Common Ground Art Smart
                      ....a "how to" for your library

                                  You can see where mom's touch comes into this masterpiece -

                                                                   shaping the heart, encouraging patterning and writing Lylah

Last year I proposed,  planned and started a new program for our library.  Inspired by S.T.E.M. becoming S.T.E.A.M. we introduced an arts program for parent and child, together, creating art side-by-side.  This is dream-come-true-programming for me.  Patrons have asked for something along this line from time to time and now with Common Core State Standards in place, I discovered a foundation to support building this type of program.  Common Ground Art Smart was instantly successful.  Parents wrote to the director to keep this going and to fund it!  (we actually do not have a budget for story time supplies) Impressive support!  I want to say that I am not surprised by the enthusiasm but I guess I am surprised that it's taken the controversy over the rigor of the CCSS to get all hands on deck for the arts.  And that's okay.  It takes a village.

                                                Again, a mom's touch can be seen in directing the heart shape.

Our program combines the common ground of literacy needs for children, the CCSS and adds the fun of creativity and imagination with the experimentation of artistic technique.  We are CCSS mindful in the selection of the project and CCSS purposeful in the use of language during the program....but we are open to every bit of your imagination in the process.  Hence I don't make a sample of our artwork.  Communication skills are gigantic here.  It is not about making something that Mrs. Breen made.  It is more - with this method you may create your own.  

Lately I find that I am reluctant to enter any conversation about the CCSS.  Parents, teachers, administrators and politicians are very vocal on the subject and I just don't have the desire to go there.  I am intentionally avoiding any opinion and that's my advice to anyone who wishes to do a program built on the CCSS.  In my position with children's services I am helping, assisting, providing, guiding, recommending to children and families all things literacy.  As a reference librarian I do a million more things but with intent to focus on my priorities in children's - I am the go-to-gal for the what, when, and why to read.  

 Over the years of my career I have worked with a number of educational trends, movements, and plans and I see no reason to criticize.   I am there to support - not only the families but the teachers and classrooms as well.  I am the book selector, collection builder and I need to be sure that the collection supports today's child, the whole child. (meaning not only the CCSS)

I hand out circles to all and let them go-to-it on the flannel board

The "how to" in creating a Common Ground Art Smart program  

                    

Here's what I did:
Visited our BOE (Board of Education) website to pull up the suggested book titles in the CCSS    for pre-k and K .  Ordered 8 copies of each title I thought worked for the library.
Started a pinterest page for Art Smart art projects and pinned the night away repeatedly!
I developed art projects that supported the CCSS books.
With a budget of $75.00 I visited the local art store and bought art supplies.
      Good paper is most important - watercolor paper is the best!  lots of good paper!
       Oil pastels, (open them, break them in half and double the fun!)
       Black sharpies, at least one for everyone (permanent black, assorted tips)
       New markers...the little short fat ones!  All colors
       Fat paintbrushes
       Watercolor paints (I use the good old-fashioned paint trays)
       Lots of glue sticks
       Blue painters tape, (the stuff you use when painting walls in your house!)
        
We announced the program on the library's website.  CG Art Smart is offered for children ages 3-5 with an adult on Thursdays 10:30 - 11:15am  

                                                 Are you willing to come up and find the matching pairs?  

We begin the program cozy on the carpet with an interactive flannel board.   Matching mitten designs, warm and cool colors, Kandinsky's circles, dots for playing and sorting - whatever I introduced to those little ones - they got it!  They totally got it within a very short time.  I would follow with info on today's book, why it was important developmentally and the broad theme of our artwork.   We then find our places to sit at the table.  The moms and dads are incredibly helpful and the kids know the routine completely.  We spend a good thirty minutes creating our art project.  With  7-8 minutes remaining, I take all the kids back to the cozy carpet and bring out Piper for a story, a song, and some silliness.  During this time the parents crop, mat, double mat, date,  the art work.  

I encourage the parents to take the books home and I tell them what are doing next week - just in case they want to take next week's book home.  Some people, (like me) always want to be prepared.  I would be the child taking next week's book home!  

                 

The first 4 week session of this program we worked mostly with circles featuring the books: Kitten's First Full Moon - Henkes - a water color background with a white out moon and a black, (crayon) shadow tree
We made a torn paper and modge podge collage cats
Pancakes for Breakfast - DePaola  - we created overlapping printed circles in a variety or sizes and colors using tempera paint in many colors!
Over In The Meadow - Keats - with watercolor paint we created circular shapes, after they dried we added arms, legs, faces, wings, tails, etc; with black sharpies bringing our shapes to life
(I am so sorry that I did not take photos of the first session)

The second 4 week session we have used mostly hearts featuring the book -  I Read Signs by Hoban.  We created an assortment of hearts using heavy oil pastels recognizing warm and cool colors.  We have scissors with assorted pattern edges, very cool.  We tried them here.  

