KinderArt ® Multicultural Arts and Crafts for Kids

KinderArt ® Multicultural Arts and Crafts for Kids

KinderArt® was created in 1997. At the time, my mother Jantje and I were leading Saturday morning workshops at a local art gallery. One day we decided to look online see if there were any resources for lesson plans -- specifically, art lesson plans -- and found that there were very few. Not long before, we had made the move into "Cyberspace" by placing our Art Studio business online. So, along with that, we created what was at that time a modest resource for art teachers, with about 20 lessons, under the name of Jarea Art Studio, Free Art Lessons.

The name KinderArt® came a few months later and it didn't take long for people to discover us.

As more and more people started coming, it became clear that there were many artists, teachers and parents who, like Jantje and I, were on the lookout for new ideas that didn't cost a fortune to try with a full classroom of 30 students. So, we continued to build the site, adding quick lessons as well as more in-depth drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture studies. Our main concern was to offer ideas that make use of readily available materials that most parents and teachers have at home or in their school supply cupboards. Eventually, those who were visiting the site wanted to share their ideas as well, and so, the site continued to grow and grow...

KinderArt ® Today

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

Today, 10 years later, KinderArt ® is the largest collection of free art lessons on the Internet. What began in 1997 as a few helpful ideas for teachers and parents, has since grown into an enormous collection of resources featuring thousands of tried and tested free lesson plans, ideas and resources which have been contributed by people from around the world. A truly interactive experience, KinderArt® provides an opportunity for parents, educators, artists, students and kids (of course) to have fun while exchanging ideas, finding information, conducting research and learning new things... all in one place.

The goal of KinderArt® has been and always will be, to make art lessons and educational information accessible to people around the world. In addition to the thousands of free art lesson plans, we offer printable activity pages, the art kitchen, educational links and articles, early childhood education resources and much more. Everyone who visits KinderArt® is encouraged to share their experiences, questions, comments and ideas. The result? A wonderful variety of lesson plans and educational tips complete with an online children's art gallery.

All of this thrills us, of course, because it means that children world-wide are taking part in life-changing activities that will shape their futures.

Examples:

BOX OF CRAYONS ^K+
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., create a classroom box of crayons to celebrate our differences and discover our similarities. [read more]

COFFEE CAN DRUM ^K-4
Drums are an important part of life and ceremony in many cultures. Here students can create drums using recycled aluminum cans. [read more]

HANDPRINT RAINBOW ^Pre-K-2 NEW
Children will see that every hand print is different as they work together on a cooperative art project. From: Amie Lording. [read more]

MASKS: PAPIER MACHE ^K+
These colorful, razzle dazzle masks are simply magical! [read more]

All Fiber Arts

You can find over 2000 pages of information, free patterns, resources and instructions for weaving, spinning, dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, papermaking, needlepoint, sewing, and other textile handicrafts. We also have a free Discussion Forum and Chat rooms where you can meet with all your "fiberholic friends.

Hands On Crafts For Kids Crafts Around the World

Hands On Crafts For Kids Crafts Around the World

Product Description
Crafts Around the world is fun crafting activities for kids 7 to 12 as seen on the public television series Hands On crafts for Kids. Travel around the world as we learn about different countries and cultures through their crafting traditions. Hands on Crafts Around the world includes 68 projects in four color with supply lists, step by step instructions, and full size patterns.

Folk Bags: 30 Knitting Patterns and Tales from Around the World

Folk Bags: 30 Knitting Patterns and Tales from Around the World (Folk Knitting series)

Product Description
Thirty projects from 23 countries offer a worldwide representation of bags, from Asia and Africa to Europe and the Americas. From the fish-shaped Japanese felted bag to the Persian carpet-inspired handbag, each bag is a product of its cultural history. Each pattern begins with a brief history describing the source behind these contemporary interpretations of folk designs. Folk stories also accompany many projects. Included are designs for bags for work or play, and bags of all shapes, colors, textures, and sizes. Using this collection, knitters can create bags for children, for market, for everyday, or for a special evening event.

