This week, TLB Music‘s mini camp theme is Little Artists!  One of our campers craft activities is creating a water lily pond using Monet’s famous series Water Lilies as inspiration.

Student Materials:
a large green paper plate, green lily pads, pink tissue squares, crayons (green & white)
a glue stick, sponge brushes, paint (purple, dark blue, light blue, green & white)

Teacher Materials: scissors

Teacher Prep: -cut lily pads out of green paper in a variety of sizes
-cut small squares of pink tissue paper (I used 1” and 2” squares)

Project Intro:
Claude Monet was an impressionist painter from Paris, France. Impressionism is a 19th century art movement. (ask kids to try to say “Impressionism”) This movement was actually named after one of Monet’s paintings, Impression, Sunrise! Small, thin brushstrokes are one of the main characteristics of these paintings.  Look at Monet’s works of art. What do kids see? Monet’s most famous series of paintings is Water Lilies, which depicts Monet’s garden in France.  There are approximately 250 paintings in this series! Today, we’re going to create our own water lily ponds using the technique of Impressionist painters.

Inspiration:

Pass out paper plates and one brush per child. Let’s start by painting small, thin brushstrokes in purple. Leave the rim paint-free so kids can handle while painting!
Step 1 (purple paint): Using bouncing motion, paint small thin brushstrokes in purple.

Now, repeat the same painting technique in dark blue.
Step 2 (dark blue paint): Using bouncing motion, paint small thin brushstrokes in dark blue.

Next, paint with light blue! Try to fill in the empty spaces on the plate while you paint.
Step 3 (light blue paint): Using bouncing motion, paint small thin brushstrokes, filling in with light blue.

Now, let’s create the reflection of a few trees in the water.
Step 4 (green paint): Using bouncing motion, create a few spots of green in the water.

Now, let’s add a few spots of white to create reflecting light!
Step 5 (white paint): Using bouncing motion, create a few spots of white in the water.

Next, we each need 3 lily pads each. Pass out 3 lily pads per child. (count 1, 2, 3 for each) Ask kids, what color are the lily pads? Let’s use green, light green and white crayons to create texture on each lily pad.
Step 6 (crayons on lily pads): Color small spots in green, light green and white (similar to painting technique) on each lily pad!

Now we need to create the flowers! Hold up a square of tissue paper. Ask kids to identify the shape and color. For each flower, we need 2 square of tissue paper. So…we need 6 squares each!  Count 1-6 as you pass out.
Step 7 (tissue flowers): Place one square on top of another and pinch from center, wrinkling sides to make “petals”. Create 3 water lilies.

Pass out glue sticks and glue flowers to lily pads!
Step 8 (flowers on lily pads): Glue one flower on each lily pad.

Last step- time to glue the lily pads on the water!
Step 9 (lily pads on water): Glue lily pads in the water.

 
1. “Today you are you, that is truer than true.  There is no one alive who is you-er than you.”

2. “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

3. “Only you can control your future.”

4. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

5. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

6. “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

7. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

8. “You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.”

9. “If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.”

10. “And the turtles, of course…all the turtles are FREE. As turtles and, maybe, ALL creatures should be.”

Happy Birthday, E. E. Cummings!  The American poet was born in Cambridge, MA on October 14, 1894.  Today, in his honor, I’m sharing two of my favorite E. E. Cummings poems: “anyone lived in a pretty how town” and “You are tired”.  The first one is best read aloud to truly appreciate the rhythm of his words and the second is perfect for quiet contemplation.

anyone lived in a pretty how town

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn’t he danced his did.

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone’s any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

You are tired

You are tired,
(I think)
Of the always puzzle of living and doing;
And so am I.

Come with me, then,
And we’ll leave it far and far away—
(Only you and I, understand!)

You have played,
(I think)
And broke the toys you were fondest of,
And are a little tired now;
Tired of things that break, and—
Just tired.
So am I.

But I come with a dream in my eyes tonight,
And knock with a rose at the hopeless gate of your heart—
Open to me!
For I will show you the places Nobody knows,
And, if you like,
The perfect places of Sleep.

Ah, come with me!
I’ll blow you that wonderful bubble, the moon,
That floats forever and a day;
I’ll sing you the jacinth song
Of the probable stars;
I will attempt the unstartled steppes of dream,
Until I find the Only Flower,
Which shall keep (I think) your little heart
While the moon comes out of the sea.

One of my favorite artists, painter Gustav Klimt, was born on July 14, 1862 in Baumgarten, Austria- 152 years ago today!  I’ve chosen 10 of my favorite Klimt paintings in honor of his special day.  His style is perfect for introducing to children.  After viewing his works (ex:  Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer 1 is great for identifying shapes, Country Garden with Sunflowers is perfect for identifying colors), ask kids to draw their own Klimt-inspired work of art.  Happy Birthday, Gustav!

