Mini Art Lesson  Tuesday, April 21, 2020This week, we’re taking a closer look at the materials

Mini Art Lesson  Tuesday, April 21, 2020This week, we’re taking a closer look at the materials and design elements of this Wine Jar with Fish and Aquatic Plants, made in China during the fourteenth century. Children ages 2-6 can follow along with step-by-step instructions to learn about habitats while creating a home for their favorite animal. For children 7 and up, we’ll explore chemical reactions by making our own watercolors and paining our own nature scenes! FOR AGES 2–6:  LET’S PLAYToday, we’ll work on building a setting for animals with our family! Take a close look at Wine Jar with Fish and Aquatic Plants and discuss the concept of habitat and home. What do you notice about this animal’s habitat? Where do you think the fish’s home is?Step 1: Find an old shoebox, small cardboard shipping box, or even a paper bag for your child to decorate. Grab any art materials like markers, paper, scissors, and glue or tape. Optional materials include, straws, popsicle sticks, or even pens or pencils!  Step 2: With your child, decide what animal to put in your box and discuss the habitat you will create. You can create your own animal or get a stuffed animal! Feel free to also sketch out your design together. Step 3: Color the interior (and exterior if you’d like) in a way that reflects the habitat of your chosen animal. You can also tape on paper in different colors. If you have additional items, try to mix up the materials with other items around the house!Step 4: If you’re using a stuffed animal, add your animal to the environment! Use your setting to create stories about your animals, and enjoy continuing to make stories in the days and weeks to come! Bonus: If you’re making an animal puppet, cut out the sketch of your puppet, and use popsicle sticks, straws, or even pens to create your animal with tape! Hint: tape them from the top. Thank you to Filippa Christofalou and Orestis for working on this project! FOR AGES 7+: LET’S CREATEThis jar was created with clay that was dug out of the earth and painted with glaze made by grinding down minerals. For our project, let’s also use some natural materials to make art materials of our own! You’ll need:A potWaterCabbageLemonBaking powderStep 1: With the help of a grown up, cut up the cabbage and boil it for 20-30 minutes until the water is reduced by about half.Step 2: Drain the liquid and pour it into three separate containers. Then, add a few drops of lemon juice to one and two teaspoons of baking powder to the other. A chemical reaction causes the liquid to change colors! Step 3: Let’s use our colorful liquid to do some watercolor painting! What things in nature inspire you? Let’s paint a scene that includes our favorite animals and plants.Bonus: What other natural ingredients can you use to make paint? You can try coffee, tea, spinach, carrots, strawberries, and more. Experiment and make a rainbow!FOR TEACHERS, CAREGIVERS, AND PARENTS Access a free teaching guide to this collection highlight, featuring questions for viewing and other great activities and lessons.We’ll be back next Tuesday with another Mini Art Lesson! In the meantime, let us know what your like to see or learn!Posted by Tamar MacKay and Noé GaytánWine Jar with Fish and Aquatic Plants, 14th century. Porcelain with underglaze cobalt blue decoration. Brooklyn Museum, The William E. Hutchins Collection, Bequest of Augustus S. Hutchins, 52.87.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum) -- source link

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