Mail Art + Pen Friends = Dear You Art Project
Here comes a few of the latest artworks. We first practiced with portrait drawings. The landscapes were done in small groups.
This time my pupils were more eager to write letters rather than concentrate on their drawings.
Br,
Päivi Huhtinen
Päivi Huhtinen and her group of 5th graders from The English School in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with Kaarina Losey and her 6th graders at Pioneer Park P.S. in Ontario, Canada.
Our shared atmosphere was fun to do, to connect and share!
First Viertola´s schools 3rd graders from Maija Pitko´s class were standing in their chairs eyes closed and imaging the atmosphere and landscape between Finland and Denmark and flying in their imaginary trip! Then they started painting landscapes and drawing all the important details from their "imaginary trip". I could almost hear the imaginary airplanes and under land diggers!
- Eliisa Sorvali
The 3rd Grade artists from Viertolan Koulu in, Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the 3rd Grade artists from Korsholm Skole in Hinnerup, Denmark.
K1 has been talking about life in the Atlantic Ocean these past couple of weeks. This project allowed us to combine all the great things about life on land and life in the water! Originally I thought we would use oil pastels and colored pencils, but as I was explaining to them that this painting was about the ocean, they suggested we use watercolor paints. How perfect! So we got them out and added them to the mix!
Before we got began we first looked at the Pop Up Homes the Tiger Pups in Vietnam made for us. That started churning the imagination wheels in our mind for our landscape. After we finished our individual paintings of land and water we taped them together to make one super long Shared Environment. Now we have received the Imagine Me Puppets, Pop Up Homes, and soon we'll have the Shared Environments from Hanoi. Our world is piecing itself together and our Tiger Pups are getting insight as to who we are what our lives are like way far up North : ).
Thank you everybody for going on an adventure with us!
With love,
K1, Arlene, Kristiina, and Bibiana
The 4 year olds from International School of Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 4 year olds from Just Kids in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Our third meeting, where we where making Our Shared Atmosphere went really well. At the beginning we made time to watch the video message we received from our friends at Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, TX, USA, which was very sweet and encouraging for the kids. Then we spent a few minutes learning how to fold the paper to make the line that will unite our individual works, turning them into a collective art work.
It seemed like a good idea to stick to only using grey pencil, which allowed us to focus on the mark-making techniques and on expressing feelings, sounds, light and shadow. We talked about how some students came to school early and it was dark and rainy, and how one hour later, for other students the walk to school was bright and sunny.
I think our time was managed really well this time. At the end we stuck all the drawings together with tape, to make one reeaaallly long picture of autumn time in Vantaa.
At the workshop we speak both English and Finnish - well, I mostly speak English and Riitta-Liisa translated, to make sure no one is left out.
A xx
Anastasia Artemeva is the Dear You Workshop Leader for the 4th grade class at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland. This group of Finnish artists will be making and sharing art with Kathleen Finan's 4th graders at Heath Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, Texas.
Oh my what an inspiration the Tiger Cubs' puppets are! We first had a good long look and conversation about our new puppet friends and tried to think about what kind of home they would like to live in. Of course, we want them to feel comfortable in Helsinki!
First I showed them how to implement some easy pop-up bookmaking techniques to build the house. The got it so fast that we went straight into making our homes!
S put a spiderman bed inside and has a cabbage waiting for him on the table.
Dsri made a treehouse that is a castle.
F put herself inside the home so that her friend always has somebody to play with.
M said that his puppet, Mr. Dinosaur, is thinking about the pyramid and waddles like a penguin.
AR said, "it's windy and that the snow is coming in."
R said, "Mummy, Daddy, Baby Reya (as a grown up) have strong muscles. They are eating sausages in the house."
AN made a cozy bed for baby and daddy.
W made a garden for the outside for his rocket house.
J made his home in India so that Spider Man can walking around with his friends.
KAU made a chocolate cake for his new friend to eat!
AA made his home for Mr. Banana.
D's home is for the bear family.
We had so much fun making these homes and can't wait to see what our friends have come up with! We hope you like them too.
With love,
K1, Arlene, Lydia, and Bibiana
The Siili group at Päiväkoti Kalinka made their pop-up books about their favorite places. I think that this task was somehow more tangible for them. The imaginative friend task was somehow much harder for the 4-5-year-old group.