(click on images to enlarge)

1. Music (1895) Bavarian State Picture Collection, Neue Pinakothek, Munich, Germany.

 
2. Beech Grove (1902) Galerie Neue Meister, Dresden, Germany.

 
3. Birch in a Forest (1903) private collection

 
4. Portrait of Fritza Riedler (1906) The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria.

 
5. Country Garden with Sunflowers (1905-1908) The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria.

 
6. The Kiss (1907-1908) The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria.

 
7. Water Castle (1908) Narodni Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic.

 
8. Poppy Field (1907) The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria.

 
9. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer (1907) private collection

 
10. Portrait of Mäda Primavesi (1921) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Today, we mourn the loss of one of this world’s greatest authors and poets, Maya Angelou.  In her honor, I’m sharing the beautiful quote above and one of my favorite poems, “Phenomenal Woman”.  The poem, published in her 1978 collection And Still I Rise, is so incredibly powerful and moving, like all of her writing.  First, read the poem then listen to Maya read it in the video below.
Rest in peace, Maya Angelou.

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

French Post-Impressionist painter Henri Rousseau was born on May 21, 1844- 170 years ago today!  Rousseau’s story is so inspiring- he was entirely self-taught.  Henri was born is the Loire Valley in France.  He went to Laval High School, where he excelled in drawing and music.  His father, who was a plumber, couldn’t afford to support his son’s desire to pursue the arts.  In fact, Henri had to become a boarder at his high school when his parents’ house was seized!  After finishing school, Henri worked for a lawyer, served in the army for four years, and then, after his father passed away, he returned home to care for his mother and work for the French Customs office.

It wasn’t until he was in his forties that he began seriously painting.   At age 49, he retired from his job so he could focus on his art!  To support himself financially, he worked odd jobs, like performing as a musician in the streets and teaching violin lessons.  During his time (and still often today) critics didn’t treat his paintings as true art.  They called his technique childish and his works flat and ordinary.  But he continued to follow his dream and paint, regardless of the criticism or his lack of formal training.    My favorite fact about Rousseau is that, although he is known for his depictions of colorful jungle scenes, he never traveled to any jungle- in fact, he never left France!  He used illustrated books and the Botanical Gardens in Paris as inspiration.  If you analyze his paintings, you’ll see that there are lots of animals that could have never been seen together in reality.  I absolutely love Rousseau’s paintings- they make me smile.  To me, they represent the power of passion and imagination.  If they are childish in any way, it is in their childish spirit- Rousseau’s inner child who refused to give up on his dream.

 Love this.

Here are my 6 favorite Rousseau paintings in honor of his special day!

Apes in the Orange Grove by Henri Rousseau (1910) private collection

The Sleeping Gypsy by Henri Rousseau (1897) Museum of Modern Art, NYC

The Flamingos by Henri Rousseau (1907) private collection

Jardin du Luxembourg by Henri Rousseau (1909) Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia

The Dream by Henri Rousseau (1910) Museum of Modern Art, NYC

Woman Walking in an Exotic Forest by Henri Rousseau (1905) The Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania

Russian painter Wasilly Kandinsky is one of the best artists to introduce to young children. His works use lots of colorful shapes in abstract compositions, perfect for shape/color recognition and imaginative thinking. I incorporated several of his paintings in TLB Music‘s Winter/Spring curriculum, “Colors with Cozmo”.  Here are 12 of my favorite Kandinsky paintings for kids! First, identify the colors and shapes in each painting then ask children to tell you what they see in each one. After looking at the paintings, make sure to print my Kandinsky Coloring Activity for Kids!

Composition X (Wassily Kandsinky)

Decisive Pink (Wassily Kandsinky, 1932)

Composition VIII (Wassily Kandinsky, 1923)

Yellow, Red, Blue (Wassily Kandinsky, 1925)

Small Worlds II (Wassily Kandinsky, 1922)

Gentle Ascent (Wassily Kandinsky, 1934)

Sky Blue (Wassily Kandinsky, 1940)

Orange Violet (Wassily Kandinsky, 1935)

Colorful Ensemble (Wassily Kandinsky, 1934)

Moscow I (Wassily Kandinsky, 1916)

Several Circles (Wassily Kandinsky, 1926)

Small Worlds III (Wassily Kandinsky, 1922)

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was published on April 10, 1925- 89 years ago today! It’s one of my favorite books and had me entranced with New York City long before I moved here. In honor of its birthday, I gathered some of my favorite quotes from the novel.

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

“He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced–or seemed to face–the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.”

