Picture This!: Activities and Adventures in Impressionism

I have used 2 of the author's books as catalyst to design an art unit to teach from. I have liked the two I had so well, that I have recently purchased the rest in the series. The activities can be used with a wide variety of ages and abilities. With a little tweaking you can use them with about anyone. There is only one color picture as an example of the artist work and a very brief description of each featured author in the back. At first, I was going more into depth about each artist, but this little blurb is usually enough for most students. Much more information and no creating going on and they get off task. I do however, check out a book or two from my local library so that I can show them other examples of the artists' works. Sometimes I print pictures from offline or show them art postcards as examples as well. Most of the pictures in the book are student samples, and my students seem to like looking at these better. The student samples are more on their level of ability; they also give them ideas on how to let the artist "inspire" them to do their own piece. In all I would highly recommend all of the books in this series. The activities are easy to follow, and the books are fun and lively for the kids to look at. Yes, if you had a student or students who really wanted to study these artists closely, you would have to supplement this book with other things. But if like me you are just trying to expose them to different styles, periods and artists, then this series is a terrific find!

"What is a television... to man, who has only to shut his eyes to see the most inaccessible regions of the seen and the never seen?" Salvador Dali "Do not proceed according to rules and principles, but paint what you observe and feel." Camille Pissarro "Nobody will give you freedom-you have to take it." Meret Oppenheim "To be a Surrealist...means barring from your mind all remembrance of what you have seen, and being always on the lookout for what has never been." Rene Magritte Picture This and Imagine That introduce children to great artists, art concepts and allow them to become artists themselves. They are the first two books in the Art Explorers series. Picture This introduces Impressionism, Imagine That acquaints us with Surrealism. The books begin with a Note To Adults, telling how to help children explore that particular school of art. This is followed by a Note to Kids, introducing them to that school of art and to the book. This is followed by one work each from 5 or 6 artists that are representative of that particular school. Each work of art has accompanying kid-friendly information about the art and the artist, and discussion questions. Then there are a few pages of art projects, to allow the child to respond by experimenting with different techniques and materials. The instructions for the projects are clear and include illustrations of a work in progress, and examples of actual children's art projects. In the back there is a little additional information about each artist. For example, after looking at Personal Values by Rene Magritte, children cut pictures out of a magazine to "Make a fantasy room where everyday things are seen in crazy mixed-up ways.". Step by step instructions are explained and illustrated. Several examples of completed projects by children 8-9 years old are included. The second project is a cut paper collage of "your own sky, where everything is mixed up and anything can float or fly". Again, there are two full pages of instructions and examples. These two projects require colored paper, glue, scissors, old magazines, and drawing materials. Of course some of the other projects will most likely involve a trip to the craft store, but some, like these, will not. On afternoons when the weather is crummy and there is a space available in the house somewhere to make a controlled mess, you could probably scrounge up stuff to keep the kids amused for a little while with one of these projects. These books are recommended for ages 5-12, but the nature of the projects is such that children of different ages can participate together in many of them. You can see some of the author's work on line and explore modern art at www.moma.org/artsafari . Look at some examples of modern art, talk about the discussion questions, and play author or detective.

It is an exploration in Impressionist paintings for young readers with art of Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Mary Cassatt and how-to fun activities (25 in all) such as: **experiment and play with color **painting outdoor scenes-storm, seaside, seasonal or garden **try pointillism (dot to dot) using cotton balls Included are interesting artist biographies of all five Impressionists mentioned above. Young readers will discover what is each artist's claim to fame. Who is the "father of Impressionism"? Who is the "leader of Impressionism"? Who is "known as one of the world's greatest artists"? Who is the "painter of happiness"? What city is common to all of these artists"? PICTURE THIS! is designed to help young readers develop appreciation of art and their own interpretations. In addition, it helps to develop creative critical thinking and to "encourage different opinions." Children can experiment with different creative media such as pastels, abstract painting, watercolor, and plastic foam printing to mention only a few that are included. PICTURE THIS! is an excellent introduction to Impressionist art and encouragement for creative ideas in young artists. I especially like the "Try this, too!" ideas to spark ideas that get the creative juices flowing.