Virtual Refrigerator: Pillowcase American Flag Art

We created a flag pillowcase as one of our fun art projects in our Homeschool Legacy Revolutionary Ideas Unit study. This flag art project was completed throughout the week over several days. We read several books about the American flag and its changes over the years. The 13 stars represented the 13 original colonies.

Supplies Needed

1. White Pillowcase
2. Red, White, and Blue Acrylic Paint
3. Meter or Yard Stick
4. Pencil
5. Large, Flat Paintbrush
6. Star Template
7. Thirteen Wooden Star Placers

     Star Stamp Optional Supplies

• Glue Dot 
• Dowel Stick
• Wooden Star

Directions
First, Alyssa and I used the yard stick to draw 13 stripes and a blue rectangle in the corner. Alyssa painted the blue rectangle in the left-hand corner first and let it dry completely (upside-down in the photo). Then, she painted the red stripes over a two-day time period. We didn't paint the white stripes because the pillowcase was white.

I placed a glue dot at the end of a dowel and wooden star to create a star stamp. This tool was used to stamp or paint the white stars on the flag. Thirteen wooden stars were used as placers. Alyssa organized the wooden stars in a circle in the center of the blue rectangular field. She took one star off at a time as she stamped the white painted stars. This helped her evenly space out the stars on her flag.

I will link this post up at the Virtual Refrigerator. The theme for May is flowers, but you are free to join and add any art post.

Thank you for visiting A Learning Journey!

God bless,
Tracey

Virtual Refrigerator: Valentine's Day Teacher Card Crafts

Alyssa enjoys creating gifts for others. This year she made adorable Valentine's Day card crafts for her dance and piano teachers.

Materials Needed
Scissors
Construction Paper
Cardstock
Colored Pencils
Glue Stick
Heart-Shaped Stickers

The first card was given to her main dance instructor. The front said, "Happy Valentine's Day! Bee Mine." The back of the card said, "Thank you for "bee-ing" a great teacher!" We found out that her teacher actually LOVES bees after giving her the card.

Front

Back

The second card craft was give to her dance teacher assistant. It was a cat Valentine that said, "You are the "purrfect" teacher!" on the back of the card. She signed her name in cursive since she's been learning cursive letter formations.

The last craft card was made especially for her piano teacher. She cut out a large red heart and glued it on a piece of white cardstock. Then, she folded the card in half. She drew a piano note on the front using colored pencils and heart-shaped stickers with a To: Mrs. Lu note. The inside was actually a pop-up card! She wrote, "You make my heart (sticker) skip one beat! Happy Valentine's Day!" I love the play on words! She also drew a musical note on the pop up area using colored pencils and heart stickers.

Front

Inside

This was a fun, creative activity we did as part of Alyssa's Valentine's Day countdown. She also made Valentine goodie bags for her dance classmates, but I think I forgot to photograph them. I'll post the pics if I find any.

Helpful Websites That Inspired Our Projects
Crafty Morning - "Bee Mine" Valentine's Day Craft
Crafty Morning - "Purrfect" Valentine Craft

I will link this post up at Virtual Refrigerator and Share It Saturday.

Thank you for visiting A Learning Journey! 
God bless,
Tracey

Virtual Refrigerator: REJOICE

I bought Alyssa The Gift of Love Deluxe Set developed by See the Light as a present last Christmas. The stories and art lessons are related to the Christmas story. I thought it would be fun to revisit the lesson this month.

Heidi Shorts, the art teacher on the DVD, taught my daughter about Creative Lettering. The lesson lasted 33 minutes. After watching this lesson, Alyssa utilizes the art technique of Creative Lettering in her free time quite often now. This set will bless any art lover if purchased as a Christmas gift or stocking stuffer!