“And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.”

“Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead.”

“I was within and without. Simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”

“I couldn’t forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”

“The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.”

“There are all types of love in this world, but never the same love twice.”

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”

Last week, we hosted our first annual Halloween Costume Party at TLB Music!  Our amazing staff teamed up to transform our music studio and playspace with giant cobwebs, bats, jack-o-lanterns, lights, balloons, LED candles, and more.  We created a Trick-or-Treat table filled with yummy vegan sweets like YumEarth lollipops, Dandies Marshmallows, Newman’s Own Cookies, and fruit.  I also baked almost 300 mini brownies!  (Brownies are so easy to veganize:  just substitute eggs with flax eggs in any brownie recipe.)  Continue reading to see my photos from the party!

Over 60 children attended in adorable costumes and the TLB team dressed up as a rainbow! We all had so much fun together!  In our music room, the kids jammed out with our teachers to songs like “I Put a Spell On You”, “Monster Mash”, “Love Potion No. 9″, and “Thriller”. They made the sound of thunder with our collection of world percussion instruments and got a chance to play the Trombone, Saxophone, and Snare Drum with our head teacher Ashley! In the art room, Let’s Gogh Art helped partygoers decorate foam pumpkins with glitter pens, jewels, and other stick-ons. After music and art, kids headed down to our indoor playspace for snacks and playtime!
Thank you to everyone who attended the party!

(Click on photos to enlarge)

On November 1, 1946, the first NBA (then called the BAA) basketball game took place in Toronto. The game was The New York Knicks against the Toronto Raptors at Maple Leaf Gardens and the event drew in over 7000 spectators, most who knew very little about basketball! The Knicks won 68-66. Some fun facts I learned today:

-Basketball players salaries were around $5000 per season.*
-The first BAA teams paid a $10,000 franchise fee.*
-If you were taller than the tallest Raptors player (6 ft 8 in), you could attend the opening game for free!

*Source: “The First Game” by Sam Goldaper on the NBA Encyclopedia.
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{About the Photo}

On August 14, 1945, when the surrender of Japan was announced in the United States, ending World War II, everyone took to the the streets to celebrate. In Times Square, a photographer named Alfred Eisenstaedt was taking pictures of the spontaneous scene and spotted a young sailor running around kissing every woman he could find. Just south of 45th street, the man grabbed a nurse and Alfred captured the moment of their kiss, with the intersection of Broadway and Seventh in the background. The photo, entitled V-J Day in Times Square, was published a week later in a Life magazine spread and become one of the most iconic images of the era.

Did you know that another view of the same kiss was published in the New York Times? This one is called Kissing the War Goodbye, taken by photo journalist Victor Jorgensen:

(click here to enlarge photo)

photo source 1
photo source 2

Today is National Lasagna Day! This is one of my favorite recipes from my Vegan Recipes & Foods Pinterest board. Doesn’t it look delicious?  It is the Vegan Lasagna with Basil Cashew Cheeze from Oh She Glows, photographed and reviewed by 86 Lemons.  Basil cashew cheese is one of the best vegan foods I’ve been introduced to in the last couple years!  It is so diverse:  you can spread it on bread and crackers, bake it on pizza, make creamy sauce with it, or cover it with breadcrumbs and pan fry!  Make your own following the recipe above or buy a pre-made version, like the amazing basil cashew spread called Basilcotta from Regal Vegan.

We recently walked the High Line on a sunny Sunday and snapped some pictures to share.  Click the pictures below to enlarge! For information about the High Line, visit www.highline.org.com.
 
Photo Credit: Carina Zimmerman
 

Saxophone Player on the High Line

Flowers on the High Line

High Line Gardener

View of Chelsea Piers from the High Line

Before a Framework by Ruby Neri

View of the Empire State Building from the High Line

Broken Bridge II by El Anatsui

Broken Bridge II by El Anatsui

Broken Bridge II by El Anatsui

High Line Flowers

Fading Revs/Cost Mural on the High Line

Urban Rattle by Charlie Hewitt

UNLIMITEDS & LIMITERS by Steven Claydon

High Line Zoo Mural by Jordan Betten

Window Painting by Hyemi Cho

(click image to enlarge)

Joan Miró was a Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born on April 20, 1893. This is one of his best known works: Harlequin’s Carnival, painted in 1924-25. To view a gallery of Miró’s works dating from 1912-1971, click here.  As we clicked through his collection, we loved watching the evolution of his painting style over the decades!

New Orleans-born Mahalia Jackon was one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite singers. The “Queen of Gospel” sang at the 1963 March on Washington before he gave his speech! Take a couple minutes today to listen to her powerful rendition of “How I Got Over”.