Giraffe Art Ideas

Sorry for such the long absence. My new job and everything has been keeping me very busy. I haven't abandoned Hearts and Trees completely. I am still offering my Summer/Fall 2009 Kit for sale, so be sure to check it out if you haven't already. I am hearing a lot of good things from families who have purchased it. And I will be offering a winter kit, which will be released towards the end of November, so be sure to look for that. I am going to be trying to post here on my blog at least once a week starting in October. :)

I wanted to share with you my new giraffe statue. I bought it at a local Goodwill store for $2. I love it. It has found a home on my dresser next to my vase of peacock feathers and my mini palm tree.

Anyone who knows me can tell you giraffes are my *most favorite* animal. I don't know what it is about them, they just make me very happy. :) In honor of that I have put together a few giraffe inspired art ideas in this post to share with you.

Mama and baby giraffe at the SF Zoo June 2007.

• The One Million Giraffe Project- make your own giraffe to contribute to the website seeking to gather one million giraffes. Or just explore the giraffes already submitted.
• Giraffe Scratch Project- I love this crayon or oil pastel and paint scratch project.
• Giant Giraffe Mural- like the one my family made for me.
• Giraffe Drawing Lesson Plan- scroll to the bottom of the page.
• Giraffe Stand-Up Coloring Page

If you do any of these projects, or have your own giraffe art ideas, be sure to leave me links in the comments section.

Hearts and Trees Summer/Fall Kit

(This post will stay on top- scroll down for new posts)
Introducing the Hearts and Trees
Summer/Fall 2009
Art, Nature Study and Handicraft Kit

I am really excited to *finally* share with you my new Hearts and Trees Kit. Because it has taken me so long to put together, I am combining my Summer 2009 and Fall 2009 kits. There are a lot of fun projects in this kit that I am sure you and your children will enjoy.

Each kit includes the instructions and materials to complete easy and fun handicraft, art and nature study projects with a minimum of effort. (Please note that you will need to provide common art supplies such as paper, pastels, paint, glue, etc.)

The large sewing project in this kit is an easy felt ball bird. The instructions and materials (except for the stuffing-which you can use rice or beans or cotton batting) are provided for your child to sew their own felt ball bird. (The felt color will vary).

The nature study portion of this kit focuses on trees, which is perfect for the summer and fall months. Three pages of nature study observation sheets are provided and you are free to make as many copies of them as you would like for your personal use. A 3"x5" laminated scavenger hunt observation card (like the ones included in my past kits) is also included.

The instructions and most of the materials are also included to make your very own bagel (or pinecone) birdfeeder. The string, birdseed and instructions are provided, you will just need to supply the bagel or pinecone.

The featured artist is Paul Gauguin. There is a notebooking page focusing on him and the art print of his "Tahitian Landscape 2" which is included in this kit.

The art part of this kit focuses on the color wheel and complementary colors. Your child will use paint and the three primary colors to mix and paint the 12 colors of the color wheel. Your child will also learn how to identify complementary colors using the color wheel. A notebooking page focusing on complementary colors is also included.

As a **new feature** this kit includes a 5 page PDF set of art notebooking pages focusing on complementary colors. The set of notebooking pages is similar to the art mini unit study PDFs I have for sale on my blog. The PDF will be emailed to you when you purchase a kit. (The PDF will be emailed to the email address associated with your PayPal payment.)

The materials and instructions are also provided in this kit for a fun black cardstock and glue project. Your child will sketch his own Tahitian Landscape and use glue and pastels or chalk to make a beautiful work of art.

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In all this kit includes: 1 sewing project, 3 art element notebooking pages, 1 artist notebooking page, 1 art print, 1 nature study laminated card, 3 pages of nature study observation sheets, 1 handicraft nature study project, 1 drawing project, the materials and instructions to make your own leaf press and a 5 page set of complementary color themed art notebooking pages!

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Complete Contents List:

1. Felt ball bird sewing project (pre-cut felt, needle, thread and instructions)
2. Color wheel/Color mixing painting project (notebooking page and instuctions)
3. Complimentary colors notebooking page
4. Complimentary colors PDF (5 page PDF which will be emailed to you)
5. Gauguin art print- “Tahitian Landscape 2"
6. Gauguin notebooking page
7. Trees nature study observation pages (3 pages)
8. Trees nature study laminated observation card
9. Black paper and glue drawing project (black cardstock and instructions)
10. Bagel (or pinecone) birdfeeder project (string, birdseed and instructions)
11. Leaf press (cardboard, rubber bands and instructions)

These kits were gathered with children ages 6-12 in mind. Parents may need to help their students, especially younger children, with some aspects of this kit.

