Archive for the ‘art’ category

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Art Appreciation Activities for Kids

October 16th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Saturday, October 16, 2010 and time for Art at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Art Institute of Chicago: Curious Corner

Age Range: 3-12

The Art Institute of Chicago designed this animated and interactive website to help young children and their families explore more than 40 works of art through playful and creative activities.

When you get to the site you’ll see the three main game categories that are offered:

*Story Time – Read three stories online that are illustrated with works of art.

*Match Up – Match textures, shapes, and sounds. Click and drag textured sections of a painting to the area they match. Do the same with shapes. Match pictures in a painting to the sounds that they make.

*Play with Art – Make virtual artistic boxes or masks. Have fun matching portraits to the right work or art.

Click on any game, wait for it to load, and the fun begins! This is a great way to introduce kids to art and/or it may serve as a springboard for learning more about it.
 

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Autumn-Themed Arts & Crafts

October 9th, 2010

 
Hi! It’s Saturday, October 9, 2010 and time for Art at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
DLTK’s Autumn Crafts & Activities

Age Range: 4-14 (with parental supervision)

DLTK is an ad-supported website that offers an amazing array of free art and craft projects for kids and their families. They have a great selection of free, simple and fun Fall crafts and activities that I thought many of you would enjoy including:

*Coloring Pages – Print out and color fall-themed coloring pages.

*Crafts – Get instructions for making things with autumn leaves and trees. Make a scarecrow or wreath.
 
*Games and Puzzles – Print out fall-themed hangman, tic-tac-toe, wordsearch, word scrambles, crossword puzzles, mazes, and much more.
 
*Leaf Collectors Album – Print out templates to create your very own fun and educational “Leaf Collection” album!
 
*Poems and Songs – Enjoy a selection of autumn-themed fables, rhymes, poems, and songs that include a printable craft or coloring suggestion to go along with it!
 
When you’re through with the autumn-themed resources, poke around the site to discover all kinds of ways to enhance learning through fun creative arts activities.

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Online Games to Explore the Arts

September 11th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Saturday, September 11, 2010 and time for Art at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Artsology

Age Range: 5-18 and beyond (Non-readers will need assistance.)
 
Artsology was created by a musician to expose kids to a variety of art, music and  culture in order to open their minds to different thoughts and ideas. The website offers free online games about the arts, along with investigations into visual arts, music, and literature.

When you get to the website you’ll see some featured games and investigations. Use the menu at the top of the screen to explore the site that includes:

*Play Games: Play online games and learn about major figures in art, music, literature and dance. For example, among 200 paintings can you find the one that is NOT by Picasso? Play a match/memory game with artistic African masks. Guess the names of famous composers!

*Investigations – Enjoy simple yet informative activities that will expand your knowledge of the arts. Explore an El Greco painting, find out how artists have portrayed Zeus over the ages, learn about stop-motion photography, hear Native American music and jazz “scat” singing, and discover the artistic side of “Beware of Dog” signs.

*Videos – Watch video performances of jazz legend Thelonious Monk and tap dancer by Gregory Hines. See video slideshows and montages of art exhibits.

*Jr. Artsologist – Younger children and pre-teens can enjoy online activities and games that introduce them to the arts. You’ll also find puzzles, coloring pages, and mazes themed around famous works of art.

Artsology is a fantastic resource for fun learning about the arts for people of all ages!  I was only able to review some of the games and activities on the site, so parents, as always, should preview and supervise use of the website.

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Activity TV – Visual & Performing Arts for Kids

August 14th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Saturday, August 14, 2010 and time for Art at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Activity TV

Age Range: 4-14 (with parental participation and supervision)

ClickScholar Cie recommended this website that offers free video instruction in visual and performing arts designed just for kids and their parents. As mentioned at the website, “Creating or learning something together can be a positive rewarding experience for both of you.”

When you get to the site you’ll see some featured activities. Use the icon menu at the top of the screen, or the item menu at the bottom of the home page to select from a variety of creative activities that include:

*Cartooning – Find out how to turn numbers, letters, and simple shapes into wacky cartoons.

*Jewelry – Discover how to make jewelry out of cereal, beads, safety pins and more.

*Music – Learn how to make musical instruments with ordinary household items.

*Magic – Get instruction on how to amaze your friends with easy sleight-of-hand magic tricks.

*Dance – Enjoy video lessons in everything from Hip Hop to Hula.

*Family Gifts – Make fun gifts for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions out of things you’ll find around the house.

*Cooking – Whip up a batch of soft pretzels, scones, or latkes.

You’ll also find video lessons on Crafts, Cheerleading, Juggling, Origami, Paper Airplanes, Puppets, Room Projects, Science Experiments, and Seasonal Activities.

There are activities for beginners to experts. Each project includes an engaging video tutorial and printable instructions.

(Note: The site intends to eventually sell kits that contain all of key materials needed to complete the activity.)

This is a terrific resource (and rainy-day “go to” site).  Bookmark it, to return often.

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Very Last-Minute Father’s Day Gifts to Make

June 19th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Saturday, June 19, 2010 and time for Art at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Activity Village: Father’s Day

Father’s Day is tomorrow, June 20th! If you need a last-minute gift that the kids can make for Dad, this website offers free, easy-to-make suggestions, instructions, and templates for gifts and cards that Dad will enjoy receiving.

When you get to the site you’ll see a menu of Father’s Day possibilities including:

  • Cards To Print
  • Easy Craft Activities
  • Coloring Pages including “Greatest Dad” certificates!
  • Printable Booklets that you can customize for Dad!
  • Computer Jigsaw Puzzles
  • Printable Father’s Day Word Searches, Mazes, and Puzzles
  • Father’s Day Jokes, Poems, and Songs

You’ll also find links to other fun Father’s Day websites.

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Famous Artists for Kids

May 29th, 2010

Recommended Website:
MyKidsArt.com

Age Range: 8-14 (approximately)

This is the website of a company that offers art classes (in the real world) for kids in Australia. They also maintain a free exhibit, designed for kids, of some of the world’s most famous artists.

When you get to the site you’ll see a menu that includes:

  • Leonardo da Vinci
  • Vincent van Gogh
  • Pablo Picasso
  • Salvador Dali
  • Andy Warhol

Click on any name and a new page opens with some brief information and interesting facts about the artist and his times, along with examples of his work.

On the pages about da Vinci, van Gogh, and Picasso you can watch a terrific video exhibit of the artist’s works set to music.

You’ll also find links to online museums that display the artists’ paintings. I did NOT review those sites, so parents (as always) should preview the content to determine suitability and supervise further exploration.

This is a terrific way to introduce kids to some major artists and their unique artistic styles.

Enjoy!

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