Off the Shelf

Unusually Large Paper Bag Radish

This art activity was inspired by The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit. To learn more about the book and to see all our Peter Rabbit activities, click here. 

While the radish in Peter’s story almost gets him into a bit of mischief, this crumpling, stuffing, and painting activity will result in nothing more than fun and giggles. After all, what could be more fun than giant food?

Unusually Large Paper Bag Radish

Supplies

• Brown paper grocery bag
• Newspaper
• String or yarn
• Paint – red, white, green
• Paintbrush

How to Do It

1. Give those little hands a work out and crumple newspaper into balls and stuff inside the paper bag until it is approximately half full.
2. Plump out the bottom corners of the bag then tie it closed with the string.
3. Experiment with color mixing by mixing red and white paint until your young reader has found the perfect radish red then paint the bottom half of the bag with it.
4. Clip a clothespin to the top and hang with string so the paint can dry completely.
5. Paint the top part of the bag green to achieve a nice leafy top to the radish.

Why We Like It

Working on a large scale anything is fun. It inspires imagination and creativity and this activity give fine motor skills a lot to do.

What To Do With an Unusually Large Paper Bag Radish

Take inspiration from Peter and have fun outside tossing the radish. Take turns seeing who can throw it the farthest, play catch with it, or try throwing it to a target. Will there be a Cup for the winner?

The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit

By Emma Thompson
Illustrated by Eleanor Taylor

Fans of the mischievous little Peter Rabbit rejoice! The wonderful and talented Emma Thompson has brought us a new adventure to enjoy with Beatrix Potter’s beloved character.

So often, we as readers are left feeling disappointed when an author produces work to continue the stories of another author. Allow yourself a sigh of relief for that is not the case with this tale. It is as if Peter himself helped Miss Thompson and illustrator Eleanor Taylor produce this book. Be prepared to thoroughly enjoy this new romp with Peter through the Scottish countryside as he crosses paths with some familiar faces and introduces us to some new friends.

Activities coming up this week: 

• Make your own giant radish!
• Peter eats tasty potato scones for breakfast while in Scotland. Make these delicious treats with your young reader.

 

Watercolor and Salt Painting

The activity was inspired by Sky Color. To learn more about the book and to see all our Sky Color activities, click here. 

This is a fun painting project with a bit of a magical twist. Be careful not to blink when the salt is added to the painting – it will quickly change, right before your eyes.

What You Will Need

• Glue
• Watercolor Paper
• Watercolors
• Container for Water
• Paintbrush
• Salt

How To Do It

1. Invite your young reader to use a bottle of glue to create squiggles, drips, circles, and squirts of glue all over a piece of watercolor paper. Set on a flat surface until completely dry.
2. Using the watercolors, encourage your young reader to cover the sheet of watercolor paper in a variety of colors, mixing the colors as the paper fills and discovering what colors will appear. 
3. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle salt over the paper and watch what happens.
4. Once dry, shake off salt.

Why We Like It

The salt absorbs the paint pigment and before your very eyes you watch the artwork transform. Each step of the project has its own fun, messy element that encourages experimentation, exploration, and imagination.

A Recipe for Fun: Color Mixing at the Sink

The activity was inspired by Sky Color. To learn more about the book and to see all our Sky Color activities, click here. 

Containers of water, food coloring, spoons, eye droppers and maybe even a turkey baster make for hours of color mixing exploration. The swirling of food color as it drops into the water and the ability to make colors that will never exist in a box of crayons brings out the combination artist and mad scientist lurking in most children.

Could they be mixing a potion to tame dragons, a magic plant food to grow jellybean tress, or maybe a new paint color that magically glows when painted on paper? Imaginations will soar with just a few supplies and this will be an often-requested activity. Keep an eye on items in your recycling bin – you never know what could be the next best tool in the color-mixing laboratory.

 

Color Mixing at the Sink

Supplies

• containers
• water
• eye dropper, turkey baster, etc.
• liquid food coloring
• dish soap, optional

1. Fill containers and add a few drops of food coloring. Let imaginations take it from there!

 

Sky Color

by Peter H. Reynolds

What is a young artist to do when your job is to paint the sky in the class mural and there is no blue paint? Marisol is an artist through and through who has her own gallery (on the fridge) and loves to share her work with others. She is thrilled to have the special privilege of painting the sky, but her excitement turns to disappointment when she must rethink how to complete the mural.

Brilliant oranges, yellows, and pinks swirl through the sunset sky as Marisol contemplates her dilemma, even her dreams that night are filled with swirling, mixing colors. The next morning it was raining. The sky wasn’t blue. And Marisol smiled.

Read Sky Color with your young reader and enjoy following Marisol on her creative journey and seeing that quite often the most beautiful things happen when thinking happens outside the box.

 

 Check back this week for activities based on Sky Color!

 

Related Book: The Art Lesson on Off the Shelf

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