SPIRALS ALL AROUND US

SPIRALS IN NATURE  The spiral pattern is found extensively in nature – encoded into plants, animals, humans, the earth and galaxies around us.  Mathematics can explain the complex algorithms, sequences and equations that make up a spiral pattern, but it can’t explain the lure and fascination of the spiral to the human heart. Take a family… Read More

MARY BLAIR’S CASTLES

Mary Blair was an American artist, animator and designer.  She was prominent in producing art and animation for The Walt Disney Company, drawing concept art for such films as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Song of the South and Cinderella.  She is also remembered for her wonderful castle art.              … Read More

A LIFE MADE BY HAND

When we tinker … we think with our hands.  A Life Made By Hand “An artist is not special.  An artist is an ordinary person who can take ordinary things and make them special.”  Ruth Asawa “In Ruth Asawa’s hands, simple wire turned into graceful sculptures as light as air.”  Inspired by the world around her, … Read More

THE JOLLY POSTMAN

It seems like the perfect time to embrace the lost art of  letter writing. This charming story is centered around the Jolly Postman who has to deliver mail for popular fairy-tale characters. His mail route includes the Three Bears, the Wicked Witch, the Giant from Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, the Big Bad Wolf and Goldilocks. The… Read More

PAINTING WITH SCISSORS

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” – Henri Matisse Matisse said that he was never truly expressing himself until he started to work with collages. Samantha Friedman – Author Cristina Amodeo – Illustrator One day, the artist Henri Matisse cut a small bird from a piece of white paper. It was… Read More

CELEBRATING OUTDOOR PLAY

One of the valuable ways to support your children’s healthy development is as easy as opening the door and going outside.  There is no question that regular, frequent opportunities to play outdoors help support the development  our children’s cognitive, social and physical development.  Going outdoors, in the fresh air—whether on a windy, cold winter day or a balmy… Read More

“WITH MY HANDS”

When we take an idea from our imagination and turn it into something real, the result is a real sense of pride. Let’s celebrate bringing things to life with our hands. “I am different because I brought something new to life in my hands.” With My Hands book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXdNMD_kOC0 ************************* Amy Ludwig VanDerwater has written 26 poems celebrating… Read More

The Women of Gee's Bend

THE WOMEN OF GEE’S BEND

The women of Gee’s Bend, in a small and remote black community in Alabama, have created hundreds of quilt masterpieces dating back to the early twentieth century. These quilters started by painstakingly taking apart old clothes by hand so as to use the ENTIRE piece of fabric. They didn’t use MOST of it to make something… Read More