Here are picks from Stop #20, the next-to-last stop of the 2012 Kids’ ArtPrize Tour, which makes this the next-to-last segment of our ArtPrize for Kids: Language Connections Guide for 2012. Thanks again to our friends at grkids.com for the work done on creating the Tour and ENJOY!
Be sure to read all the way to the end for suggestions for after ArtPrize activities and further reading or enrichment available through the public libraries found and linked for each stop!
#20: JW Marriott Grand Rapids Hotel
235 Louis St NW Grand Rapids MI 49503
Some overall questions for this stop:
- How are the exhibits at this stop alike?
- How are the exhibits at this stop different?
- How is this stop alike or different from the stops we’ve already visited?
Out of the Woods a pine needle bear
- What mood does this piece create?
- This bear’s fur was made from a few hundred thousand pine needles that were sorted, washed and woven together. How long do you think that would take?
- Where would we find pine trees?
- What other kinds of weaving have we seen on the tour?
- Have we seen other bears?
- What would you name this bear?
- What type of habitat would this bear live in? [woods; forest]
- What other animals might live in the same habitat?
- Where could we find some of these in real life? in Michigan?
- If this bear met Norm, the dragon, what do you think would happen? If they argued over the same food, who do you think would win?
- Does this remind you of any stories you know?
- What colors do you see?
- What words can you come up with to describe this piece?
- This piece was designed for the light to flash off of the sequins like it might look to a predator when a peacock opens its feathers. What animals do you think might be predators for the peacock?
- Have we seen any other mosaics?
- What other animals have we seen that have feathers?
- Could we describe this piece as iridescent? Do you remember which other pieces we saw that were iridescent? [Scrappie Dick (the big fish) and Marta (the butterfly woman) at stop #6]
- Does this remind you of any stories you know?
MerMadame – She is a mixed art media piece, constructed from a variety of materials including: wires, fabric scraps, flower petals, nail polishes, clay, paint, beads, ribbons, and glitter. Shows how re-using materials can create something so beautiful that you would never want to throw it away. Tygris Thomas
- How would you describe these colors?
- What shapes do you see?
- This is another piece that re-uses materials in a different way than they are ordinarily used. What materials can you name?
- What other pieces have we seen that include sealife?
- What other pieces have we seen that would swim?
- What other pieces have we seen that used wire? flower petals? beads? ribbon?
- What would you name this piece?
- Does this remind you of any stories you know?
About Bears
Grand Rapids Public Library
Poems and Peacocks
Patterns (help with reading and math)
Making Your Own Mosaics
- For Beginning Readers
For Teens
Some Fun with Pine Needles
Ta-Da
Follow-up activities could include looking up information on bears or peacocks; looking up information about the folklore including mer-people; creating your own mosaics; writing a story about meeting a mermaid; describing one of these pieces to someone who wasn’t there with you.
Next: Ah-Nab-Awen Park, LAST STOP on the 2012 Kids’ ArtPrize Tour
Tagged: ArtPrize, ArtPrize Tour, Dragon, dragons, folklore, language, Language development, reading, reading comprehension, vocabulary
SLD CenterBlog: A Resource for Engaging Their Brains! 
Really like the overall look of your blog. Like the way you have touched on different topics related to languages. We here love languages as well.