Materials Needed:
See the Light Gift of Love DVD Deluxe Set
Extreme Colors Ultra-Bright Colored Pencils
White Construction Paper
#2 Pencil and Pencil Sharpener
Eraser
Ruler
Black Light

Black Light On

I will link this post up at Virtual Refrigerator. Thank you for visiting A Learning Journey! Come back again real soon! 

Disclaimer: These are NOT affiliate links. I just wanted my readers rot be aware of these awesome art resources.

Virtual Refrigerator: Paper Plate Sun Craft

My daughter is studying astronomy this year. Alyssa was motivated to create the following art craft after reading about the sun in her Apologia Exploring Creation Astronomy book.

Materials Needed
White Paper Plate
Yellow Construction paper
Glue Stick
Scissors
Yellow Colored Pencil
Book About the Sun

Project Directions
First, she colored a paper plate yellow. Then, she traced her hand on yellow construction paper nine times. Next, she  cut out and glued the hands on the paper plate to form a sun shape. Finally, she flipped the sun over and wrote a short blurb about the sun.

She wrote the following text on the back of the sun: "The sun is the largest star in the sky. It is a hot ball of gas. It is not safe to look directly at the sun." 

Thank you for visiting A Learning Journey. I will link this post up at The Virtual Refrigerator. God bless!

Sunflower Art Project

My daughter watched the Van Gogh Sunflowers art lesson on the Kindergarten Home Art Studio DVD which is currently available throughout the Homeschool Buyers Co-op. We bought the DVD at a discounted price. The Homeschool Buyers Co-op is FREE to join. Just click the previous link.

Alyssa (Age 6 1/2) followed the instructions and created this beautiful masterpiece for my sister. My sister and her husband love sunflowers. My sis will be visiting Texas soon - my daughter can't wait to surprise her . . . that is if she hasn't seen this post.

Art Supplies Needed:
Blue, Yellow, Green, and Brown Construction Paper
Plastic Cup
Red and Yellow Paint
Paintbrush
Black Colored Pencil

By the way, Alyssa is participating in the Spelling You See "No Rules Day Photo Contest." She really wants to continue using this spelling program once she completes Americana. Please do us a favor and visit Spelling You See's Facebook Page to vote for her artwork. Thank you for your support! 

Disclaimer: I have used a personalized Homeschool Buyers Co-op referral link in this post for the co-op and for the Home Art Studio DVD's. If you purchase this product through my link, then I will earn 500 SmartPoints. If you join the co-op, I also receive SmartPoints. Thank you for your help supporting our homeschool!

I will link this post up at The Virtual Refrigerator Blog Hop.

Virtual Refrigerator: Fall Apple Art

Alyssa (Age 6 1/2) is enjoying her art time more and more every day! The chalk pastels can be pretty messy, but thankfully my daughter cleans up after her lesson. We decided to do Apple Art especially since fall is right around the corner.

Supplies Needed

• Paper
• Chalk Pastels
• Oil Pastels (Optional)

We watched the Apple Chalk Pastel Tutorial at Southern HodgePodge in order to complete today's art lesson.

Apple Art Drawing
Medium: Oil Pastels

Apple Art
Chalk Pastels

I will link this post up at The Virtual Refrigerator Blog Hop.

Thank you for visiting A Learning Journey! God bless! 
Tracey 

Virtual Refrigerator: Shark Week!

My daughter's interest in sharks has increased since the announcement of Shark Week. Alyssa has been learning about sharks using the videos available through Discovery Education and by reading numerous books on the topic. One of her art projects this week was to use oil pastels (instead of chalk pastels) to create a shark in the ocean. I love how she added in other ocean animals and plants.

Artist: Alyssa
Age:6 1/2
Subject: Sharks
Title: Out for a Swim

She utilized the step-by-step drawings for the starfish and shark from her Draw Write Now (Book 6) and the shark art tutorial from Southern HodgePodge as guides.

I will link this post up at The Virtual Refrigerator. What art project will YOU share this week? I can't wait to see it. Please feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments section.

Thank you for visiting A Learning Journey!