Showing posts with label Jakes Journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jakes Journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jakes Journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jakes Journey. Show all posts

France Country Study with Worksheets

French Lessons and Worksheets for Homeschool or Classroom


If you homeschool like we do, you're probably teaching several grade levels at once. For this France Country Study Lesson, we've found worksheets and activities that work for toddlers to tweens to teens. Scroll down for Videos on the French Revolution, French Word Search Printables, Famous Artists, Art Projects, and Games they play in France. School teachers, you'll find fun classroom activities and worksheets that work in a classroom setting too. Enjoy!


This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links for your convenience.


France Country Study with Worksheets.
France Country Study with Worksheets.




Learn to speak French for Free with the Duo Lingo App or these French Language lessons.

This French Flag bookmark craft project from, Start at 5, works for preschoolers to high school.






For Elementary and Middle School, Make a Passport like this one from De Su Mama.




Make a passport printable worksheet.
Printable Passport Activity from De Su Mama.


Make an Eiffel Tower with bits of colored straws like this one from Cutting Tiny Bites. While this craft activity is fun for elementary, it also aides preschoolers in fine motor skills.



Eiffel Tower Kids' Activity.
Eiffel Tower Kids' Activity.


French History Lesson

The French Revolution











The French Revolution on BrainPop. (Must have password.)

Online Educational Game: French Revolution Time Zone X Game

French Revolution Worksheet for Middle School and High School.

Choose a Famous French Scientist and write a Biography.



Games from France



Hopscotch: This game is played outdoors on a flat, paved surface, but you can paint an old sheet or use cardboard squares to play indoors. You can also purchase a hopscotch board for indoor or outdoor play. Each player needs a small item to toss onto the hopscotch squares. Rocks or quarters work well. Not sure how to play? Get the rules to hopscotch.


Petanque: How to Play Petanque





La Semaine or "The Week"  is  played with 1 or more children with chalk and a pebble (pennies work too). Use the chalk to  draw seven squares in a row. Label each square with a day of the week.

Now, a player throws their pebble into the Monday box. If they miss, it is the next player's turn. If they hit it, they must jump on one foot to get to the stone, pick it up while still standing on one foot, and then jump back to the start.

Players repeat for each day of the week (seven times). Repeat the task every time a mistake is made. For example, they trip or hop on two feet. Game is won when one player covers all squares and makes it safely back start.

French Cricket You will need a Cricket bat or tennis racket and ball. Players stand in a circle. The first player stands with their feet together, defending the 'stumps,' which in French Cricket are the batman's legs below the knees. Now, the players in the circle take turns to bowl at the 'stumps' and the batsman must hit the ball away from them. The bowler gets clever to distract the batsman.


If the batman's legs are hit, he's out. He's also out if he moves his feet at any time from the original position. If the bowler, or any of the fielders around the circle, catch the ball before it hits the ground, the batsman is also out. Everyone takes a turn until the batsman is out. The bowler who 'stumps' the batsman takes his place.  

Worksheets


Make your own French Word Search

Muguet du 1er Mai Elementary Coloring Worksheet (First of May)

Printable Language Arts French Quotes Project for Middle School and High School



Famous French Artists










Paint like Matisse with this Still Life Art Lesson for Kids.

After you've learned all about France, get a taste of their culture and celebrate by making French Recipes. Enjoy these French cooking lessons and recipes for kids.



Recommended:

French Word Search Books

Cough Medicine for Kids: Dr. Cocoa™

Dr. Cocoa™ Cold and Cough Medicine for Kids

Cold season is around the corner, but if you are like me, it is always cough and cold season. NEW Dr. Cocoa™ for Children is the first-ever chocolate flavored, over-the-counter liquid cough and cold medicine line for children ages 4-13! When they asked me to review their product, I accepted with an resounding yes. We had a cold in the house. One cold leads to another and another. It seems like we have colds year round. Allergies are the worst.


Chocolate flavored cough syrup makes for smiling sick kids!
Chocolate flavored cough syrup makes for smiling sick kids!