 We painted an entire sheet of paper with water color paints and later cut that paper into hearts

                                                                                          Watercolor hearts

Using a crayon resist we wrote names or messages or designs on paper and then painted the paper with watercolor paint exposing our message or design.  We used scissors again for heart shapes.

    Crayon resist

And this week we used the book Kitten's First Full Moon and found inspiration with Laurel Burch's cats.  Because this was our last program for this session I "rewarded" the parents with 15 minutes of time with the artwork.  I had a feeling that they really wanted to go to town with the silver and gold markers and background colors.  And Piper was very willing to bring her kitty friend," Speedo" to story time.  Needless to say ...Piper and I had a blast with the kids.  

Parents drew the cats and outlined with black sharpie, kids colored the cats with oil pastels.  Kids colored in and out of the lines!!!  Some did patterns encouraged by parents, or color block.  Parents then cut the cats out...so magically it appeared that all the coloring was "in the lines"  This is a great trick and makes the art work more definable.  (if you want that)  

After ^ photo

the mother/daughter pair placed gold dots around the cats

and counted them aloud in sets of 20!  You know I love that!

I am a big fan of black matting

...especially with the gold marker!

Picasso inspired?  Maybe!

This was her favorite project, can you tell? 

So much fun!

One of the neat things about this program was introducing techniques to parents and children and watching them both experiment and learn at the same time.   We are offering the program again in the summer.  It's an exciting challenge to continue to find projects that work with our books.  I believe I will be ordering more titles from the CCSS picture book list for CT.

P.S. (piper script):  Maybe they'll create an art project all about me?  

                                                                                 




                                                                                             

Flannel Friday Goes Wild with Mr Tiger!
~ aka Piper and Jane with their favorite book!

We've been missing from Flannel Friday for some time now.  How does it all get so busy?  Inquiring Jane needs to know!  I do manage to check in and see what everyone has done - so I am ever-so-selfishly still inspired but I have not made a new flannel board set in months. I am grateful for the beautiful work and creativity that is on-going.  Many thanks to the flannelizers out there!  

I had the honor this winter of serving on the Cybils Awards Committee as a finalist judge in the Fiction Picture Book Category.  Very cool experience, educational, thoughtful, and friendly.  I hope I get to do it again.  Click here for application info  Oh, and FYI, I was not the only FF-er serving this year...look who served on the Poetry Committee:

Bridget Wilson, What is Bridget Reading?
http://whatisbridgetreading.blogspot.com
@bridgetrwilson

Lucky for me...the winning title in the Fiction Picture Book Category also happened to be my current most favorite book.  My thanks to the talented Betsy Bird for keeping us aware of the results of Mock Caldecotts across the nation.  I had a suspicion that this book would be a Caldecott honor or winner and was all set to run with it for Prime Time with Mrs. Breen and Piper (our pajama story time) on ALA's awards announcement day! We read the book in story time and made our craft despite the fact that it was not among the Caldecott winners. (Boo) And then...just when you think you are out of touch with what's what in books...the short list of Cybils finalist landed in my inbox and there was Mr Tiger *be still my heart* looking at me!!  Pure delight.  My task - read the short list, rank the books, defend my reasoning, sit back and read the opinions of other committee members.  Think, re-read, re-write, REPEAT!  

This book touched my heart - it encourages you to be true to you.  Find yourself.  Be yourself.  The message is gentle and at some points silly but not crazy silly...it's rather respectful.  I love it. 

Perfect book for story time - there were so many giggles seeing the naked (au naturel) Mr Tiger!

The following is from the Cybils Winners Page:

Fiction Picture Books

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild

Peter Brown

Little, Brown and Co.

Nominated by: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild opens to muted tones of a proper Victorian society of well-mannered animals, living in houses and walking on two legs. Surrounded by an abundance of subdued suits, ties, dresses and tea, the daily hum-drum pushes Mr. Tiger outside the city limits to a place where he can ROAR! But first he undergoes the drama and surprising silliness of life on four legs, a swim in the water fountain and *gasp* a view of his magnificent, naked self. Confident artistic elements start on the decorative endpapers, capitalize on the freedom of double page illustrations, built intensity with the color palette, and combine seamlessly with the lean text of most carefully selected words. With great comedic timing and a light-handed touch on message, Peter Brown has written a clever, compelling invitation to self-discovery.  

