New Year Collage - Rohit
Originally uploaded by dalbhat.

A collage is a lot like a new year just begun...you have a blank sheet of paper in front of you and have no idea how the layers of color, pictures and textures are going to have their influence in creating the final piece of artwork. As the kids worked on their collages, they thought about what they want to do, how they want to feel, who they want to meet, and what they'd like to learn in the coming year!

Give out a blank sheet of paper.

Now, put the oil pastels in the middle of the table and tell the kids to think about all the different feelings and emotions inside of them. They should try to cover the entire sheet of paper with color and patterning.

THe next layer is also about color: place a bunch of magazines in the middle and have the children look for bits of color, not words or pictures. They can add deeper color to what they have already put on their page, by matching or contrasting. They should think about their relationships with friends, teachers, family members, etc. while doing this.

The last layer is about EXPERIENCE: now the children can cut out little pictures and words that appeal to them and glue them onto their collage. Ask them about what they want to do this year? What they want to learn at school? Where do they want to go?

Note: playing music in the background can help keep them focused while doing the project. Turn it down when you want to explain the next step.

Bird in the Nest

Bird in the Nest
Originally uploaded by dalbhat.

I may be taking liberties here but parents and kids do always like to get crafty in the kitchen too!
The time has come at last here on kodomocraft... to introduce some fun foods for kids to help make and enjoy eating.
This little dish is what has always been known in my family as a "bird in the nest." You can figure out why.

How to make your bird in the nest:
1) Cut a whole in a piece of bread.
2) Butter both sides of the bread and the "hole" if you wish.
3) Toast one side of the bread on the fry pan and then flip it over when brown. Flip your "hole" too.
4) Now put a little butter in the whole so it melts on the pan, and crack an egg inside.
5) Turn down the heat and cover for a while until the egg gets cooked the way you like it.
6) Flip once to brown the other side once more.

Time to eat!