Story + Art = Great stART – Chick

Welcome to today’s story + art project with Red Ted. A very sweet and simple pop up book gave us inspiration this week! This craft project is great one for 5yrs+ or any age with a helping parent!!! Let’s delve straight in (and make one for FATHER’S DAY):

chick, Ed Vere. As already said, this is a very sweet and simple pop up book that was given to us by a friend, ooh, about a year ago now? I think it was for Red Ted’s first birthday. I wouldn’t normally have chosen it, as I feared the worst for all the pop ups, as well as not being sure how long it would entertain. A year on ALL pop ups are in tact (Red Ted is a very good boy and we spent a long time “teaching him” not to break books) AND he still loves it. It is the story of a little chick hatching, cheeping, eating, erm, pooing and finally going to sleep. Makes for good bedtime reading! The “cheep” page has always been our favourite, as we get the chick to “peck” Red Ted’s finger (wiggle the book and the mouth opens and shuts). So THIS PAGE IT HAD TO BE!

Oh no. Red Ted is only 2, so how do we manage that one?! Good crafting with children should be as HANDS OFF as possible, letting them experience and explore and feel that sense of achievement. However (you knew that was coming), I decided that yes, that is the case, but a wee bit of intervention is ok because:

• When I am about to “intervene”, I run two projects parrellel – I let Red Ted do what he wants, as well as try and get him to do what I want, we both win
• Means I can demonstrate projects that are suitable for older children, without actually having any older children!
• Red Ted still gets very excited by the final outcome, even the ones I have guided – he recognises his work and he recognises the activities as well as the stories (he still ADORES his Fish project – and I did have to do all outlining and cutting!)
• I adapt my approach to Red Ted – I actually made two false starts on this project in order to find a way that suited Red Ted and stil got me the result I wanted! (e.g. an older child may want to start with steps 5-7)

Enough. Here we go!

1) We read the book.

2) Materials: paper, paint, brushes or cotton wool on pegs (very popular with us at the moment), pen, scissors, card, glue

3) Get your child to paint the basics of your chick: one blog for chick and one blob for the beak

4) Draw chick outlines and cut out.

If steps 5-7 do not make sense, please let me know and I can do a quick “How to” for you! 😉

5) Fold chick in half (so that beak is CENTRAL to the fold)

6) Cut across beak, fold back corners, fold them in and out so that they get a good crease!

7) Open chick and “pull” beak out. When you open and shut the chick, the beak should now move.

8 ) Glue into card & draw on feet.

9) Finished!

We added a heart speach bubble – as we will be using that card for Father’s Day and used one of the cloud pictures we made for the Busy Airport project.

Look at Red Ted’s face? Was it so bad to “control”? I don’t think so… When he is a little older, I will have to hold back more!

Previous Craft Posts:

Book & Cook: Alphabet Cookies – Learning through play

stART: Busy Airport – Cotton Wool Clouds and, erm, PIGS!

stART: Hit &Myth – a mix & match book for older children (>5yrs)    

stART: Story & Thank you time – inspirational thank you cards   

stART: Hurray for Fish – one for babies or messy toddlers!    

stART: Bedtime Star – Red Ted, makes a starry night for Pip Squeak’s nursery   

stART: The Way Back Home, Oliver Jeffers – Red Ted makes a plane and a UFO   

Craft: Peg animals – toddlers can help!