Like the artist Joseph Cornell, you can put together a box with objects that have special meaning.
Collect a variety of small items that you find beautiful, curious, or unique. You could have a theme to your box such as the school year that is about to end, a trip, someone you admire, or favorite things you found on s hiking trail by your house. You can use postcards, stamps, images or words from magazines. Use them whole or cut out the parts you like best. Objects such as marbles, sequins, buttons, toys, rocks, marbles and shells all work well.
Find a shallow box such as a shoe box or one of similar size and arrange your images and items inside the box in a way that pleases your eye.
Remember to work from back to front, gluing flat items on the box surface first. Feel free to add color to your composition with paint, crayons or markers. Then glue or tape the objects in place. Use, glue or an electric glue gun (with help from a grown up) or sticky two-sided tape. You may want to decorate the outside of the box as well.
When you are finished, display your box on a table or hang it on a wall for all to see!
Kelly Dupre of Grand Marais is an artist, children’s author, and educator with over 20 years teaching experience with all age groups in a variety of settings. The activities in this oncea month column are spin-offs and combinations of ideas she has used and learned from teachers, parents, kids, books, and workshops. Only some of the activities has she actually thought of herself! Do you have a project or an idea you would like to see on the Whirligigs page? Let us know! Send your suggestion to starnews@boreal.org.
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