Expert: MaryAnn F. Kohl - 4/15/2010

Question
Hi---

I need help with something. This summer, I am leading arts and crafts at our VBS for 3-10 year olds. I have been asked to come up with a 3-D art project the the camp can add to each day....our theme is Africa (Kenya but does not have to be Kenya). Any ideas...It does not have to be product oriented...just something that ties us to Africa and something that the whole camp can do in a week...thanks

Answer
I've done various 3-D sculpture projects that grow and grow and are fun, but nothing related to Africa.

I haven't thought this out yet, so I'll brainstorm as I write and see what comes of it:

Maybe you could use a map of Kenya as the base of a "wall", where kids add something to the map that is 3-D?

The most famous Kenya animals are Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalos and Rhinos. Besides these 'Big 5' there are many other animals like Giraffes, Zebras, Hippos, Baboons, Wildebeests, Warthog and Antelopes, Gazelles and numerous Birds. So knowing that, you could have a block of styrofoam, a HUGE block like comes from refrigerator or computer packing, and the kids could stick pipecleaners, bamboo skewers, or other objects into the foam. ON the ends of the wires or objects, they could add little drawings or cutouts of Kenya's animals. Hmmm. Not sure I like that --- but something with animals.

Kid could paint animals of Kenya on heavy paper plates and staple or tape them to dowels or painter's sticks. Then stick the sticks in the grass. The grass would be filled with a field full of animals! ??? But if it rained.....

A newspaper sculpture would be cool. You roll newsprint into a tube: start at the corner, and roll a dowel or even a pencil across the sheet of paper, and at the end, hold the tube and let the stick fall out. Then tape it). Make many many tubes. The kids tape the tubes together with masking tape, building a very abstract wildly assembled sculpture that grows very large. It is so much fun! Anything can be added along the way like raffia, yarn, balloons, ribbon, colored tissue, etc etc etc. Maybe you could add something "Africa" or "Kenya" to the newspaper sculpture. I'm thinking paper with animal patterns like giraffe spots, zebra stripes and so on. But SOMETHING from Africa that makes the sculpture meaningful for you.

I just walked in from a grueling travel experience and I am worn out!! I'm afraid my mind is not coming to grips with a decent answer for you. Maybe the little ramblings I gave will inspire you to find something.

I would love to hear from you when you figure out what you're doing and let me know your idea.
Sorry I couldn't come up with more! I'm off to unpack from my travels.

MaryAnn Kohl
www.brightring.com (there is a way to contact me on my website ... I will look forward to hearing from you)