Kids Around the World Create!: The Best Crafts and Activities from Many Lands

Kids Around the World Create!: The Best Crafts and Activities from Many Lands

From Library Journal
Grade 3-6-A book that encourages interest in and respect for cultures and crafts from around the world. Braman begins with craft recipes, shopping tips, and helpful hints, followed by an instructional section that is organized by the crafts' functions-from celebratory to utilitarian. Some projects are for decorating; others are for parties and good luck, record keeping or holding things. Ancient and modern crafts are included. The directions and black-and-white drawings and photographs are clear and easy to follow. With care, children can achieve results that resemble the photos with the exception of the Amish quilt and the Zulu woven basket. While Amish women appear in a photograph sewing a quilt, instructions only provide for making a single quilt square and ask children to paste instead of sew. In the case of the basket, the picture clearly shows a girl wrapping raffia around a coil of reed to make a basket, while the instructions utilize a small, ill-shaped yogurt cup as a loom. A "Culture Link" appended to each activity includes a photo and brief description of a similar craft from another culture. While these links are informative, they may prove to be confusing or disappointing as they do not include instructions. Nevertheless, many cultures, including Inuit, Caribbean, Chinese, Egyptian, Ghanaian, Greek, Guatemalan, Japanese, Incan, Sudanese, and Tibetan, are represented in this welcome addition.
Marcia W. Posner, Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center of Nassau County, Glen Cove, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Travel the Globe with These Fun and Easy Projects!

There's nothing like the thrill of finding out about faraway places. Now you can meet the people and share the customs of different countries by creating some of the things that keep their cultures alive.

You'll make a bookmark with a Guatemalan design using a cardboard loom, or an Egyptian bead necklace using dough or store-bought clay. Learn how prehistoric people told stories by making your own version of a cave painting, or make a good-luck charm in the form of a Tibetan goodwill message flag. Kids Around the World Create! is full of fun crafts and activities that will teach you about the customs of cultures around the world.

Every country has something special to offer, and all the activities in this book help you enjoy and explore this diversity. All the crafts are easy to do and the supplies are made up of simple household materials. Have fun as you journey to distant and exciting lands!

The Kids' Multicultural Art Book: Art & Craft Experiences from Around the World

The Kids' Multicultural Art Book: Art & Craft Experiences from Around the World (Williamson Kids Can! Series)

Product Description
An exciting hands-on feast of multicultural art and craft experiences. With this book, children learn by doing--reaching across continents with paper, paste, and paints, while developing basic sensibilities about the wondrous cultures of others. Over 400 outstanding how-to illustrations.

Global Art: Activities, Projects, and Inventions from Around the World

Global Art: Activities, Projects, and Inventions from Around the World

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-Arranged in chapters by continent, these crafts will be useful for geography and cultural reports. The authors use a system of symbols to denote which continent is associated with the activity, the level of difficulty, the basic art technique involved, and how easy or difficult the required materials are to procure. Black-and-white line drawings illustrate the process and/or the finished product for each project. Most of the activities are interesting and directly linked to the cultures they represent. Others, like several for Antarctica, seem more contrived. Building a structure of icing and sugar cubes is sure to be a hit with children, but how illustrative is it of the Antarctic environment? Necessarily, not all countries and cultures are included but many are represented by more than one project. While children can use this book, the descriptions (e.g., "Young children create a miniature woodland scene..."), the pervasive use of symbols or icons, and the terse but accurate directions indicate that this book was designed for adults.
Torrie Hodgson, Burlington Public Library, WA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Around the World Art & Activities: Visiting the 7 Continents Through Craft Fun

Around the World Art & Activities: Visiting the 7 Continents Through Craft Fun (Williamson Little Hands Series)

Product Description
This book is suitable for ages 4 to 8 years. Grab your homemade cereal-box suitcase, and plant a stamp on your newly made passport, for we're about to leave on a whirlwind tour of the seven continents. And what fun it is sure to be. Kids will be kids - rejoicing in their newfound friendship and familiarity with peoples around the world, delighted by both the similarities and differences in their cultures and customs. Make a Masai necklace, craft a Greek vase, create your own Guatemalan-styled 'worry' doll, and break some Maori bread from New Zealand! Broaden kids' view of their world and see the sights. Make you own standing Eiffel Tower, construct a salt-box windmill from Holland, build a wonderful Egyptian pyramid, and craft a clever London-styled 'Big Ben' clock.Make the Nile overflow, construct an erupting volcano, grow a pineapple plant, and create an Australian koala bear and a tissue-paper penguin (that really stands up!) from Antarctica. Explore the seven continents of the world and their distinctive lands, waterways, animals, plants, and natural treasures on a getting-to-know-you tour - with kids in the cockpit. Whew! Who's the tour guide that can keep up with these 3 to 7 year olds? None other than award winning Williamson author Judy Press, who has an inimitable talent for keeping kids learning and laughing - and loving it.