The kids were excited when the brown box arrived at the doorstep. And, they were thrilled to see the adorable owl puppet inside. Owls are in again! We had it for a week, before the need for medicine came again. They both were anxious to try it, because they hate cherry and grape flavored syrups. They tolerate orange. Chocolate flavor? That might just work! Dr. Cocoa™ for Children is the first-ever cough and cold medicine for children with patented formulas combining trusted, effective ingredients with 10% real cocoa for great chocolate taste to make giving medicine to kids easier. ​  




Cough Medicine for Kids: Dr. Cocoa™
Cough Medicine for Kids: Dr. Cocoa™ 

The great chocolate taste, made with real cocoa, combined with trusted, effective ingredients, means kids are happy to take the medicine and moms are happy that their children will get cough and cold relief. Guess, what it works! Just as good or better than those other remedies with no fussing! I was going to sit on my kids to demonstrate what it is like to get them to take their meds, but then I thought some people might not think that is funny! Instead, I am sharing a picture of a happy kid, one who constantly suffers from allergies and coughs. You can't hear him, but he is thanking Mr. Dr. Cocoa™ .

You can find more about Dr. Cocoa™ on Facebook. Including how to enter to win a hand puppet for a limited time.

Remember, Dr. Cocoa™ products are FDA regulated medicines and should be used only as directed and kept safely out of reach of children.

#DrCocoaReliefWithASmile

Visit www.drcocoa.com for a $2-off coupon offer.

*This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation that contains affiliate links. However, all opinions, text and experiences are my own.


Recommended Reading:

Owl Wreath for Autumn

Jakes Jokes for Kids - 12 Silly Kid Jokes and Riddles

Jake's jokes for kids and funny things kids say are updated and listed all in one place in our Jake's Jokes/Ask Amanda tab above. Here's our latest list of silly jokes and riddles for kids.




  1. What has many limbs but can't move. ( A tree.)
  2. What did the mother ghost say to the baby ghost? (Don't spook until spooken too.)
  3. Why did the gingerbread man go to the hospital? (He was feeling crumby.)
  4. Why did the farmer plant gold in his farm? (To make the soil richer.)
  5. Knock knock. Who's there. Owls. Owls who? (Yes they do!)
  6. What has three feet but can't run? (A yard stick!)
  7. What is the tallest building in the city? (A library because it has the most stories.)
  8. What blows up but doesn't explode? (Possible answers: a balloon, a blowfish.)
  9. What do you call Dracula? (A pain in the neck.)
  10. What dinosaur raps? (A VelociRAPtor.)
  11. What did Susan B. Anthony coin say to the quarter? (Together we make a lot sense/cents.)
  12. What dog can jump higher than a building? (Any dog, buildings can't jump!)


Sign up for our free newsletter! Follow Me on Pinterest

Leprechaun or Santa Placemat Papercraft Tangram Game

Tangram Template Pattern for Santa's Hat Game

This holiday homeschool math lesson for first grade, is a fun learning game for tangrams. What's in Santa's hat? Tangrams! And, yes... I realize tangram is misspelled on some of the images and printables. Who knew? Everyone here says, "TanAgrams". So, if you do too, now you know the correct spelling is T-A-N-G-R-A-M. Enjoy!

Santa Tangram Game for First Grade Elementary
What's in Santa's Hat? Tangram game for elementary!


Shh, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. In March, Santa is a leprechaun. That's right, he just changes his clothes to green and dyes his hair and beard red. You can do it too! 

When you make our placemat papercraft free printable template, just cut green and orange to make Lucky the Leprechaun for this tangram placemat papercraft game for kids

It makes the perfect classroom activity for sitting quietly at your desk, or use it at the dinner table to keep the kids busy while you finish preparing dinner. 

Click on the images below for printable templates or right click and save to computer to print. The latter way might not come out the right size- it is best to click to our MediaFire storage. 

Then, trace and cut out all shapes. When sewing or gluing, leave the top of the hat band open to insert the hat/napkin. I also used the face (just glued the sides) to make the storage space larger.


Santa traceable pattern .
Santa printable traceable pattern .


 Santa Template to download.
Click the image for Santa Template to download.


tangram traceable template
So, oops I misspelled tangram on my printables. Don't make the same mistake!

Tangram Napkin Hat traceable pattern
Tangram Pattern, that's right tangram. Watch your spelling.



Santa Math Game for First Graders.
Santa Math Game for First Graders.

Tip: If you are really crafty, use felt or laminate the paper to make it last longer!