To purchase a kit you will just need to make a PayPal payment to my account. You can do that using the "Pay Now" buttons in my sidebar. Just be sure to use the button for the right number of kits you would like to purchase. All kits purchased before July 22nd will ship July 23rd. After July 22nd kits will ship within 3 business days after I receive payment.

The cost per kit is $11.95 plus shipping. Shipping for one kit is $3.00 First Class. Shipping for two kits is $5.00 Priority and shipping for three kits is $8.50 Priority. (Please note that shipping costs are slightly more expensive for this kit, because it weighs more than previous kits.) For information about purchasing more than three kits, please email me for shipping information. Shipping prices are for the US and Canada. (For information about shipping outside of the US and Canada, please email me.)

If you are interested in purchasing any of the PDFs I am currently selling (they are in my sidebar) and you wish to make a combined payment for multiple items, feel free to email me for a total. I also still have a few Spring Kits available. If you are interested in purchasing any of those along with a Summer/Fall kit, just email me and I can get you a total. Thanks!

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at amandachristina@yahoo.com.

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival July 21st Edition

Welcome to the July 21, 2009 edition of the Charlotte Mason blog carnival.

I am happy to be hosting this edition of the Charlotte Mason blog carnival. There are a lot of great entries this time, which I am sure you will enjoy. If it is summer where you live, it sure is here (over 105' yesterday!) pour yourself a nice cold drink and read through these inspiring posts.
~Kris~ presents Works for Me Wednesday: Nature Study posted at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Kris shares with us her new approach to include nature study in her homeschool.

Barb presents Nature Notebooks-Like a Travel Journal posted at Handbook of Nature Study. In her post, Barb tells us how her family uses their nature notebooks when traveling to use as a travel journal.

Barb also shares with us her post Picture Study Tip: Using a Viewfinder, from her other blog Harmony Art Mom. I really enjoyed this post about how changing which portion of a piece of artwork we view can help us in our picture study.

Amanda shares with everyone a fun summertime activity- Making Your Own Playdough! This easy and fun project is sure to be a hit with your family.

Kris presents Book Sale Manager web site posted at Science of Relations. Here Kris shares with us her resource for finding books for her Charlotte Mason style homeschool at a reasonable price.

Heather presents Frog and Toad are Friends posted at Well Read, saying, "Well Read is my new blog that shares the many ways that my family has extended learning beyond the pages of great living books. The article I'm submitting is about ways to extend the book Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel. I hope you enjoy it."

Jeanne presents Vivaldi's Women posted at A peaceful day. Jeanne tells us about her composer study of Vivaldi and how much she enjoys including study of classical composers in her homeschool. She also shares with us her post Training my daughter to pray posted at A peaceful day.

Lizzie shares with us her plans for Ambleside Year 3 in her post Year 3 on her blog A Dusty Frame.

Heather presents Math posted at Maple Hill Academy. She tells us her resources for making math fun in her homeschool.

Penny presents Learning to Eat the Frog! posted at Our Crazy Adventures in autismland!. She shares how she is teaching her children the valuable life skill of time management, even at a young age.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
the charlotte mason blog carnival using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:
the charlotte mason blog carnival, blog carnival.

Make Your Own Playdough

This is a really fun project. My mom made this in the art classes she used to teach and I made batches of it when I worked at the elementary school. It is really easy and fun to make and this is the best recipe for homemade playdough we've found.

You Will Need:

1 cup water

3 drops food coloring

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tbsp oil (vegetable)

Waxed paper (optional)

Ziplock bag

1. Stir the drops of food coloring into the water.

2. Combine the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a small mixing bowl.

3. Pour the flour mixture, the colored water and the oil (DON'T FORGET THE OIL!) into a medium sized sauce pan.
4. Heat on low heat, stirring constantly until the playdough just begins to pull away from the sides of the pot and form a ball. (BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER COOK IT OR IT WILL BURN AND STICK TO THE POT!)5. Pour the warm playdough onto a waxed paper covered surface (or you can just use a counter). Let the playdough cool for a few minutes until it is cool enough to knead. Knead it into a ball. If you are doing this with your children be sure the playdough is cool enough for them to touch before they knead it!
6. And that's all there is to it! You can make a rainbow of colors! Store your playdough in a ziplock bag or other airtight container and it should last for about a month! You don't need any fancy tools or toys to play with your playdough. The best place to look is your kitchen gadget drawer. A rolling pin and cookie cutters are fun too!

If you make playdough I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to leave me a comment or a link to your blog if you have one. Enjoy!

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Be sure to check out my

Summer/Fall 2009 Art, Handicraft and Nature Study Kit.

For Sale Now!

A Sneak Peek at My Summer Kit

It will still be about a week or so before I have my Hearts and Trees Summer Kit up for pre-order on my blog, but I wanted to share a little peek at what I have planned. I am finally settled into my new job and I think I will be back to regular posting. :)

~A cute felt ball bird~

The nature study portion of my summer kit is going to focus on trees and I like to call it "nature study in the shade." Just perfect for summertime!

The featured artist is Gauguin with a focus on complementary colors.

There are going to be a few other surprises and projects as well, so be sure to check back for more information. You can also subscribe to my blog in a reader or by email by using this link or the links in my sidebar.

Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of my watercolor tutorials from last summer. Check them out here.

And I still have a few Hearts and Trees Spring Kits left for sale. If you haven't already checked them out, be sure to do so. Thanks!

A Hearts and Trees Update

Hello everyone. I just wanted to sort of give you an update about my summer 2009 kit. I am busy putting it together, and I was hoping to start my pre-ordering in the next couple of weeks, but it looks like it will be the beginning of July before I have it ready.

I just graduated from college and I am starting a new job. I have training every day about 40 miles away the next two weeks so that's going to keep me very busy. After that I will settle into part-time hours and will be back to work on my summer kit.

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I still have some spring kits left for sale, so if you haven't purchased one and are looking for some fun projects for your children be sure to check it out. If you have any questions feel free to email me. Thanks!

Just a reminder...

Just a reminder that this is the last week to take advantage of my May Special! With any purchase of one or more of my Spring Kits you will recieve one of my PFDs (your choice) FREE!!

If you have any questions, feel free to email me (amandachristina@yahoo.com).

Hearts and Trees Spring 2009 Kit!

(This post will stay on top- scroll down for new posts)

Introducing the Hearts and Trees
Spring 2009
Art, Nature Study and Handicraft Kit

Each kit includes the instructions and materials to complete easy and fun handicraft, art and nature study projects with a minimum of effort. (Please note that you will need to provide common art supplies such as paper, colored pencils, paint, glue, etc.)

I am really excited about the two handicraft projects in this kit. The first is a woven pouch made on a cardboard loom. Once you master the basics of weaving, there are so many things you can make! The yarn, weaving needle, cardboard and instructions are all included.

The second handicraft project is to make your own screen for screen printing, using the provided Scratch-a-Print screen. This is a surprisingly easy and very fun project. The screen is reusable, so you will be able to make many prints of your design.

The art aspect of this kit is focusing on Winslow Homer. The art print for this kit is Winslow Homer's "Mink Pond." A notebooking page for Winslow Homer is included as well as an art element worksheet focusing on Value-Light and Shadows.

There is also a set of copy work pages focusing on frog poetry. There are two blank lined pages you can use for the copy work, as well as a page of frog poetry and suggestions for how to use them.

The nature study portion of this kit is focusing on frogs and nature study near lakes, rivers, streams or ponds. My mom helped me to design a frog file-folder book (which you could mount on cardstock if you prefer). In the lapbook there are components for vocabulary, frog facts, bullfrog facts, frog noises, and the frog life cycle. In the lapbook you can also mount your life cycle of a frog drawing (instructions for this drawing project are included).

I have also included a laminated nature study card designed to help you as you explore the area near a river, pond, steam or lake.

We also thought it would be fun to give you some ideas of how you can use the projects from this kit to throw a frog-themed art and nature study party showcasing what you've learned using this kit. So we have included a one page sheet of ideas to help you plan a Frog Party for your friends and family. There are ideas for invitations, refreshments, activities and how to present your projects from the kit.

In all this kit includes: 2 handicraft projects, 1 drawing project, 2 art notebooking pages, 1 art print, 1 frogs lapbook, 1 set of frog poetry copy work pages and 1 laminated nature study card.

Complete Contents List:

1. Woven pouch on a cardboard loom- materials (cardboard, yarn, plastic weaving needle) and instructions
2. Screen printing project- materials (scratch and print screen) and instructions
3. Winslow Homer art print “Mink Pond”
4. Winslow Homer notebooking page
5. Art element worksheet- focusing on value- light and shadow
6. Frogs Lapbook- (6 page set of lapbook pages with color cover) Note: file folder is NOT included
7. Life Cycle of a Frog drawing project- materials (cardstock) and instructions
8. Laminated nature study card- focusing on river, stream, lake or pond observations
9. Frog poem copy work set- three pages (2 blank copy work pages and a page of frog poems)
10. Plan a Frog-Themed Event instructions sheet

These kits were gathered with children ages 6-12 in mind. Parents may need to help their students, especially younger children, with some aspects of this kit.

To purchase a kit you will just need to make a PayPal payment to my account. You can do that using the "Pay Now" buttons in my sidebar. Just be sure to use the button for the right number of kits you would like to purchase.

The cost per kit is $11.95 plus shipping. Shipping for one kit will be $2.75 First Class. Shipping for two kits will be $4.00 First Class and shipping for three kits will be $7.00 First Class (Please note if you purchase three kits it will come in two envelopes). For information about purchasing more than three kits, please email me for shipping information. Shipping prices are for the US and Canada. (For information about shipping outside of the US and Canada, please email me.)

All kits will ship within 3 business days after I receive payment. (Usually the next day.)

If you are interested in purchasing any of the PDFs I am currently selling (they are in my sidebar) and you wish to make a combined payment for multiple items, feel free to email me for a total.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at amandachristina@yahoo.com.

Tint and Shade Paint Project Video Tutorial

Here is a project that I think would go really nicely with the Value Art Element Worksheet that is incuded in my Hearts and Trees Spring Art, Handicraft and Nature Study Kit.

You may need to click over to my blog to see this video tutorial if you are reading this via a feed.



For this project you will need:

• Tempera paint (black, white and one other color)
• Paintbrush
• Pallette or plate to mix you paint on
• Cup of water
• Paper with circles printed on it (download PDF here)
• Papertowels
• Newspaper to cover your work surface

Feel free to email me photos or leave me links to photos of your complete projects. I love to see how everyone uses the ideas on my blog.

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And if you are interested in learning more about value, tints and shades, or are looking to add more art, handicrafts or nature study to your homeschool, be sure to check out my Spring Kit if you haven't already.

In all my spring kit includes: 2 handicraft projects, 1 drawing project, 2 art notebooking pages (including a page exploring value, light and shadow), 1 art print, 1 frogs lapbook, 1 set of frog poetry copy work pages and 1 laminated nature study card.

Here are some links to Amazon if you are looking to purchase some tempera paint or other supplies for this project:

Spring Kit May Special Offer!

May Hearts and Trees Spring Kit Special Offer!

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I have decided to offer a May Special for my Hearts and Trees Spring kits. Now until the end of this month with any puchase of one or more spring kits you will recieve one of the PDFs I offer through my blog FREE!! You even get to choose which set of PDF pages you would like to receive!

Still Life Art Show Mini Unit Study Notebooking Pages PDF

More info here

Clouds in Art Mini Unit Study Notebooking Pages PDF

More info here.


Weather Lapbook Pages PDF

More info here.

Mammals Lapbook Pages PDF

More info here.

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*If you are interested in taking advantage of this special, you will just need to purchase a kit before May 31st (or before I run out of kits-my supplies are limited). You can find all the information about this kit as well as specific purchasing information in my Hearts and Trees Spring 2009 Kit post. When you check out with PayPal, in the notes for merchant section, just mention which of the four PDFs you would like me to email you. You can expect the PDF to be emailed you within 24 hours of my receiving your payment. If you have any questions, feel free to email me (amandachristina@yahoo.com) and I will get back to you as quickly as possible. Have a great day!