RSS Feed
|
|
|||||
|
DONNA'S DAY: CREATIVE FAMILY FUN
Spring cleaning is in the air, and sorting through the kids' bookshelves is a great place to start. There are always a few worn-out picture books that have been read umpteen times and are ready for the recycling bin. Yet even with peanut-butter smears and jamglued pages, they are still family treasures that can't be tossed. So what's a parent to do? Here's a solution: Turn the threadbare prose into fresh, creative poetry with a new technique I call "Paint, Peel and Reveal." Involve the whole family in this "best-selling" idea in these three easy steps: 1. Tear out a large page from a picture book that's ready to be discarded. Pick out a few words on the page to form a poem or a short story. Large print works best. Place small pieces of masking tape over the chosen words. Test the tape first to be sure words remain when you peel it off the page. (Use the sticky section of-self stick notes as an alternative to the tape. Trim to the size of the word.) 2. Paint over the entire page with a thin coat of poster paint. Let dry. Use contrasting colors to paint a person, animal, object or abstract design to illustrate the theme of your poem. Let dry completely. Find the tape or self-stick-note pieces that are now covered with paint and carefully peel them away to magically reveal the words of your poem. 3. Let each family member create a page. Punch holes along the left edge of each page and string them together in an old book cover that you have painted or covered with construction paper. Display the coffee-table edition for everyone to enjoy reading over and over again. The recycled book is "bound" to get great reviews. Note: If you don't have any tattered books, this activity can also be done using magazine covers. Or, if your child has written a story at school, photocopy a page from the story and turn it into a magical poem with the above technique. Write Donna with your questions and ideas at www.donnasday.com. Donna's latest book, "Donna Erickson's Fabulous Funstuff for Families," is available in bookstores nationwide. (c) 2007 Donna Erickson Distributed by King Features Synd. |
for larger version       |
||||
)