Pablo Picasso: A Mini Unit

An introduction. Well, my son already knew of Pablo Picasso, but we watched the above video and a few others on YouTube then proceed to books!

Picasso and Minou by Maltbie is a fun way to learn about Picasso. It's mostly a true story with a bit of fiction thrown in (explained in the end notes) packaged in a lovely illustrated book. For an Amazon look-inside follow the link! Ages 4-8, but I think can go higher.

Getting To Know The World's Greatest Artists: Picasso by Mike Venezia was also a nice introduction but much more factual and chronologically based. This also has an Amazon look-inside and seems to be recommended for Grades 1-3 or ages 9-12 (nice to know Amazon doesn't have conflicting concepts on its pages, lol). Mike Venezia has a whole series of books and videos that introduce famous people: artists, composers, etc.


When Pigasso Met Moostise by Nina Laden was a funny and fiercely colourful story that my son enjoyed. Amazon look-inside. A homage to Picasso and Matisse.






These were two other books we borrowed from the library: What Makes a Picasso a Picasso? and Who Was Pablo Picasso?
They were great ideas but didn't get examined much.





Inspired by the videos, out came the paints and wonderfully large paper!

Here my son creates a colourful Jabba the Hutt  ;-)





And out of the blue, while having fun with the iPhone app Doodle Buddy, my son declared this creation of his...

"The Creative Process of Pablo Picasso!"

lol.

 I first ran across these sticker books over at Almost Unschoolers blog and have since spotted them at the Art Gallery of Alberta.

Basically there is a write up and photo of the artist followed by 6 examples of his or her work.

Along with each example is a partially completed example that you can use the stickers in the book to complete.

Or, as my son prefers, to make your own masterpiece!








For some online fun, go to Picasso Head and create your own Picasso inspired head or just browse the gallery and see what others have done.

For a Picasso Artist Study.

This has been linked with Picasso-An Arty Crafty Party over at Our World Wide Classroom!


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Book: Palazzo Inverso

The above video takes you through the first half of this MC Escher-esque book, it's a teaser. But not enough of a teaser if you ask me; the book itself is much more exciting to look at and read. I love the way the text wraps the pages and sends you back to the beginning.

Palazzo Inverso is by DB Johnson.
Amazon's summary: "Mauk's master is drawing up plans for a grand palazzo, and Mauk is NOT allowed to help. Mauk only sharpens the master's pencils--he doesn't actually use them.
...Or does he? One morning, Mauk's master is horrified to discover that his plans have run amok, and the construction of the grand palazzo has, too! Is Mauk really to blame? Or is that just the master's point of view?"

This is a cute book to read on it's own, but would make a great addition to a study about MC Escher or drawing.

Although I recommend getting the book itself, you can read it online here. Problem is, you just don't get the whole tactile experience of reading the text, getting to the end, and flipping the book upside down and reading the wrapped text back to the beginning. It's much more fun to explore the actual book!

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Book: The Picture History of Great Explorers

The Picture History of Great Explorers by Gillian Clements is a very fun and colourful way to explore history's famous explorers and get a nice over view with time lines. This was a library find that my son was very enthusiastic about for a while. Now he gives it 3.5 out of 5 (=Good).

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Book: Roberto The Insect Architect

I seem to be posting tons of books lately. We do love books! But I'd be rather remiss if I failed to post about this humble picture book. Why? Because my husband is an architect :)
Again, this picture book will appeal to many age levels and would even be a fun gift for the professional or not-so-professional architect in your life!

Roberto: The Insect Architect is a fun and creative book by Nina Laden who illustrated the book with collage pictures. From the book flaps:

"Ever since he was a wee mite (termite that is), Roberto wanted to be an architect. He longed to follow in the footsteps of such architectural greats as Hank Floyd Mite and Fleas van der Rohe.
 Discouraged by comments from family and friends that he is biting off more than he can chew, he decides to follow his dream to the big, buzzing city, where he meets some not-so-creepy crawlers who spark in him the courage to build a community for them all."

It's a clever, witty read full of inspiration. It's very punny too. The references to real people, given new name twists (Robin Leech/ Barbara Waterbugs), makes it a fun book for anyone! Typically her books are ages 4-12, and up  ;-)

But before I move on, I want to emphasize that Nina Laden is an author/illustrator you may wish to explore further. This is not the only book of hers that's inventive and full of wit! How about trying Romeow and Drooliet or When Pigasso Met Mootise? The latter book may be featured when I finally get around to summing up our mini Picasso "study."

This post has been linked up with.... Book Sharing Monday

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Famous Birthday Celebrations-- A Past Example

On January 27, 2009 we celebrated Mozart's birthday (born in 1756). This was our very first endeavour and we eased into our new idea with a famous person we already knew and loved.

The kitchen table was decorated with a display of library books and CDs and we ate breakfast while listening to Mozart's classical music. A great way to start the day, wouldn't you say?!

This was followed by the Classical Kids' story about the Magic Flute, Mozart's Magic Fantasy and Mozart's Magnificant Voyage, a biography told with music. It was a very auditory day and right up my son's alley. Two other CDs we listened to were The Mozart Effect and The Magic of Mozart.

A couple of the books included Clothes of the Early Modern World by Christine Hatt and Young Mozart (a picture book) by Isadora.

Since it was one of the instruments Mozart played and one my son was unfamiliar with, we googled harpsichords, looked at the pictures, and listened to examples on YouTube. Colouring pages of harpsichords and Mozart were found and printed off.

We took a virtual tour through the Miracle's Wax Museum in Salzburg, Austria. The link I had no longer works. I tried a quick search and couldn't find it, sorry.

As I noted at the time, other options could have been to explore the country of origin, foods, and customs. Really, there are no limits!

Idea: Celebrating Famous People's Birthdays

The North Saskatchewan River & Downtown Edmonton

Dead or Alive!

One of our ideas is to celebrate famous people's birthdays, whether they have been long deceased or are alive and kicking. Some times I choose the person, sometimes our son does. This represents a unique and fun way to learn about someone without it being an in-depth study, but allow for the opportunity to be a jumping board into something more substantial.

We don't eat birthday food and cake. We don't decorate. But that's just us. I can see where a very crafty/artsy family may wish to decorate or bake a cake. We chose not to... so, what do we do?

Typically, I would do the research on the person and find all kinds of resources: library books, movies, documentaries, music, art, quotes, magazine articles, websites, YouTube videos, stories, the person's favourites, etc. I would also brainstorm possible activities or field trips. Since the purpose of this exercise is to provide a glimpse into the life and achievements of the person, I try not to go too overboard. Still, if I have too much material and the interest goes beyond a day of celebrations, all the better!

On the birthday, we look over the plundered information and pick and choose. It is supposed to be fun and stimulating, not gruelling! Usually some form of biography is in order and then, from there, there is no order. We read, listen, create, visit, and enjoy delving into the life and times of the famous person. And, if we find ourselves going off on a tangent, we go full throttle!

I suppose you can take the birthday out of the equation and just have a day that focuses on a particular person. We find it more fun to honour the person's birthday. Besides, the challenge of finding a birth date and corresponding person, at any given moment, is fun too! It often instigates examination of an unfamiliar person.

Resources

HistoryOrb.com  From this website, you can find famous birthdays, famous deaths, and famous events

Internet
local public library
local archives and museums
your imagination