Halloween special

Today is Halloween here in Australia and tomorrow it will be in the rest of the world. Instead of posting our Art Class activity on Monday as usual I am breaking tradition and posting it this morning. If you are near by you can come along and make all three decorations and if not you can  still make these simple decorations with things you will have at home. Have fun...

turn this into...

this...

this...

into this...

and this...

into this...

with these Halloween decoration instructions...

dress up

I love a bit of Halloween celebration. Our mother used to tell us these wonderful stories about three witches named Necropolis, Paraphernalia and Winnie who lived in the three palm trees in our front yard. I wish she had written them down.
I particularly love a  home made costume and stumbled across these beauties whilst doing a bit of research, oh my maybe we should all dress as cabbage people this year!

worry dolls

turn this...

into this...

with these worry doll instructions...

Guatamala

My newly five year old son has come up with a wonderful activity this week and so in todays Art class we will be taking a short trip to Guatemala and making some treasures as well.

National Gallery of Victoria

There is so much on at the NGV at the moment I am going to have to try and go there soon. Romance was Born's  Rainbow Room is the new installation for children and it looks fantastic and includes wall paper by my favorite Del Kathryn Barton.
And maybe a quick ride on Carsten Höller's Golden Mirror Carousel which is up as part of the Melbourne Festival and a run through Jean Paul Gaultier as well.
These photos are from the NGV'S Instagram account.

constellation maps

turn this...

 into this...

with these constellation maps instructions...

maps to the stars

In tomorrows Art Class we will be exploring Constellations, maps and making a little night night to take home.
Whilst researching images I found the website of David Rumsey who has an extremely impressive collection of maps which you may want to look at if these things interest you as much as me.
I also found an article on 19th century maps by Children which included this lovely image.

The New Oxford Book Of Food Plants

On my kitchen shelf, between the different cook books I never use, I have my mothers wonderful old copy of The New Oxford Book Of Food Plants.
It is the most beautiful collection of botanical illustrations and filled with useful information.  One time I realised I didn't know how a cashew grew, if it was huddled in a pod with lots of other ones or hiding inside a tough shell. I looked it up and was so surprised, who knew just how rare and strange they really are. I can't find an image of it but I highly recommend getting a copy of the book. Sesame seeds are also quite surprising.
I think all those involved deserve credit.
John G Vaughan(Author), Catherine A Geissler(Author), Elisabeth Dowle(Illustrator), Belgium Nicholson(Illustrator), Elizabeth Rice(Illustrator)

firework painting

turn this...

into this...

with these firework painting instructions...

total eclipse

photo by Phil Hart

My Dad loves equinoxes, solstices and any type of eclipse. I vividly remember a total eclipse of the sun when I was a tiny child and how our chickens woke up, scratched around, and when the sky went dark an hour or so later, they just went back to the roost and fell asleep even though they had just awoken.
 Night after night we got out of bed into the frosty air and drove to the top of the nearest hill to see the grainy smudge of Halley's comet. Finally realising the view was just as good from the driveway.
Anyway tonight there will be another total eclipse of the moon and I am trying to decide if it is worth keeping my boys up for an extra hour or two to show them or not.
 It looks pretty spectacular maybe it would be worth it. You can get some cold hard stats here.

the icypoles

There is no art or science activity to document this week as we have been on holidays. But classes will return this Friday and I will upload the activity the following Monday as usual.
It is Spring here and I am loving listening to this album by the Icy Poles, its gorgeous and feels perfect for this time of year.

and the holidays continue....

So just a reminder there will be no Art Class today but they will be resuming as usual next Friday the 10th of October!!

barrel eye

And so whilst life continues on earth, sometimes at a snail pace, 2000ft beneath the pacific ocean a barrel eye fish was filmed alive for the first time. It is worth a look just to stop and pause for a second and think about all the wonderful things that go on out there. It makes me nostalgic for those stack of yellow bound magazines of my childhood, ready to whisk you all over the earth to places you could never dream of. I like following National Geographic's Instagram for the same reason.