Tangram Shapes 

Printable Hat 
Template Santa's Face Template


Recommended Reading:


Homeschool Lessons by Grade

Santa's Hat Companion Book Idea Ad*









ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Jake's Journey in Art Mask Making 101: Phineas Mask and African Art Mask for Mardi Gras

How to make a Phineas Mask for Mardi Gras or Halloween Costume. Tip: It starts with a birthday party hat.

This latest in a series of Jake's Journey homeschool projects teaches the art of Mask Making and formal balance. We included a tutorial to make an African Art Pende Mask and a Phineas mask which is a little more fun for kids. You might also enjoy this Mardi Gras Bird Mask. Enjoy!


How to Make a Phineas Costume Mask Art Project
How to make a Phineas Mask 
for Mardi Gras, Halloween, or a Birthday Party Hat.


You need a cardboard birthday party hat, a cereal box, egg carton, gift bag, and construction paper. First, draw Phineas' hair (think reindeer antler.) Cut two sections, glue  a red gift bag (as pictured) or construction paper pattern onto the cardboard, let dry, and cut out. Cut a 2" slit in the center of the base of each hair piece, and slide them into each other. Next, cut about 1" off the top of the party hat. 


Draw pattern as pictured on paper folded in half.




Pattern for How to make Phineas and Ferb Hat Mask Costume
It should look like this, cut two.


Take the hair piece and insert it into the hole in the top of the hat. Secure on the inside with tape.  Now, take your birthday party hat and wrap it in pink construction paper and tape with clear tape where it overlaps. Grab a second piece of pink construction paper and holding it in a cone shape, insert it inside the base of the party hat and attach with tape. For this step, it is helpful to have another set of hands. Push the interior cone to the front and attach a hairband inside the hat. Cut out two egg holders from the egg carton, color the center for eyes and attach (hot glues works best) to the front of your hat/mask.  Place the headband on your head as shown in the above picture. Voila!

You might also like to make a Perry the Platypus costume from a cardboard box. 


How to make Masks for kids Phineas and African Art  Homeschool Projects
Make your own Phineas and Ferb Mask 
for a Costume from a birthday party hat.


Masks are a great way to teach the art of formal balance when both sides are exactly alike. Mask can look like animals, humans, or your favorite cartoon hero such as Phineas above. Make these masks to celebrate Mardi Gras.

Many tribes in African countries still use masks as part of their special occasions, or ceremonies.  Examples of Tribal African Mask  Jake chose the Pende Mask, "Panya Ngombe," which was hung above the door of the Chief's dwelling. It is a combination of human and buffalo features with incised triangular grids creating a checkerboard effect. 


Since, Jake seemed to enjoy this project, and the focus was on balance, I didn't split hairs when it came to neatness and creativity (always choose your battles).  Read more about Jake's Journey as a reluctant artist.  Anything to do with mythology, tribes, dinosaurs, he's all over it and loves to learn as much as possible, even if it means doing art!



Pende African Mask Homeschool Projects for Mardi Gras
Pende Mask.


Pattern for African Art Mask (Pende)
Right click to print the Pende Mask Pattern Printable 
(Fold your paper in half).



African Masks for Mardi Gras
Mayhem's "Cat/Person" African Mask.




Recommended Reading:










Jake's Art - Homeschool Weaving Lesson - Make your own Loom - DIY Arts and Crafts

How to make a loom for weaving scrap fiber: A Homeschool Art Lesson

Jake's Journey in Art goes under the sea in this DIY weaving Homeschool Art Lesson we learned to Renew. Enjoy!


How to weave for elementary make your own loom
Our loom has both warp and weft framework to better illustrate 
the concept to young children.

To weave a textile, threads (or scrap fabric) are woven on a frame called a loom. The first vertical threads on the loom are called warp threads. Threads that are woven horizontally in and out of the warp threads are called weft threads.



Cut notches in the cardboard frame to keep yarn in place.

Recycle a piece of cardboard from a cereal box or a foam tray to make your loom. You might also like Native American Paper Bag Dress

Cut small notches into the top and bottom of your cardboard(ours are about 1/2", but 1" works well). Make them about 1/2" inch apart. Alex Toys has a great PDF on weaving here.




Spongebob Fabric for Toddler bed tent.

Warp your loom with yarn or string by taking the thread and taping one end to the back middle of your board.  Now, starting with your first notch on the left, begin wrapping through each top and bottom notch without skipping a notch until you get to the right side of the board.  Only the warp frame is required.

