Category: Arts Guild

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Leonardo’s Flying Machine

Campfire Tip #12: Be like Leonardo

Leonardo Da Vinci was a polymath (someone whose knowledge spans many different subjects and has an enormous body of knowledge.)

Look • Imagine • Create

Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci was not only an artist but also an inventor? His sketchbooks included hundreds of ideas—catapults, flying machines, musical instruments, tools, water systems, and so much more! Leonardo dreamed BIG.

So how do we inspire our students to be like Leonardo?

It all begins with a book, a pencil, and our Leonardo da Vinci Observation Journal kit. Set your students on a Leonardo adventure. Observation begins with a question: What am I seeing? In a world filled to the brim with stimulation, it is easy to take our senses for granted. Though we are usually quick to have thoughts on things that we taste and smell, sight (of all things) can often be overlooked. We see so many things on a daily basis that it’s easy to forget to stop and really look.

Learn to think and create. This 20-lesson interdisciplinary unit guides students into biographical research of Leonardo. Students will read to discover and write what they glean. Each week they will be guided through observational exercises, and learn to draw from the Renaissance Man’s sketchbooks, encouraged each step of the way by our instructional videos that can be accessed at your convenience.

We are offering a discount on the unit through the end of January. Simply use the code DaVinci15 at checkout.

Enjoy the journey with Leonardo.

 

~Kimberly

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Gems of Art and the Section 5 Project

Campfire Tip #7: Encourage Creativity

If you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll want some syrup to go with it—but if you give a girl an octopus book and some thread, she just might make the most gorgeous pillow you’ve ever seen!

If you’ve been with Blackbird & Company for a while, you know the grand finale of every Literature guide arrives in the form of the Section 5 project. Students have the freedom to pour as much or as little time into these projects as they feel inspired. 

Over the years, we’ve been WOWed by our students’ talents. Each writer brings some new twist to old stories, a fresh perspective that shines. And in Session One of Pages classes, our Pages Online student, Gwen, raised the bar for the Section 5 Project. Inspired by The Soul of an Octopus, a Level 4 novel, her project brings the WOW! 

Take a look at this pillow. The painstaking detail in every stitch, the beautiful and warm color palette, the elegance of the underwater tentacles—chef’s kiss!

While sewing and embroidery might not be immediately identified as writing practice, creating a project like this teaches a host of lessons that can be applied both to writing and life. 

For one, this project is about putting vision into reality. Gwen had an idea and traveled step-by-step—gathering materials, creating a pattern, sewing little section by little section—towards her masterpiece. The ability to tackle complex goals by breaking them down into parts is an essential skill for writing. It sounds a lot like crafting a thesis, finding evidence, and developing a hook!

Another product of creating a project like this is grit. Though I’ve only embroidered a handful of times and never very well, I’m familiar with the vast patience embroidery requires. And to create an octopus with this level of detail and precision? That took a lot of discipline!

This is where holistic education comes in. We are in the business of creating well-rounded individuals, not writing robots. Gwen’s talents and perseverance exemplifies the Blackbird spirit. 

 

~Claire S.

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Stitching Picasso

Stitchery builds cognitive plasticity.

Embroidery is a practice that will empower students to be aware of fine motor potential, overcome the short attention span, and to have a growth mindset. The nervous system controls all of the body functions. But it is a complicated system with diverse potential. by tapping into all potential and possibilities while learning, students will develop diverse thinking skills.

Enhanced performance of the brain ensures that all of the other body systems perform accordingly. Metabolism, for example, is a complex task that makes sure the body has minerals when needed and ensures that toxic waste is extracted from the body. Creative endeavors help the brain to engage in focused, relaxed work, improving nervous system performance. Embroidery is good for the brain. And this is good for learning.

For this project we began by observing Picasso’s Owl:

Next, students made original drawings inspired by Picasso’s drawing. After each child had a drawing they were settled with, the drawing was transferred to the burlap flap. We used the running stitch since these were made by 1st and 2nd graders. But running stitch is great place to start with all ages.

