You may want to print out the handout below before you begin. If you happen to have any cardstock in the house, it's nice to print the first page on thicker paper. If not, no worries. The second page needs to be on regular paper. We want it easy to roll. ![]()
Take the time you need to cut out the box template. You really want to stay on the lines. It should be one solid piece when cut out. You are cutting the whole outline of the box. When you are done, watch the next video. Now you need to cut out the screen area, the white area in the center of the thick black frame. Then you need to use a hole punch, or the tip of a sharp pencil, to make the holes in the two small circle areas. Make sure the straws or pencils you will be using to move the image can fit in the holes and in the slit areas at the top of the of the template. Finally, fold along all the dotted lines, some are a little hard to see. Everything around the black frame is folded back. You also fold along the dotted line nearer the bottom. As you fold you should start to see the box take shape. Securely tape the box together, except for the top "lid" portion with the slits. You won't tape the top until after you've put in the image inside the box. When done, move on to the next video. Cut out the rectangular strips from the second page. Line them up and neatly tape them together with some scotch tape to form one long strip. Draw a colorful scene that shows some sort of journey. Use your imagination! When done drawing, watch the next video. Turn your story strip over so the image can't be seen. Take the pencils or straws you are using and securely tape them so that you have 1/4 inch of pencil/straw hanging below the paper strip and the rest of the pencil/straw sticking out above the paper strip.
Roll the strip around both pencils/straws so that the pencils/straws roll toward each other and the image faces out. Like rolling a Torah scroll in reverse. Roll them toward each other until they are as far apart as the holes in the bottom of your box. Settle the scroll into the box so the bottom of the pencils/straws stick through the bottom of each hole and the image fills your screen. When arranged, close the box lid so that the top of the pencils/straws stick through the slats on the top. Tape behind your pencils/straws so that the pencil can turn but cannot wiggle back and forth. Now go ahead and securely tape the top of the box closed. Now you should be able to turn your pencils and move the scene from start to finish, and finish to start. If using, attach the corks to the bottom of your box to help the box stand up. You are done! I would LOVE to see how these turned out. Please share with me a short video that shows your story. Send video to [email protected] or share on Twitter using #sfbrandeismakes OPTIONAL Lesson Extensions
On Yom Ha'atzmaut we celebrate Israeli Independence and think about all the things that make Israel a special place. This art activity celebrates one of my favorite things about Israel, the food! Watch the video below for an introduction to this activity. For this project you need:
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This week we will playing with light & shadow to create interesting photos or videos. Please watch the intro video below. To recap, we are playing with reflections, light bouncing from one object to another, and shadows, areas where light is blocked and a dark silhouette forms. For this week choose one or more of these options:
Here's some examples below. #1 - light/shadow scavenger hunt #2 - shadow graffiti I've played with some shadow graffiti examples around my house. See the examples in the slide show below. #3 - Shadow/Light Still Photo Create an art piece that uses light, shadow, and/or reflection. Photograph your creation. Try using a tablet as backdrop (turn up the brightness as high as it can go). Play with different backgrounds, light angles, and characters. See the video below. Here's a collage of my still-life photos with different tablet backgrounds. ![]() If you want to use the shadow theater set-up I have a template below. This can be used for both the still life and the theater options. It's great if you can print it onto cardstock but you can make it work on paper too. ![]()
#4 - shadow theater Using a set-up similar to the the still life option, create a short video. Make your shadows move and talk. As always, please send me a photo or video of your creations! My email is [email protected]. Also, The Exploratorium is collecting photos and videos of light/shadow creations from around the world. Feel free to share on Twitter using their hashtag, #LightUpOurDays, and our own, #sfbrandeismakes. |
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November 2020
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