Water lilies as we studied Monet.
The children painted a still-life of sunflowers as we discussed the tumultuous life of Van Gough.
I had enough fruit to satisfy my children's desires through this Cezanne still-life. (You wouldn't believe how much kids want to eat lemons when they are around other kids!)
They worked hard on their Cezanne-inspired fruit artwork.
But this past week I was sick (as seems to be my new normal lately) so I paused the artist studies till my other friendly students can join us. My kids and I did a side-project that was a lot of fun. We wrote a story together by taking turns adding to the plot. I started the story out with the first sentence, next came William, then Vera, Silas, and then around our circle a few more times with my encouragement to use rich adjectives along the way. Once the story was complete, we each took a piece to illustrate. Below is our final product for your enjoyment! An intriguing tale, written and illustrated by Mommy, William, Vera, and Silas Winter.
Landing in a New World
(illustration by Vera age 8)
The girl and boy hadn't noticed the cavernous pit until they had stepped on the flimsy debris that concealed it. They screamed as they fell down the giant pit further and further into complete darkness. They landed with a thud on a hard dirt floor, and as their eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, they saw an underground kingdom. The cavern began to gleam with glittering crystals, and against the wall was a dusty wooden chest that couldn't be pried open.
(Illustration by William age 10)
The two were caught between the choice of seeking an escape and exploring this mysterious place, but as no way back up the steep sides of the hole presented itself, they chose to enter the gates of the kingdom. As they entered the grand gates, they saw a strange light up ahead; they were astonished to see that it came from a rainbow kiwi bird. "You must find the key to the chest," squawked the bird." "It is the only way to escape the underground kingdom. If you fail, it is my duty to attack you with rainbow kiwis!"
(Illustration by Silas age 6)
The children were filled with both excitement and dread as they began their quest, turning down the first narrow passageway lit by the light of many colored gemstones. A tiny voice startled them as they turned to see a magical inchworm instruct, "Bring me the gold guarded by the Griffin at the end of this chamber, and I will present you with the key. Go now, and seek your destiny!"
(Illustration by Mommy (me) age 35 but young at heart)
They slowly approached the end of the chamber where the Griffin sat majestically. The young girl spoke, "Griffin, may we have your gold to give to the inchworm? We want the key to the chest so we can return to our world."
The Griffin's deep voice boomed "Answer the riddle on the stone, and I will honor your wisdom with what you seek." The children turned to face the stone with this inscription, "Strange things you see while in the dark, the heart's desires and jumbled remarks, the gold and key are not what you must take, for all will return when you awake."
"It's... a dream!" the boy said in wonder.
Suddenly, the chamber grew dark and foggy as the Griffin's deep voice boomed "Correct!" Then their stomachs dropped as they lifted through darkness and found themselves sitting on the forest floor where their journey had begun.
They stepped back and marveled, "What happened? Was that a dream?" The boy kicked aside the debris covering the hole to the magical kingdom, but all that was there was a chipmunk burrow. The girl felt something hard in her pocket, reached in, and pulled out a glistening diamond much like those from the cave kingdom. "I don't get it," wondered the girl.
"Me neither," replied the boy, "but... I'm hungry. Let's go home and get a sandwich. Just... watch out for sinkholes."
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