Now, one may think that a little black lab would have a difficult time with a Mr Tiger, but not so.  Piper fell in love with this tale and lead the group ROAR!

Newberry, Caldecott and Coretta Scott King awards 2014

P.S. (piper script):  We love awards season!

Flannel Friday and it's Not The First Day of Winter

Winter?  Really?  

                                                                     Coffee and a Good Book's photo

Honestly, everyone knows I've been denying winter's arrival.  Very vocal here. I whine to stay in...while Piper whines to go out.  There's almost nothing better for my little lab than a snowy day!  And for me..this time of year...actually all the livelong year...there's nothing better than a book to read.  That illustration up top..could be me!   

As far as Piper and I are concerned, we've gone from Summer to Winter because again, I was in denial about Autumn.  Really.  Although we happily welcomed the Holiday Season into the Library with the amazing Connecticut Concert Ballet, I did not say "welcome to snow and cold."  Nope!  Didn't even whisper it!  

There's no denying Mother Nature now.  Snow is on the ground in Connecticut and more is headed our way.  So please stop by the library tomorrow, join me, and...

Poster by Denise Fleming
available to download @denisefleming.com

The illustration is from Denise Fleming's latest release.  We're letting you know, right now - it's fabulous!  Piper and I will be taking this book over the meadow and through the woods for all of our winter outreach.  (I know the schools are close to the library - it just feels like over the meadow and through the woods when we travel in the snow!)  Piper and I need a Subaru!!  Heck, since we're dreaming...let's get heated seats too! 

I love this book right from the very cover and I will bravely tell you why...the kid's got color.  YES!  Thank you Denise Fleming for continuing to show us that kids come in every size, shape and color. My family comes in colors and I always need books that reflect diversity.  This cumulative tale takes us on a brightly colored adventure through the first 10 days of snowy blowy winter  One of the neat things about this book...if you're visiting a class on the 24th day of winter or the 45th day... the students will think of more things to keep the story going.  Read the book.  Just read it.  

Here's my favorite snowman flannel board from Piper's stash.  We posted it last January...but it's so "today."  

Click here for the rhyme!

Since I have no original flannel for today...a second re-post!!  This one just makes me think of Denise Fleming's happy kids! 

Here's the link

Piper and I are linking you up to the Connecticut Library Consortium's List of great books to give as gifts all year long.  Here's the Young Children's list:

http://www.ctlibrarians.org/associations/10663/files/youngchildren2013.pdf

Or visit the home page for all three lists.  Download and print them out, they're set up to be a tri-fold. 

Thanks for visiting today.  We love comments.  Even on our bossy days!  Wait!  Just who's barking here?  No barking, no bossy, we're "edgey"!?  

P.S. (Piper Script)  Denise Fleming's new book whispers to all librarians..."I know there's a flannel board inside of me!" To learn more about the very talented Denise Fleming please visit her website  www.denisefleming.com

Oh Christmas Tree!

Oh Christmas Tree
How beautiful you are in flannel!
   

      So maybe this isn't the right verse for the song...but I love this little tree.  I saw it last year on Pinterest and knew I needed to make one.  While watching the gala surrounding the lighting of the tree on Rockefeller Plaza, (on the television...from the warm comfort of my cozy couch), I started drawing and cutting and singing - no dancing.  No dancing with scissors in your hands.  House rule.  Great rule.  And I made a tree, almost 3 feet tall!!  woo - hoo!  Or is it..woot! ?

 I made the tree with big sheets of stiffened green felt, (leftovers!) ...and the tree looks sort of stiff,  don't you think? Funny!   Next  year I'll go for graceful sweeping branches from a roll of  soft green felt and it will be magnificent.  This, mind you, is my starter tree!

Right now it's laying down on a foam (core) board.  I need to attach it to the board, to make it stand.  I think I'll do that with velcro.  I may want to attach it to the "fridge" with magnets later, or the flannel board - I'm thinking ...stay flexible!  Heck, I can move this tree from room to room!  How many people can say that about their holiday tree?

I have more sheets of the leftover green felt - I may have to make more trees...oh, a forest! No, no, not really doing that.  Sooo not doing that.  I am already thinking of sewing some sort of felt garland.  This is totally crazy!  Stop!  Be content.  Breathe.  Be calm and holiday on!  CALM.  

