Aspen Trees - Ages 3 and up

'I hope that my work will encourage self expression in others and stimulate the search for beauty and creative excitement in the great world around us' - Ansel Adams

One of our favorite art lessons is inspired by the great photographer, Ansel Adams. Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American photographer and environmentalist, best known for his black and white photographs of the American West and primarily Yosemite National Park. To view a great collection of Adams work go to http://www.anseladams.com/

This water color resist painting lesson takes it's primary inspiration from Ansel Adam's photographs of aspens in New Mexico.

Here are the steps to create this artwork as shown above:

• Children tear masking tape and put strips of it on watercolor paper to make tree trunks. Tiny pieces of tape can be used for branches. For youngest children, have strips of tape already available.
• Use a brush to wipe water across the paper and the tape.
• Now paint the background with color. Children can choose colors to make a day or evening background.
• When paint is dry, remove the tape. The white spaces are the tree trunks.
• Add some tiny brown or black lines on the tree trunks. If you want leaves on your trees, use a sponge dipped into your watercolors to sponge on leaves.

Recyle That Pumpkin!

Don't throw that pumpkin in the trash after Halloween! Instead, you use it to give your kids a great/easy lesson in recyling (and make your trashman happy with a lighter load).

Here's what you can do with that pumpkin after Halloween:

1. Put it in the compost heap - it will make good fertilizer
2. Bury it in the garden - it will decay quickly and enrich the soil
3. Wash, dry and save the seeds to plant next year (they will grow!)
4. Wash and roast the seeds - they make good eating.

Lasdon Park

While the weather is still mild and the Fall foliage is at it's peak, take a trip with your kids to Lasdon Park in Somers. Lasdon Park is one of the Westchester County Park system's gems. Located on Route 35 in Somers, NY, Lasdon is a magnificent 234 acre property consisting of woodlands, open grass meadow and formal gardens with flower and shrub specimens from all over the world. While there's no playground equipment for kids, it's a great place for a family walk or hike.with lots of paths to follow.

Make it an adventure for the kids by giving them one of the free colored maps of the park and letting them figure out which paths to follow. Along the way, take time to point out to your kids all the different specimens of trees, plants and grasses. Don't miss the "Historic & Famous Tree Trail." This trail features species that commemorate historic events and famous Americans from our country's past. At each station, one can read about a famous person or event to which the original parent tree was witness. The trees were grown from seeds of the original trees provided by the American Forestry Association. Another interesting site in the park to visit with your kids is the rain water basin which is show in the attached photos.

Starting Saturday October 24th through Halloween day October 31st, Lasdon will be holding it's first "Halloween Hair Raiser" exhibit. This exihibit will be in the Lasdon Arboretum . It will feature a miniature “Eerie Railroad” winding its way through a miniature haunted village. There will be Venus flytraps, Dracula orchids, pencil trees, weird cacti and other curious botanical specimens and much more to view. While access to the paths, museums and grounds at Lasdon is free, there is a charge to visit the Aboretum and this special Halloween exhibit.

There's so much more at Lasdon Park for people of all ages.Click here for full information on Lasdon Park.

Paper Bag Pumpkins - Ages 3 and up

Halloween will be here before you know it! Kids love holiday decorations and love even more when they can help make them. Here's another great way to re-use paper bags - this one courtesy of Crayola®. Don't stop at just one pumpkin - make multiples - and big and small ones. They make a terrific Halloween display when grouped together in big and small sizes.

Click here for the instructions.

Chameleon Collage - Ages 3 to 6

A favorite project of our youngest students is the "Chameleon Collage". For inspiration, first read them the book, "A Color Of His Own" by Leo Lionni. The story is about a chameleon who goes in search of a color of his own and finds a true friend. It's a terrific book to teach small children about this creature's special connection to it's environment - with beautiful watercolor illustrations by Leo Lionni.

The primary material used in this artwork is leftover red or green tissue paper from Christmas. Let the child choose one color theme for the chameleon's environment and it's head (either green or red) or you can do two pictures - one with the chameleon in a green enviroment and one with the chameleon in a red environment.

Materials required:

• 1 piece of white paper for background
• Crayons in various shades or green or red
• 1 round piece of red or green construction paper for the chameleon's head
• Leftover pieces of green or red tissue paper
• Glue - a non-toxic glue stick or you can make a mixture of Elmer's glue and water which the child can apply with a paintbrush.

Katonah Museum Of Art

Don't miss out on visiting the Katonah Museum Of Art - particularly if you're looking for something to do on a rainy or cold day. While small in size, it's rich in art experiences for both children and adults. The museum provides brochures for children and clipboards which they can use to browse the galleries in search of specific items - along with tips for adults to stimulate the child's thoughts and discussion while viewing the artworks. On a recent visit there, we found the "California Impressionists" exhibit an absolute feast for the eyes and our three year-olds loved browsing the galleries in search of the specific items in the paintings (e.g boats, horses, night landscapes, teapots, etc.)

The museum also houses the "The Learning Center" where children can drop-in and explore just about any type of art project they desire. On a visit there during the summer, there were wonderful college interns in the center who welcomed the children and engaged them in a fun art project making sailboats out of cork stops, toothpick and painted paper. The interns then led us outside to the sculpture garden where there were tables and chairs setup with pastels, water and paper for the children to do "en plein air" paintings. The center also has scheduled art activities on Saturdays and Sundays and periodically on weekdays (check the event calendar on their website).

This fall, the interns weren't there and things were more quiet, but we still had a very enjoyable time by engaging some other parents and children that were there and making fun and creative use of all the art materials provided in the center.

Admission is free Tuesday-Friday from 10am-12pm. Other times, the admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students & seniors and children under 12 are free. In return for such a wonderful (practically free) art experience, please don't forget to clean up after yourself and child before you leave the Learning Center - and don't miss the donation box on the wall near the exit. The Katonah Art Museum certainly deserves donations for maintaining such a wonderful art center - and every small donation matters!