Mosaic Techniques & Traditions: Projects & Designs from Around the World

Mosaic Techniques & Traditions: Projects & Designs from Around the World

From Booklist
Readers interested in learning about the history, technology, and aesthetics of mosaics will find that King's beautifully and comprehensively illustrated volume is an excellent source of both practical information and artistic inspiration. She details the evolution of mosaics from their first manifestations around 3000 B.C.E. in Mesopotamia to the present; chronicles the breathtaking mosaics of Europe, Africa, and the Americas; and surveys the many materials used in their construction, from broken tiles to gold. The basic process has remained the same over the centuries, and King offers detailed how-to instructions in the second, and largest, portion of the book, providing specific information for the budding artisan on materials and tools, techniques, and designs. Project ideas take up the final third of this fresh and useful book, with five projects of varying difficulty derived from three geographical areas. Full of photographs both of finished mosaics and the steps required for their crafting, King's book will inform, instruct, and delight craft lovers. Lauren Roberts

Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Art Doll Adventures: Exploring Projects and Processes through Cultural Traditions

Art Doll Adventures: Exploring Projects and Processes through Cultural Traditions

Product Description

Doll-making inspired by cultural icons

Finding meaning in your art is one thing; doing it for the fun of the creation is another. How do they go together? Making dolls inspired by cultural icons brings new meaning to your work and helps you connect with larger universal truths. Doll makers are very conscious of and interested in the history of the human/female figure and cultural icons, and often use them as starting points for their designs. Spirit dolls, African icons, goddess figures, and Hopi katichinas are all popular forms.

Using history as a starting point, Lisa-Li Hertzi has created five exciting doll projects, inspired by five very different cultural and historical icons/figures. Through the projects, she explores the creative process, the meaning and significance of each figure, and teaches techniques that doll makers are currently experimenting with: journaling, collage, mixed media, and found objects. Each doll is presented as a step-by-step project with complete instructions, and is followed by a gallery featuring interpretations by leading doll artists of the same cultural figure. Fantastic full color illustrations and patterns by the author are included.

About the Author

Lisa-Li Hertzi is a professional illustrator, graphic designer, and artist, and runs the art department for Squadra Inc. USA. She is known for her eclectic line of cloth doll patterns, ranging from the Boulder Goddess which is based very roughly on the Venus of Willendorf, to Lilly, a Feisty cowgirl to the EarthSky Man, who was inspired by a raft trip down the Colorado River. She is a popular teacher, using both her patterns and classes to explore art, science, history, the figure, color, and more.

Hands Around the World: 365 Creative Ways to Encourage Cultural Awareness and Global Respect

Hands Around the World: 365 Creative Ways to Encourage Cultural Awareness and Global Respect (Williamson Kids Can! Series)

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-6-- This lively and entertaining volume is crammed with information designed to foster cultural awareness. Milord takes students through the year, day-by-day, exploring such topics as "Fun in the Sun," "Native Tongue," and "One Nation" on double-page spreads with a different activity each day: carve a Southeast Asian chop, design a Muslim prayer rug, make a wedding crown. The book is written directly to children in an informal, engaging style. However, the intended audience will have a difficult time participating in many of the activities without a lot of adult assistance. Some of the projects are fairly complex, such as making stilts or organizing neighborhood Olympics. Others require X-acto knives, paints, and varnish. Some of the directions are difficult to follow. And several of the projects, such as defining heroism, are really lessons and would not be much fun to do alone. The best use for this book is as a teacher resource, for it offers a wealth of group activities and topics for discussion. It will also be valuable in high schools that have a future-teachers program. The lists of additional books, periodicals, and organizations provide a gold mine of additional resources. --Marilyn Makowski, Greenwood High School, SC

Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc