How to make a box fort (featuring Extended Day.)

Do you have a box at home? Then start creating!

Make a box fort!

Grab a box.

Decorate it with your markers, stickers, and tape.

Cut doors and windows. Attach fabric for a curtain.

Make a cozy space with pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals.

Do you have more than one box?

Connect your boxes together to make a box compound.

Other Box Art options:

Make a box car.

Make a box rocket.

Have fun and share what you make!

Jessica.mcbee@icloud.com

We would love to post pictures of other IJP forts 

in our IJP Virtual Art and Extended Day photo album:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1GiB8g272apjQ9BAA 

Purim Gets Colorful in PKA

Purim is a explosion of color and sound, and we got into the Purim spirit by engaging in a multitude of art activities that incorporated color, texture, and movement as well.

Our bulletin board was about to get a face lift from the somber colors that winter brings. We glued colorful collage materials onto posterboard to make our new background. 

The final result!

Another day we rolled balls through paint and discovered that it creates a track pattern on the paper. We added the final product to our bulletin board as well. 

Our next art activity involved an item you might expect to find in your kitchen instead of at preschool - a salad spinner! Many household items can double as toddler-friendly activity-makers. We squeezed paint inside, sprinkled some glitter and turned the wheel! The result was a display of unique color splashes.

Art with Morah Jessica is a special time for the children to have one-on-one and small group time with a talented artist. Morah Jessica embodies the Reggio vision of creating with natural, found materials, so of course our graggers were made of something that grows from the ground - bamboo! First the children decorated the outside by gluing on colorful sequins. Next, they exercised very fine motor skills by picking up small beads and bolts and dropping them in the hollow tube to make the gragger's sound.  A piece of burlap sealed the ends and - voila! Our very own graggers!

One of Purim's well-known customs is to dress up in costumes and masks. We created masks to disguise our pictures! Even though their eyes are hiding ,the children can usually discern who is who. 

Happy Purim!

Inside, Outside--Creating Art Everywhere!

Inside Outside

We work on our art projects in all kinds of places . . .

Above:  We  get together to work on our art, sharing our ideas.

     When the weather is rough--too cold, too hot, too wet, we head indoors to work on our art projects.  But when the weather is just too beautiful for words, we paint and create in our outdoor spaces.

     And so it was in the past few weeks.  Sometimes we worked indoors and sometimes outside.  One of our recent project is our Shabbat tile hot plates.  The Morahs "found" some stunning Italian porcelain tiles, stored away with other art supplies.

     The main question the children had was, "Who went to Italy to get these for us?"  Chances are the tiles were purchased at Home Depot for a previous art project, and then the surplus was stored away.  We love gifts.  We also know how to recycle, reuse and repurpose--so we went to work!

     First, we made a template of our design on paper with regular watercolor markers.  Some us chose a Shabbat theme, candles and a Kiddush cup.    Most of us decided to illustrate flowers, rainbows, a variety of colors.  When we were satisfied with our design. we then worked on our actual tiles.  We used permanent Sharpees.

Above, making our design on paper.

Side by side, we work on our tiles. 

     As always, when we work, we engage our friends and Morahs in some discussion.  We shared some of our thoughts:

Sam:  This is the prettiest blue.
Adom:  I can put a Kiddush cup.
Liana:  I want to put a Kiddush cup, too!  It took a long time (to make.)
Yaya:  I made a rainbow purple and blue!
Sloan:  I want to make a rainbow panda for my mommy and daddy and my baby and my grandma and my grandpa.
Leo:  It's a dog going into a waterfall!
Jake:  I made a line first.  My mom likes a tile!
Gaia:  I used purple and pink.
Hudson:  I'm going to draw so my mommy will love it.
Yonah:  It's almost like studying, because you're copying the same thing, like computers or a copier machine.  (Later, asking about his tile)  If I have a Milchig drink can I put it on a fleishig table?
Amiel:  (It's) for Kiddush!  It's a rainbow and it's already done.
Levi:  I'm making this for Shabbos, if my Kiddush cup spills!
Avraham Chaim:  First I'll help Hadassah turning over her car (on the playground.)  (After helping his sister, he worked on his tile.)

     We worked in small groups.  All of a sudden, a group of children came running by the tile makers!  Morah Jessica was leading them to get more art supplies from the kitchen for a group project the children were working on in the Third Building.   She called out, "We have a glitter emergency!"  They solved their art problem, then went back to work.  

     "I have your back!" 

     Later in the week, the children continued to work indoors on their group art project.  They helped each other with smocks.  We know that when we work with acrylic paint like real artists, we have to protect our clothing.  And like artists everywhere, we can't wait to share our art with our families and friends!

Arts and Crafts outside--making bracelets with buttons and beads.

Stay tuned for more info about Art in Extended Day . . .

 By the Morahs and the Artists in  Extended Day

Menorah Making in Pre-KA

Chanukah menorahs can be made out of an endless variety of materials, and we stayed true to IJP's value of using natural materials by making ours out of bamboo! Sliced down the long way it provided the perfect medium for us to work with. We made good use of our Wednesday art slot with Morah Jessica to make our menorahs.

First, we painted the bamboo in cool colors - blues, purples and silvers - and sprinkled on some sparkly glitter.

Then we covered the whole thing in Mod Podge to seal it and make it even shinier.

When it was dry, we worked carefully with Morah Jessica to glue on ceramic tiles for fire safety and the metal nuts that will hold our candles. We needed a lot of glue! We counted out eight nuts and a tall sewing bobbin to give height to our shamash, the helper candle that lights all the others.

Voila! We can't wait to light our menorahs on Chanukah!