Kids’ Korner

Seed Shapes:  Recycling and Gardening in One

With spring just around the corner, it might be a good time to think about neat inside projects that will tie to the outdoors later in the year.  Crafts are such fun and the items you make can be wonderful presents for your family and friends.  Imagine being able to create gifts from readily available recycled materials.  Well, following is one idea that not only recycles old newspaper but creates items that encourage spring gardening:  Seed Shapes.

What you’ll need:  two buckets to hold water and wet paper; newspaper (not colored sheets, and only newsprint, not magazine pages); food coloring if you want to color the paper; a slotted spoon; flower seeds; open-top style cookie cutters to form fancy shapes; a scrap of window screening; rags to absorb excess water.

NOTE:  Although newspaper is recommended (with the exceptions noted above), all paper can be used, even paper that has been shredded.  Soaking of firmer papers might take longer, but it will eventually mush.

Begin by tearing the newspaper into small pieces, roughly 2" square.  Soak the shreds in enough water to cover them completely.  This will create a “pulp” of fiber and water.  Start with about six full newspaper pages torn into shreds.  That will make several shapes and give you a chance to test your own ideas for shapes, colors and additions.

After the paper has soaked for several hours or overnight, take a big handful of paper mush and put it into another bucket.  Add lots of water and swish your hand in the slurry.  Continue to swish until you create a lump-free soup of fiber and water. 

Set an open-topped cookie cutter on the scrap of screening, with a rag under the screen.  Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the fiber from the water.  Let some of the water drip back into the bucket, and then place the fiber into the cookie mold.  If you want to color your shapes put the scoop of pulp into a small bowl, add several drops of food coloring and mix. Then put it into the cookie cutter shape.

Be sure the fiber is at least ¼" thick.  Push the pulp into all the corners and curves of the shape.  Use a rag to squeeze most of the water out of the pulp.  Sprinkle a pinch of flower or veggie seed onto the mold on top of the paper pulp.  Add a little more wet pulp to help hold the seed in place, and then squeeze as much water as possible out of the shape.

Carefully remove the cookie cutter and lift the shape away from the screen.  Set it aside and let it dry completely. (Foam plates are great “drying” trays.) If you want to make ornaments and special occasion decorations, be sure to create a hanging hole at the top while the shape is still soft.  Hang with a strip of ribbon.

If you create the shapes as gifts and ornaments, include instructions for planting:  Plant under ¼ inch of soil in your spring garden.  Water well, and then keep moist.  Enjoy the flowers (or veggies)!

For bird treats, use a lot of seed and very little pulp.  The birds will love the seeds this time of year.  A mix of seeds is perfect; include sunflower seeds, flax seeds, coneflower seeds and others you might have gathered during the fall.  You can use prepared bird seed and packaged seeds, too.

This project not only recycles newspaper, but also is a great indoor, winter-day project.  With a bit of imagination you can make unusual shapes and designs.  Sometimes using “mystery” seed is fun.  When you don’t know what plant the seed is for, planting it and seeing what grows becomes part of the excitement.

Scholastic Art Exhibition

The Miami Art Museum, FL, will host the 2008 Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition in collaboration with the Miami-Dade Public Schools through Feb. 17.  More than 200 works will be on display representing all media.  The Scholastic Art Awards is the largest student art awards competition in the U.S., and these middle and high school art students consistently rank among the top winners at the national level. For more information on this awards program, visit www.scholastic.com.

Medals Awarded

The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.  And the 2008 Medal goes to The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.  Honor Books include Henry’s Freedom Box:  A True Story from the Underground Railroad; First the Egg; The Wall:  Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain; and Knuffle Bunny Too:  A Case of Mistaken Identity.  And the ALSC’s Theodor Seuss Geisel Award goes to There is a Bird on Your Head! by Mo Willems, with runners-up First the Egg; Hello, Bumblebee Bat; Jazz Baby; and Vulture View.

New Interactives Online

The National Gallery of Art Web site NGAkids includes two new additions:  BRUSHter and Still Life.  BRUSHter is an abstract painting machine for all ages that contains more than 40 brushes and textures, many with customizable size, transparency and stroke options.  A full palette of colors and special effects are among the options offered; or you can click the AUTO buttons and the computer will generate screen designs for you!

The new Still Life interactive encourages young artists to explore the world around them by arranging artistic elements and everyday objects into multi-dimensional works that mirror those of the old masters. Experiment with spatial arrangements, size variables and perspective angles; then switch modes and add layers of textured “brushstrokes” to create a more painterly, abstract image.  This, too, is suitable for all ages.

Visit www.nga.gov/kids.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 18 No. 4 — February 2008