Week 3 - Mythical Creatures

Drawing monsters
*pencils, erasers, paper
Activity: kids draw mythical creatures and find inspiration from the Dover weekly free sampler (see images above and below). Encourage drawing basic shapes/forms first and adding details and shading/color later. Kids can also draw dragons, unicorns, mermaids, Lochness monsters, etc.

Sock puppets
*socks (time to empty the lost & found!), permanent markers, googly eyes, yarn, buttons, glue and any other craft supplies.
Make a unicorn, an alien or just a silly doll. The younger kids might enjoy putting on a puppet show.

Clay Gargoyles
*materials: air dry clay, cups for water, clay mats, space to dry clay projects, clay tools (tooth picks, clay tools, sticks, popsicle sticks, etc)
Kids form a ball (size of their fist or smaller) and then a pinch pot. Flatten one side gently, this will be the chin. Attach other pieces of clay to add eyes, horns, teeth, etc. With airdry clay you can use a little water to help attached pieces stick (just dab it on with your finger as you don't want to get clay too wet or it turns to mush). You can also carve details such as scales, hair, etc. Add child's name to bottom of piece and paint a day or two later.

For more inspiration: Read Night of the Gargoyles by Eve Bunting

Charcoal Gargoyles
*charcoal (vine charcoal & compressed are ideal but if you only have one- go with compressed), construction paper (light colors or white), optional: Pink Pearl erasers that you are okay with only using for this project
Begin sketching gargoyle with vine charcoal. Vine charcoal is fairly light and can erase easily by just wiping it with hand (it won't erase completely but the "history" is nice to see). Once sketched, then darken features with compressed charcoal. You can use your finger to rub in areas. The erasers can lighten areas that you have added charcoal too (see highlights in my eyebrows). Don't think of it as erasing but more bringing out lighter areas, a reverse way of creating shapes. Be prepared for a mess, ready to wash hands and have sponges and towels on hand to clean and dry tables. This is worth the mess as the kids really get into this material.