Now your are ready to weave your weft. Cut or tear scraps of fabric into strips. Your strips of fabric should be about 1" thick and at least 12"  long. You will need about 20 strips. 




The cat enjoyed the tearing of fabric strips so much 
he needed a nap after playing with them.

For extra ease for smaller children, we added a weft frame as well. Now the scraps of fabric can be pulled through the little squares for guidance. Pull your scrap fabric under the first warp, over the next, and so on. The yarn guide will help younger children see any mistakes made.

When you have completed your weaving tie off all scraps in groups of two at the edges of your cardboard loom, then you can cut your your thread/yarn framework.




How to make a loom - Elementary Weaving Lesson Scrap Fibers Make your own
Spongebob has his eye on you.

This is an easy way to get littles started in weaving. It is also helpful to cut a piece of cardboard about 1" by 3" with a notch in the end. Attach your scrap fabric by inserting it in the notch and use as a tool to weave the fabric through the loom, this is called a shuttle.




Alex Toys Native American Bead Loom Kit for weaving bracelets.

Once you advance your skills, you can weave many beautiful projects. Alex Toys has a Native American Loom for weaving bracelets.  It is a professional quality loom that makes incredibly authentic bracelets.  We are working on our patterns and will share them soon.



Kid's room cartoon character theme (that way we don't have to worry about matching or new fads).Check out the automobile sun visor we used as a headboard. 
It is simply nailed to the wall.

Jake loved the idea of using his toddler tent cover as scrap fabric for this project. We renewed an item that was dear to his heart. It had been ripped from rowdy play and was no good as a tent, but we saved it anyway in hopes to repair it or transform it into a pillow or some other creative endeavor. The SpongeBob fabric was the perfect accent for his room. 



Yep, we need a hanging stick, but the kids love it.  
Use favorite t-shirts, pillow cases, or doll clothes for your scrap fiber.

To display your beautiful work of art weave a "weft" stick horizontally through the top row and hang on a wall.  Jake loved his creation and couldn't wait for the stick. He wanted to see how it looked right away, so we hung it by a nail. A little droopy, yes, but he loves it.

Did he love the process?  Not so much.  Much patience is a necessary requirement of weaving. So, Mommy made the loom, got it started and Jake weaved the inner pieces to gain an understanding of the process.  Mommy tied and cut it off making sure Jake watched and understood. This is somewhat time consuming, but the end results are worth it.


Mayhem saw the weaving on his wall and wanted it for her room. Score! This project journey ended on a very happy note.   



Recommended Reading:


Learning How to Weave*

Party Time: SpongeBob SquarePants*






ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)


How to Make Salt Dough Recipe: Self-Portrait Ornaments

How to make Salt Dough Self-portraits as Ornaments

Did you ever wonder how to make salt dough? We made self portraits for a homeschool art project. I included how to make homemade clay and a few salt dough recipes. These mini-mes are a great companion project for a preschool or kindergarten learning body parts lesson. You can also make Christmas Tree Ornaments from Salt Dough. We played around with a variety of themes during our homeschool art lesson. Enjoy!


This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*



How to Make Salt Dough Recipe Christmas Ornaments Decorations
Salt Dough Holiday Ornament Recipe.





Make a Halloween Tree with Homemade Dough Ornaments.


How to make salt dough self portraits Christmas Decorations
Self portraits from homemade clay and salt dough.





How to make dough Christmas ornaments
Make Christmas and Holiday ornaments by inserting straw to form a hole.

This recipe is for  how to make clay without cream of tar tar.


Salt Dough Recipe:




1 C. flour

1 C. salt


1/2 C. water


Mix together and knead.


When ready to cook, put on a baking sheet in 


oven at 100 degrees C/ 200 F for 2-3 hours.


Cooking is not necessary, leave your creations 


in a safe place to dry. We left these in a table drawer


and forgot about them.


When cool, paint or decorate with beads or candy.



Salt dough cookie faces.

You might also like how to make Homemade Clay with cream of tar tar.





We made these self-portraits about four years ago and forgot about them. They've sat in the end drawer of our dining room table ever since. They were never cooked nor painted.

Jake was about four years old and he hadn't met his elementary art teacher yet, but he still had an aversion to art. It was a sensory issue. He didn't like getting his hands dirty. He also worried about getting things on his clothes. If either of these happened, he would get very upset. I suppose this is where my love  of messy crafts was born.