When I left work today I placed this tub on a colleague's desk to put out for our patrons tomorrow.  (I'm off tomorrow) We have a very tall tree in our library...maybe 15 feet.  Not a Christmas tree...it looks a bit like a giant avocado plant...but I know it's not. To honor Nelson Mandela,  we will place birds on our library tree for December and maybe January too.  We will pray for peace on earth - in our lifetime, or at least our children's lifetime.  Let us all fly free.

Here are a couple of birds ready to nest in the Peace Tree

P.S. (Piper Script): I can't wait to take those felt ornaments off and on and off and on.  We get a bit hyper here around the holidays.  Yes, "we".  xo

How to "holiday" at the Library!

The Nutcracker Ballet Packs the House!

Here's how to host a holiday ballet in your library.  Find a great local ballet company.  We work with the Connecticut Concert Ballet, (please click and look, absolutely beautiful!) Their pricing works for us and they are wonderfully professional - from management, design, creativity, dancers, talent, poise and personality!  We love them. 

 Contact your ballet company in the summer or earlier to secure the best date for November or December.  My advice is the beginning of December.  Family schedules get wildly crazy as December inches along.  Talk with the director of the dance company to be sure you have full costumed dancers coming.  Be clear that your library wants dances from the Nutcracker with all the beautiful music.  The Connecticut Concert Ballet brings a sound person and sound system.  Also make sure to review the space - the type of flooring in your program room and how much space the dancers need.  We arrange for a 45 minute program, (this is absolutely perfect for kids), followed by a fabulous  photo opportunity.  The dancers are amazingly gracious with their time and take photo after photo with the young audience.

Make tickets...yes, tickets! It's the ballet!  (note: be sure to know how much space the dancers need before you decide how many tickets.)  And announce when these FREE tickets will be available.  Advertise in all your usual ways.  Each person attending must have a ticket and I suggest that children be at least age 4.  (you know you'll get so many requests ..."my child is a very mature 3 yr old; may he/she attend?"  You'll need to decide this ahead of time.) And all children must come with an adult.  You'll get adults out "on their own" for the ballet even though this may be a "Children's" sponsored program.  It's wonderful!

Now our community room is tiny and very simple (as in PLAIN).  You may want to dress things up a bit.  I borrowed a Nutcracker from home.  

And some holiday flowers and displayed books everywhere!

We packed the house 5 minutes before the start of the show!

We handed out bells and sang Jingle Bells to welcome the Christmas Season

We sat back and enjoyed the show!

Now, what takes it way over the top for us and makes it all so memorable...the dancers along with one of their directors invite the children to join them and learn some ballet steps and then they all dance to the music.  Oh. My. Goodness.  These ballerinas are amazing!

The ballet dancers passed out candy canes and bookmarks to the audience

 and I requested a group pose.  Wow!

We had light refreshments and plenty of Christmas books ready to take home.  

And they took them!  This is the best way to start the holiday.

My thanks to Carol Waxman - the genius behind this in West Hartford.

This is a family favorite each year.    

P.S. (Piper Script) I love this beautiful Christmas angel.  Maybe I'll get wings and a tutu in my stocking!  Please leave a comment or a question...we love hearing from you.  xo

For the LOVE of BOOKS

Celebrate Picture Book Month with a PARTY
                                         ....or maybe a Wild Rumpus?

       

Oh yes we did! ... an evening to remember!   Our recipe for success included: a red carpet, fancy stanchions, shinny streamers..balloons! refreshments...glitz, glam, swag bags, stories, songs and picture books galore!  

  

November is Picture Book Month and the Caldecott Award is 75 years old, whoa!  This deserved a party.  Agreed?  Of course!  And we thought... fancy party, fancy dress, fancy pants, fancy fancy!  Check out this fancy, handsome young man...simply perfect

We set up a "Walk the Red" PRESS BOX for interviews and family photos...it was the best!   Everyone sat in the director's chairs.  Take a look!  Straight from the Faxon Library's BNN (Book News Network) where I had the microphone and they answered the questions....we have a charming mom and son...

talkin' books and monkeyin' around!

Knuffle Bunny and Sarah, (photo bombed by a monkey)

Oh my! A fancy-dressed princess in the press box with mom and dad!

Two of the evening's prize winners!  (watercolor paint sets)

...and, well, what can I say?  Hey hey we're the monkeys!