I did an example pop-up book and maybe that is why they could relate to this task much easier. Actually, they really loved it. Some kids made the same pop-up like mine. The fairytale castle was inspiring. I do not know should I make any examples anymore since kids tend to like them and then copy instead that they would to something from their imagination. On the other hand, maybe some of them do not have any tools to start with the creative work and for them the examples are necessary. We used all kinds of color paper, color pens and scissors and glue.
Best,
Kristina
The Siili 4-5 year olds at Päiväkoti Kalinka in Helsinki, Finland are exchanging artwork with the 4-5 year olds at Mooste Preschool in Mooste, Estonia.
It's amazing how the Tigers can turn a simple rectangle into a super fun play house! We had so much fun making our pop-up homes for our new puppets that our friends in Vietnam made for us. Now our friends have a place to stay in their new cozy home in Finland!
We first looked at the puppets the Puppies in Vietnam made for us and then created homes that we though would be nice for them. What an inspiration!
Thank you and we look forward to receiving your homes.
Warm hugs,
Arlene & The Tigers
The Monkeys from Your School in Espoo, Finland have made amazing homes for their new puppets created by the Full Moons from Moonstone Preschool in Philadelphia, USA.
We had so much fun creating side-by-side with our new friends. We thought what kind of house would they like? What things would make them happy to have in their bedroom? If they got hungry what food should we have for them in the house?
A said, "This is a candy house. It has candy-shaped roof. The whole house can walk!
J said, "This house has eyes and a mouth. It also has a balcony. Riley, the puppet, likes to ride a horse. He is a cowboy!"
S said, "There are some bouncy shoes inside because my friend like to bounce."
E said, "This house has a butterfly and a heart as a decoration. My friend likes the flowerpot on the table."
L said, "This house has five windows. It has a lot of ladders inside because my lazy guy likes to climb."
S said, "There are two lights, toys, ladders inside. It also has a slide."
P said, "It can explode in 3 seconds! It has eyes and it can walk."
Thanks Full Moons for your questions! Please come visit Helsinki to see our yellow leaves. It's cold here, but we have a nice school to keep you warm.
We can't wait to see the homes you created for us!
With love,
Arlene & The Monkeys
I asked to try to imagine a friend. Imaginative friend could be a person or an animal. The materials for the workshop were old magazines, paper, crayons and glue. Since my son is in the same group, almost all kids new me already so they were not shy and asked me many questions. Some kids needed more guidance than others. After everyone was done with their work I placed all the imaginative friend images on the floor and invited all the kids to come and see their work together. I told them that these images will be sent to another group which, by the way, has the same name: Siilit.
All best,
Kristina Laine
Kristina Laine and her 4-5 year old artists at Kalinka Päiväkoti in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with Evelyn Müürsepp and her 4-5 year old artists in Mooste Preschool in Mooste, Estonia.
We discussed and demonstrated a few different ways that they could get things to be 3D and "pop" from the page. I showed the fold and snip, we talked about tabs of grass they could glue on, and also how they could do an accordion pleat of paper on the back of a shape as well. I did share the video about "Houses" that was posted on Facebook and shared some of the photos Päivi had shared with the entire class, but many were already partway through the project. My students were very excited, and think that the English class are all much better artists than they are!! :)
I am hoping to set up a display in the library or a glass cabinet of both the places and the puppets when everything arrives. I'll send photos once I get it organized!
Enjoy your week!
Kaarina
Kaarina Losey is the 6th grade teacher at Pioneer Park P.S. in Ontario, Canada. Her group of artists are making and sharing art with the Päivi Huhtinen and her group of 5th graders from The English School in Helsinki, Finland.
Our pop up place project went really well. First we watched a video of the kids opening a packages with Imagine Me! puppets from Heath, Texas. They were really happy and excited! They took whatever puppets they got, so we had to change the pairs according to that. The kids thought that the puppets were much 'cooler' than the ones they sent.
I had the pop up cards pre-cut, I bought large sheets of card from Suomalainen Kirjakauppa and cut them in 4 pieces, each to be around A4 size, and I cut 3 different strips into each.
I showed how to make a pop up card first anyway, in case kids wanted to make one at home. After I distributed the pre-made cards the kids made collage and drew on them.
They loved the technique. Some made their rooms, and some cut out and drew pictures of nature. We talked about sounds and smells, and how places can change, like if you are in your room and look out of the window. They put pictures of pets there. I loved that some used the actual strips of paper to draw on, not only to stick pictures, for instance one girl painted apartment blocks on them.
We had a really great time.
A xxx
Anastasia Artemeva is the Dear You Workshop Leader for the 4th grade class at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland. They are making and sharing art with Kathleen Finan's 4th graders at Heath Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, Texas.