I liked to be tidy as a small child too. I didn't play like the other kids on the playground, because I didn't want to ruin my leotards (today we call them tights) or get grass stains on my clothes. These things troubled me a great deal. So, I'd walk around the perimeter of the playground until the teacher blew the whistle. Little did I know, it was OCD. I've recovered, but some people don't appreciate it. The only way for me to stay sane is to embrace messy things. 


Yep, I didn't want Jake to struggle with the same wacky demons, so I encouraged sensory play.


Even now, he wants to hurry and complete the project so he can wash his hands. If we are mixing dough, he can't let it dry. You know, that crumbly, crackly feeling  on your hands? Mayhem and I like it. It's fun to let the dough dry and then scrape it off similar to letting school glue dry on your hands. I like seeing the fingerprints in the glue peelings. 


Jake? No way. I think this has a lot to do with his hatred of art, and then the teacher came along and made art a boring chore. 


He strives for self-inflicted perfection. He doesn't like the learning curve. He knows a lot. He is a gifted child. When he has to learn something new he is disappointed he didn't already know it. You can see the shame and the disappointment in his face. 


Recently, he had to take a Scantron test online, the test was smart. The more correct answers, the harder the questions. We told him to guess, but he refused. He labored over each question and made a very educated guess. In the end, he scored above average, but the test was torture. He cried with each question  for the first time aware he didn't have all the answers. 



Jake beginning his journey in art.


If only he could realize art works the same way, but it's better because there are no real answers in art. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I am the beholder here. I like his salt dough self-portrait the wavy hair and round face remind me so much of my happy, bouncy, little four year old.

Next week's journey, Animal Printmaking, proved very difficult for a neat freak. Smudges are a perfectionist's nemesis. Start here for Jake's Journey in Art 



Recommended Reading:

Air Dry Clay Projects

Minecraft Creeper Wood Carving Project

Christmas Dough Crafts

Salt Dough: More than 100 Projects! (American Girl Library)


How to Make a Basic Color Wheel and Primary Art Lesson Homeschool

THE PRIMARY COLORS: ROYGBIV 

How to Make a Color Wheel Homeschool Art Lesson.

If you're following Jake's Journey in Art this homeschool art lesson isn't from 3rd grade art. We've been combining lessons and working on everything together to make it more like a classroom and easier for the teacher (me). This is the 1st grade Primary Color Lessons for homeschoolers, but we added a science component and more to make it more interesting for the older elementary kids too. Enjoy!

This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links for your convenience.




Sesame Street teaches Primary Colors.

Henri Matisse loves primary colors.



cute primary color wheel for preschooler or early elementary
Mayhem's second attempt (First Grade).
Preschool Color Wheel Ideas
Mayhem's first attempt: a color wheel cat.
He has all the colors just not in the right position.
He got the letters but not the wheel.  The smudges are  two
primary marker colors blended to create the secondary  colors.

So, what is a technically correct color wheel?


Colorwheel Art Lesson


The colors of the RAINBOW or those that appear in a prism. Here is a fun scientific lesson in PDF form from Stargazers and NASA.

We studied the use of primary colors by the Masters like the Matisse pictured above, and then we chose a farm animal to trace with pencil and paint with only the primary and secondary colors.

Jake's bunny with primary and secondary color complements.

Jake was a champ when it came to the technical aspect of art. He reminded me of the cheat to remember the primary and secondary colors. Red, Yellow, Blue, Orange, Green, Indigo, and Violet better known as ROY G. BIV.  He also knew prisms reflect the light from the sun and radiate these colors. Although, he knew about the color wheel he didn't have a good grasp of the concept of contrasting or complementary colors.

We're going to explore this concept. Math and Science are everywhere in ART. So, my little genius, art critic is going to learn about the golden rule sooner than later. Funny how people tend to be one or the other, left or right brained. I'm taking on the challenge to prove it doesn't have to be either or.

Paint a Primary and Complementary Color Bunny Elementary Art
Mayhem's bunny. They both traced the bunny from an original drawn by me. Yep, she's 6, loves art and hates math.