One hint: Have two needles threaded for each student, “unthreading” is common with new stitchers!

Embroidery is academic. So put down the pencil, pick up a needle and thread.

While stitching, think interdisciplinary: Read a book about owls! Write an owl poem.

 

~Kimberly

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Kandinsky for Fall

When Vasya opened his paint box and began mixing colors, he heard sounds—yes, sounds! As he grew older, he discovered that he was synesthetic—able to hear colors singing and see sounds dancing.  You can learn all about this and more in The Noisy Paintbox by Barb Rosenstock.

Kandinsky is famous for his brightly painted squares and concentric circles and this is just the fodder for a fall greeting card.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1/4″ and 1″ and 2″ hole punch
  • Craft paper (assorted fall colors, blue + natural cardstock for tree trunk)
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick
  • Plain greeting card & envelope

How To:

  • Punch circles in various colors and sizes
  • Draw a leafless tree on the cardstock, cut out
  • Make a blue square to represent sky
  • Use the glue stick to create the collage

Check out our Pinterest, Instagram or our Facebook to watch a little video of our crafting. And, check out Operation Lexicon, Traits of Characters to learn more about Kandinsky, other amazing people, and to explore the wondrous ways a single word can describe a singular person.

Enjoy!

 

~Kimberly

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Knock! Knock!

Happy Birthday Shakespeare!

Thank you for leavening the world with wonderful words and phrases:

Leapfrog and Bedazzled and Swagger

          All that glitters is not gold.

          Jealousy is the green eyed Monster.

          It’s a brave new world.

All Shakespeare.

But did you know that he is also the father of the Knock, knock! joke?

Yes! the Knock, knock! joke!

It all began in his famous tragedy.

In Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 3,  suddenly there is a knock knocking:

“Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key.

[Knocking]

Knock,
knock, knock! Who’s there, i’ the name of Beelzebub?”

The Bard’s tragic phrasing is far from the little supercilious jokes i told as a child:

Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
You.
You who?
Yoo-hoo! Anybody home?

Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
Canoe.
Canoe who?
Canoe come out now?

Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
Howl.
Howl who?
Howl you know unless you open the door?

Still, it’s good to remember—especially today—that Shakespeare was a trendsetter!

 

~Kimberly

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Learn with Leonardo

Look

Imagine

Create

 

“Whatever you do in life, if you want to be creative and intelligent, and develop your brain, you must do everything with the awareness that everything, in some way, connects to everything else.” ~Leonardo da Vinci

 

Observation begins with a question: What am I seeing? In a world filled to the brim with stimulation, it is easy to take our senses for granted. Though we are usually quick to have thoughts on things that we taste and smell, sight (of all things) can often be overlooked. We see so many things on a daily basis that it’s easy to forget to stop and really look.

 

 

There is nothing like art-making to engage students in active learning. Leonardo da Vinci, the quintessential Renaissance Man, made over 13,000 journal observations during the course of his lifetime, and as he did, he not only gained an enormous body of knowledge, but also created masterworks and made significant discoveries that he generously shared with the world. His influence is far reaching.

Over the course of 20 weeks, students will learn to observe from no other than the Renaissance Man himself! Students will research the life of Leonardo Da Vinci and learn to create observational drawings. Watch for our brand new unit to be released early this summer.

 

~Kimberly

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Stitch / Strengthen

Hands, fingers, eyes, oh my! When it comes to writing an idea, students are often thwarted by the complex activity of coordinating the minute muscle movements of the hands and fingers holding a pencil, with the sight of the eyes and the idea stirring in the mind’s eye!

Stitching is a wonderful way to switch it up, setting the pencil aside (temporarily) to strengthen small motor ability.  Not only does sewing by hand require the pincher grasp that requires coordinating the thumb and pointer, but it requires coordinating the eyes in the process. Stitching by hand is a quiet, slow activity that requires patience.

Stitching leaves strengthen’s fine motor skills.