The kids were so excited to begin our second art project for our new friends in Finland!
We started by discussing our imaginary friend puppets that we made... and they were so so lovely...but there was one small problem. Where were they to live when they arrived in Finland?? Oh dear! We better get onto this straight away!
So we had a small discussion about what our friends house might look like and where they might live.. Little Ong said her imaginary friend lives in Finland, we had friends living in tall buildings, in cars, in airplanes and even underwater! Phuong Linh remembered her Mermaid friend, who of course, lives in a palace under the sea!
I showed them all a demonstration that I had made, they were all so excited that they were soon to be making their own! Then we went step by step over the project. Talking about tall buildings need bigger cuts up the paper, but small things only need a small cut.
Soon enough we were at our tables, and imaginations and creativity were flowing! we had tall buildings, houses, fish, minions, hearts, trees and more! They were so proud of their creations that they carried them around the classroom while they tidied up!
We are sure our friends in Finland are going to love them!
With love, Teacher Steph, the Tiger Cubs and the Puppies from Ha Noi, Vietnam.
Here are some artworks of the Tiger Cubs to K1 artists in Helsinki, Finland.
Here are some artworks of the Puppies to the Tigers in Espoo, Finland.
What fun K1 had making our Imagine Me puppets for our new friends in Vietnam! We first looked at the map of the globe and came up with all different ways of how one could travel from Finland to Vietnam. Aashrit was so thoughtful and said we could spend one night in his home in India. India is a bit of a detour from Finland, but we can make it happen!
We then thought about what kind of companion we would like to go on our adventure with. This friend would then be developed into our Imagine Me puppet. From the looks of these artworks, K1 is a creative bunch who are ready an exciting journey! As you can see, collaging came quite naturally for them too.
J made a Micky Mouse bumblebee.
KS likes to surprise his puppet by saying, "boo!". His friend likes to jump and drive a car.
A said, "this is my happy face!".
S's friend can read everything and do what people can't do like twist his legs, take his hair off and put it back on. Oh, and he has sharp teeth.
Dsri gave hers a purple dress.
W named his friend Mark. Mark likes to read ten-ten books, has a beard, glasses, hands, feet, and is good at running.
F's new friend, Sarah, is happy! She likes running around, jumping, skipping, and puzzles.
AA's friend is named Nosey. Nosey is good at connecting the phones and also playing with legos and cooking.
N's bumblebee transformer can transform fast cars and motorcycles!
M's is called No Name.
K's imaginary friend is a boy.
D created a baby.
R's has a happy face and her name is Happy.
AN's is called Baby Andreas and he likes playing with toys.
We can't wait to meet our new friends from Vietnam!
With love,
K1 artists, Arlene, & Lydia
K1, 4 year old artists from International School of Helsinki in Finland are making and exchanging art with the Tigers, a group of 4 year olds from Just Kids School in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The Tigers have taken the Imagine Me project to a new level! They were mixing reality and imaginary worlds together making a giant playground for all of us to be together in.
It was great talking with them about their puppets!
K's puppet is Amos. Amos is a good friend because "he helps me when I am resting."
Ai's puppet is Veeti who "likes to play Viking and Her Factory with."
P's puppet is named Kasper. "He likes to go on the boat and like trash trucks!"
V says her puppet Akseli likes to fly, play, and cars.
C's puppet is called Mommy <3.
These playful bunch of Imagine Me puppets are in the air to our new friends at Just Kids school in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Thanks for the great afternoon!
Xarlene
Ask the Monkeys for some travel advice and they will offer every kind of possibility! From buses to trains to rockets. This all came about when we were figuring out how our Imagine Me puppets are going to reach our new friends at Moonstone Preschool in Philadelphia, USA. Finland is quite a ways from there, but we are up for an adventure!
As we were creating our puppets we thought about what makes a good friend and here are some things the Monkeys said about their imaginative artworks. Meet Seek. Seek is a good friend because "he helps me when I need help," says J. N's puppet's name is Elsa. "She's a good friend because she's nice to me." I's Stella is "fun and playing with everybody. Listening to the teacher and doing everything herself." E called her friend Rosey. "Rosey is nice. She helps me get the way out." A's puppet Super Savior "saves me when I'm in danger!" M's puppet is a boat named Oh No. When I asked M why Oh No is a good friend, she said, "She makes me laugh." I think that's one of the most important characteristics a friend should have too!
Thanks for the lovely afternoon, Monkeys!
