As promised, here are a few resources that I used in the final week of summer camp this year. The camp’s theme sprang from a lovely little book that I found in the National Gallery’s children’s bookstore in DC. Here are the resources that worked the best with kids aged between 6 – 10.
When Pigasso Met Mootisse – Nina Laden – Beautiful picture book about famous frenemies. Packed with puns, and funny for all ages. The inspiration for this camp.
Oo0h! Matisse – Niepold/Verdu – Another winner for both big and little kids. This book is basically a guessing game using close ups of Matisse’s cut up shapes.
Just Behave, Pablo Picasso! – Jonah Winter – The kids sat very still during this one, it’s a great story to read out to a large class. The older kids loved hearing about Picasso’s rebellious nature, and the story made sense to the little kids.
Henri’s Scissors – Jeanette Winter – A good introduction to Matisse’s cut outs, short with beautiful, bright illustrations.
Who Was Pablo Picasso? – True Kelley – I love the Who Was…? series for children old enough to read chapter books by themselves. The 8 – 10 year olds could read this to themselves easily.
Pablo Picasso – Art for Children – Ernest Raboff – An easy to understand biography with plenty of pictures. Perfect for teachers to use in the classroom.
Pablo Picasso, Breaking All The Rules – True Kelley – Presented as a child’s class report on the artist. This is a fun read for older kids to read to themselves, with lots of little cartoons and irreverent humor.
Cut Out Fun With Matisse – Prestel books – A nice way to introduce little kids to Matisse, this includes paper and directions for kids to make their own cut outs.
Can You Spot The Leopard? – Prestel books – A library find with some wonderful photos of tribal masks. This was a great, comprehensive read about African tribal masks.
The above book is a camp staple. no matter what the camp’s theme, no matter what the age group of the kids, there will be something suitable and desirable to read in this book. Dorling Kindersley, you have my heart.
I have to include the above book, because it is just so beautifully written. It is the perfect book to read at the beginning of a class with different age groups, and it’s message is delivered in a lovely way. This is a great book to use for teaching kids about how to be good friends, and look out for each other.
Here is the link for the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. And apparently The Baltimore Museum of Art has a large collection of Matisse pantings (and is a lot closer!).
And finally, there are a LOT of videos of Picasso drawing, on the web (not all of them child appropriate, might I add!). This is one that I particularly liked for the kids.
Happy exploring, and let me know about other great resources out there that I have overlooked!