Many years ago I cut some very simple pinnately parallel, leaf-like shapes in calico fabrics. I popped the raw “leaves” into  a little basket with pre-threaded (with embroidery floss) needles and carved out time during fall for leaf stitching—half an hour would easily stretch to an hour with my little ones contentedly choosing two leaf shapes and stitching them together tenaciously. This seasonal tradition began with me teaching the running stitch, re-threading all the needles and moving quickly to my children confidently whip stitching and blanket stitching, even threading their own needles!

And guess what? Writing an idea became less painful. Skills gained during sewing transfers directly to the stitching of ideas crafted with pencil on paper.

Check out our brand FREE new Letter Forms worksheet!

 

~Kimberly

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More Leaves for a Friendly Letter

Accentuate your friendly letter with a fall-themed crafty insert!

This project began with a package of fall leaf table confetti. But you can just as easily begin by tracing real leaf shapes on colored craft paper, cutting out the shapes, and drawing. From there, all you need is imagination and a fine-point marker. Fill each leaf with a repetitive design of lines! You might even add a little message to your design! These handcrafted fall leaves, inserted into your friendly letter, will be a delightful surprise to the recipient and a fresh addition to any fall table.

Don’t forget to check out our FREE resources on letter writing and letter forms by hand!

~Kimberly

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I Modinnari Apples

I Modinnari is a tradition that many communities have adopted to honor an Italian tradition that began way back in the 16th century. Once upon a time itinerant artists commissioned for bigger works, would,  at the close of the project, create a related work of art in tempera on the pavement.

For many years this was a tradition with my children, and later with my students. These two are perfect examples for fall. The copy below, after René Magritte’s Listening Room, was created on our driveway during COVID. The above image after inspired by Paul Cézanne’s Apples but re-imagined to fit into a particular space.

You can I Modinnari too!

Here’s How:

  1. Use a white, water-based tempera paint, to cover the space you will be using to create your art.
  2. Choose an image to copy. Apples are obviously recommended!
  3. Using a collection of chalk pastels, begin drawing and layering up colors. Begin with light colors and add darks last!

 

~Kimberly

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Pop Art Apples

It looks simple. It is. But what makes it read “apple” is the fact that it began with observation. The most important thing that observation teaches, is that apples are not perfect spheres.

One fun way to observe is to observe a black and white photograph. Here’s how:

  1. Take a phot of a single apple or a group of apples on your phone. Edit the photo to black and white.
  2. Turn on the edit option and choose a color of your choice.
  3. Choose an apple color for the pen tool. Have your student scribble-trace the apple contour with an Apple Pen or finger.

Now get to know artist Roy Lichtenstein. Read about him here. This is work, Two Apples, was created back in 1972. Take some time to observe. Here are some things to notice:

  1. It is horizontally oriented, divided into two unequal parts, the bottom being larger than the top.
  2. We see: Red, blue, black, and white.
  3. The apples shape is created by a strong, single outline that creates a beautiful organic shape.
  4. The stem is a single stroke of paint.
  5. The upper background is dotted.

Now you try!

  1. Begin with very light pencil drawing. Divide the horizontal space. Fill the space with two large apples.
  2. Choose colors (we recommend using gouache or acrylic paint on smooth Bristol paper) . Limit the palette to two colors, plus black and white.
  3. Paint the sold background at the bottom of the painting. Next paint the apples. Let this dry thoroughly.
  4. Next paint the dots in the upper background. This should be done slowly. Let the paint dry.
  5. Use white paint to pop a highlight onto the apple if you like (our students did not create the highlight).
  6. The very last step is to outline the apples and the horizon line with black.

When it come to apples, the possibilities are limitless! This is what the pop artist reminds us:

“Pop art looks out into the world. It doesnt look like a painting of something, it looks like the thing itself.”

There is no doubt in the viewer’s mind that these pop art apples look like the form of the real thing! This is because the artists began with observation.

 

~Kimberly