We set up the Library's Community Room with spotlights on the Caldecott Books.  We dimmed the overhead lights, turned on the music and our families walked that red carpet.  I must confess...I walked it like a runway...fancy me!!  My friend Isabella "walked the red" and announced,  "Mrs Breen, I love this party already!"  

Within minutes I realized that the parents and grand parents were excited to see Caldecott Award winning books from their youth.  This was incredible and it both surprised and delighted me.  A common thread, a common joy...these beautiful, beautiful books held meaning and memories for the children and THE ADULTS!  The adults loved revisiting their favorites.  WOW!  (and just saying...I don't think you'll ever get that feeling from a Kindle... like I said...just saying, absolutely no judgement here!)

Max and his Wild Things were front and center in our decorations for the evening.  Everyone recognized them and identified with the story in some way.  My thanks to the incredibly talented author/illustrator Maurice Sendak.   I had the honor of sharing the stage with him in 1988 reading books to children.  It was spectacular - but alas, I was so completely in awe...I could not manage to speak a single word to him! *sigh*

YOUR LIBRARY

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

 Anyway, back to the party..to help everyone settle into our event we provided a maker's table for designing and making pipe cleaner flower corsages, bracelets, crowns and hair jewelry! Once decked-out with personalized designer accessories we slowly organized into the story time area.  Here are two of the evening's beautiful young ladies...one is stylin' a Disney designer gown, crown and cherry lollipop, and the other sweet heart is politely waiting for the story!

Before reading our book we just had to have a conversation on background information for the round gold medal on the book cover.  The author writes the book...do you like to write? Raise your hand.  The illustrator does the drawing and painting and creating pictures for the book.  Ah, the work of the illustrator is as cool and as important as the author's words. And the illustrator wins this award!  "Please raise your hand if you like to draw and paint and make beautiful pictures" .   Hands went up...adults and children's hands stretched into the air with pride.  This is the best!  Twenty-six years in Children's Services and it's always a delight when the parents "buy into" the deal.  Yep - many of our parents like to draw and paint and make messes!   They raised their hands!  Good listeners!  Great audience!  Thank you for being the best role model for your children.  

We read Kitten's First Full Moon - written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes.  Oh what fun!  Everyone loves kittens!  And this one is really thirsty...but why, oh why is the bowl of milk in the sky?  Wait!  Milk in the sky?  That can't be...hmm.  No spoiler to be found on this blog - you'll need to read the book!  

But for now, just look at the expression on her little face.  Ut-oh!

The book is darling and silly and we learned that many of our families own it. (YAY!)

We did a cute flannel board game too.

Little Cat, Little Cat are you in THIS party hat? 

Just hide that kitty behind a hat and you have a suspenseful game with a giggling group!

Then we all stood up and did a freeze dance...we needed a stretch!  And more giggles!

                     And finally refreshments!  (inspired by books!)

Hollywood had the Rat Pack - and we had the SNACK PACK.

These happy children were outstanding...

 ...and beautiful.

Parents proudly talked about Caldecott books they read and remembered.  We had a couple of moms in the press box who recalled some very classic folk and fairy tales while growing up in other countries.  Again, to hear children and parents discuss their particular favorite book and books they love to share with each other just made my night.

I told the crowd early on that I hoped they would all go home with a Caldecott medal (aka borrow a book!)  - they did!!  As we wrapped up the evening we had a swag bag for each child - it's just what happens in the glamorous red carpet life...you get a swag bag!  Honestly!   And on top of that...a touch of gold!  We had Little Golden Books, (donated) for each child - again, a home run!

Here's my friend Isabella bundled up to go home but FYI: she wore a golden dress!

 One of the party go-ers received her very first library card on this special night and I just have to say...Sofia...Girl On Fire!  You rocked it!!  And congratulations!

I am grateful to all who attended the Faxon Library Special "Walk the Caldecott Carpet" on Monday the 25th of November.  The love and joy you have for your children is contagious.  Reading, sharing and celebrating books with your little ones is PRICELESS. Just keep doing it.  And many thanks for letting me be a part of this journey. 

  

Read * Share * Celebrate

It's a wrap!  November has come to a close.  It was a pleasure to serve as an Ambassador for Children's Picture Book Month.  I am grateful for our community and their love of picture books.  We'll have to get together soon and talk books again.  Yes?

P.S. (Piper Script)  We're reading all of the Caldecott Award winning books from now til Christmas. You can too!  Pick them up at The Faxon Library in West Hartford, CT.