Mari:

I'd like to suggest an activity that I simply call  "Box-Scapes".   I've
used this activity as an environmental science exercise using "found"
materials, but I don't see why it couldn't be adapted for use as an art
activity.

The idea is to:
1. Introduce the concept of what a landscape is.
2. Give examples of different kinds of landscapes (such as realistic,
alien, fanciful, natural etc.....maybe show images to whet the imagination).
3.  Talk very briefly about how people and animals relate to landscapes
in terms of aethetics, life style, adaptive morphology etc.
4.  Ask families to build a miniature landscape in a shoe box out of
"found" supplies, including 3D shapes of various colors, sizes and
materials along with tape,string, wire, ribbons etc....whatever you and
your staff can pull together without spending gobs of money.   Have
crayons, highlighters (washable) and/or water colors available.    The
family would be asked to label their creation with a pre-formatted card
that they would complete with a brief 1-3 sentence description telling
everyone what the landscape is about, a title, and their names.
5.   If you have a digital camera and printer set up, 2 copies of the
image could be printed - one for the family to take home and one to be
placed on an idea board along with the label.
6.   You might even have prizes for the most original, most colorful
etc.
7.   The materials could be recycled for use by another family
throughout the day.


Good luck!    Sounds like fun.

Shirley Albright
New Jersey State Museum



Mari Shopsis wrote:

>Please excuse cross-postings...
>
>I'm looking for some fresh ideas for activities relating to photography (and
>landscape photography in particular) that can be done in the context of a
>family day program.  People will probably spend between 15-30 minutes at
>each art-making station.  Projects need to be accessible and safe for a wide
>age range.
>
>Please reply to me off-list at [log in to unmask]
>
>Thanks!
>
>Mari
>
>Mari Shopsis
>Coordinator of School Programs
>Everson Museum of Art
>401 Harrison Street
>Syracuse, NY 13202
>
>p: 315.474.6064, x313
>f: 315.474.6943
>e: [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
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