Click the thumbnails below to catch up on our 
Homeschool Art Journey
 or start here with LESSON ONE.
From Wikipedia:
Complementary colors are pairs of colors that are of “opposite” hue in some color model. The exact hue “complementary” to a given hue depends on the model in question, and perceptually uniformadditive, and subtractive color models, for example, have differing complements for any given color.


The complement of each primary color (red, blue, or yellow) is roughly the color made by mixing the other two in a subtractive system:
  • red complements (blue + yellow) = green
  • blue complements (red + yellow) = orange
  • yellow complements (red + blue) = violet


Recommended Reading:


Jake's Art: Still Life Picture: Homeschool Lesson 3

Still Life Picture Cobalt Bottle Homeschool Art Project

Oh my, what a fun journey in Art we have embarked upon this homeschool season. This week's assignment Still Life PicturesGather some fruit and other interesting items, arrange them on a table, and draw them as realistically as possible. Well, let's just say it took all of our stressometers to the max. Enjoy!

Still Life Picture Apples and Cobalt Bottle
The Still life example looked similar to this one 
with a cobalt bottle and fruit.
As, Jake sat having a melt-down, I searched the web for famous examples of still life. The lesson does mention not everyone has a natural ability to do realistic drawings, but practice makes perfect.


Picasso Still Life Painting
Picasso, Still Life with oranges.
Let me tell you, I've had years of practice. I cannot draw a realistic still life. So, I told Jake we would interpret our own realism like Picasso did in his interpretation. After all, everyone must start somewhere and the photographic images could stifle the most confident of young artists. I showed him many amazing still lifes. Examples are at the bottom of this post. He struggled with the contour drawings wanting to draw the entire table no matter how many times I explained, "Just pretend this is all you see."


This one depicts the entire surface of the table.
"Jake, please try again.  You are making this much too difficult.  Just draw a line to represent the table surface."  "I Can't!" He cried smashing his pencil down onto the table.

Still life on table with outline.

Still life with apple totem.




Still life third try.

Now, I didn't make him draft the outline five times. It was his perfectionist choice. I was ready to color-in the second one once he understood the concept of a horizon line, but he was compelled to continue the torture. His final drawing is below and quite lovely with its soft shadings, faint line of the table in the background and arrangement. (Nevermind the bottle lines showing through the fruit~choose your battles.)












In the meantime, his little sister (Mandy Mayhem) and natural born creative, drew this still life including the table, the windows, the painting on the wall, the wall, and some additional items she felt added to the picture.


 "I'm done Mommy. Can I do another one? I really like the Fishbowl Matisse, can I do one of those?"  Sure, Mayhem just do it quietly so Jake can concentrate.

Matisse Fishbowl Still Life Picture Goldfish
Matisse with Goldfish.

If only, Jake could concentrate. Remind your kids to relax!  Relaxation is the most important element of quality art. He has a special talent, but this project was very stressful for him.

The pictures below, especially Wassily Kandinsky,  gave him the courage to trudge ahead. We also found Paul Klee and Joan Miro still lifes. 

Everyone who studied art had to do a still life. Note the Paul Cezanne's skulls. So, paint what you enjoy. Make the project your own, but fulfill the assignment.


Warhol Still Life Image
Warhol Still Life
Cezanne Still Life Skulls
Cezanne Still Life
Picasso Still Life
Picasso Still Life

Kandinsky Still Life
Kandinsky Still Life
Picasso Still Life
Picasso Still Life

Matisse Still Life
Matisse Still Life


The still life was our worst struggle by far, but it was also a turning point. The next post is a much happier, carefree one. As Jake's journey continues you will see a calmer more reflective, budding young artist.


Remember these points:
A little encouragement goes a long way.

You don't have to erase in ART. The mistakes can make a Masterpiece.

Never tell your child or anyone else their drawing doesn't look real. It is art, a beautiful interpretation in the eye of the beholder. What if Picasso or Warhol stopped trying because they weren't successful? 

Andy Warhol is a fantastic example. Practice does make perfect but not necessarily photographic. Once he abandoned the notion he needed to be a "real artist" not a graphic artist; he finally became a Master of his own success.

Read more about Lesson one (Line - how do you feel about art.) and Lesson two (tunnel book perspective.)

And this one next (if you are following in order): Oh happy day: progress with watercolors and paper arts.


Recommended Reading:

Still Life with Bread Crumbs: A Novel*

Art of Still Life Drawing (Art of Drawing)*






ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)