With love,
Arlene
The Monkeys (6 years old) from Your School in Espoo, Finland are making and sharing art with the Full Moons (5 years old) from Moonstone Preschool in Philadelphia, USA.
Kaarina Losey, the 6th grade teacher at Pioneer Park P.S. in Ontario, Canada shares with us how they approached 'Imagine Me' project.
"I had talked briefly a day or two ahead of time, that we would be "art pals" with another class about the same age as us in Finland. They were encouraged to bring in any materials that they wanted to use specifically.
The morning of we talked a bit about imaginary friends, kind of following the outline in the project and I had this at the beginning of a short Google Slide show I had created a showing images of different styles and forms of puppet making (bags, sticks, tubes, etc.)."
The slideshow Kaarina created is quite impressive and an art piece in itself! Please have a look by clicking here. Thank you, Kaarina! I know that the 5th graders from The English School in Helsinki, Finland are very excited to meet their new friends!!
I introduced the project to my students using a map and a world globe. I spent some time explaining to them about their country, Vietnam and my country, Australia.
I told them that I have some new friends, who are the same age as them and they live in a country called Finland. I told them the name of the class and the name of their school.
I told them that we are going to make a piece of art and then we are going to put it on an airplane to go to our friends in Finland and then we will also get some art from our friends in Finland! They were so excited!
Our first project was about imaginary friends. We discussed things that are real and things that are not real, that are in our heads. They are from our imagination. We spent some time describing our imaginary friends. Are they tall or short, big or small, do they have wings or maybe they can run very fast.
I showed them a puppet that I had made. And explained to them that we can make a puppet that is like the friends we can imagine!
I gave them a small paper bag each and a bunch of other paper and materials to create their puppets. And I left them to it!
I set up the camera and my laptop and I also involved them in the photo taking process. They loved it. A few of them made friends from their imaginations, others made characters that they love. We even have a minion, and an Incredible Hulk!
In the next few months we will be learning about our town. So I will take that opportunity to teach them about the post office when we send our artworks.
The children are so excited to receive their puppets from Finland!
We also look forward to our second project!!
Thanks a lot.
Love from Vietnam,
Steph, the puppies and the tiger cubs.
Below are pictures of the Puppies's Imagine Me puppet!
The 4 year old Puppies from Just Kids in Hanoi, Vietnam are making and sharing art with the artist Tigers at Your School in Espoo, Finland. The 4 year old Tigers at Just Kids is starting a new friendship with the K1 artists at International School of Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland. Exciting!!
Below are pictures of the Tiger's Imagine Me puppet!
I introduced the project to my students by showing them the Dear You website. My students were very excited and became even more excited when I told them exactly what their 1st project were.
One of my students said: "Wauw are we really going to mail it to another class, and will they mail to us as well?"
They were so motivated and couldn't wait to get started. I told them what kind of materials they could use and before I could look around my students were already creating their own little imaginary friend. Each and everyone with a unique expression.
As a teacher it was so nice to watch my students "grow" during the process, and it was even more wonderful to watch them write what kind of superpowers their imaginary friends have.
Right now we are all waiting to receive mail from our new friends in Finland.
My Best,
Tatjana Knudsen
The 3rd Grade artists from Korsholm Skole in Hinnerup, Denmark are making and sharing art with the 3rd Grade artists from Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland.
The 'Imagine Me' puppets that came from the 4th Grade students at Amy Parks Heath Elementary School were extraordinarily furry, friendly, and funny! Yes! Seeing them immediately put a smile on my face.
Kathleen Finan, the artists' art teacher, said, "I was given a box of faux fur and knew the kids would love it. We talked about having imaginary friend when we were young and the ways the helped us. Students chose materials from an assortment of goodies and started creating their imaginary friend. They named their I-friend and wrote on the back how their I-friend helped them."
I am sure their friends in Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland will be amazed by their new friend's creativity! Oh the amazing things that come out of Texas :).
Today went really well! We had so much fun and they all loved it! We looked at the map to see where Texas is and had such a good time that we lost track of time.
The kids were making sketches in their notebooks and were so happy with their drawings, that we ended up photocopying them from the notebooks and then cutting them out from the photocopy, and then adding glitter and buttons.
The teacher, Riitta-Liisa at Viertolan Koulu is just amazing!
Anastasia Artemeva xx
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Anastasia Artemeva is the Dear You Workshop Leader for the 4th grade class at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland. This group of Finnish artists will be making and sharing art with Kathleen Finan's 4th graders at Heath Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, Texas.
