The Monkeys are full of Light & Love

In Finland, the change in light is one of the biggest differences we feel when moving from winter to spring. The Monkeys used the beautiful sunshine to make their artworks since this is one of the best things Finland has to offer right now!  

We first talked about how to draw profiles and then experimented with different silk papers and paper cutting techniques.  Some of the Monkeys got very detailed when drawing their profiles while others liked to add more collage and layering techniques into their pieces.  Either way, the results are amazing and I hope our friends in India will like them too :).

All the things we see!

Dear Monkeys!

It was a very sunny and hot day in India today. The Arivu kids are almost ready to start their summer holiday.

We have given your string drawings to their teacher and they will do an exhibition before giving the artworks to your friends. They all are waiting to get the drawings and know you all!
The houses/huts painted this time are the Arivu school buildings that your friends chose to see through their viewfinders. It is so warm here that they can study with the windows open and often outside in the huts. 

Uncle Subbu's car, which was parked outside, was another popular subject today, especially among the boys!

The hot sun, flowers, plants and even butterflies were also found today through the viewfinders.

Greetings from your Indian friends!

From palm trees and rice friends in India to you!

Dear Mooste friends,

It was very hot and sunny today at Arivu school. The summer holidays are already starting here as you are entering spring.

Around Arivu school there are some rice fields and many of your friends chose to see them through the viewfinder. There are also palm trees and other types of trees as you can see in the artworks. The playing area of the school as well as the school buildings have also found their way to the artworks. 

Before going for holidays, they will make an art exhibition of your February artworks. They are all looking forward to see them and know you all.

Greetings from your Indian friends!

Berliners find amazing color combinations!

Lusine and her 5 year old artists from Berlin had a great time with their Dear You March project! I am sure Evelyn and her artists in Mooste, Estonia will appreciate their watercolor views.  

We split the project into two. First the kids made and used their viewfinders to fix images, colors and different combinations. It was interesting to observe that later on when they were asked to put their creativity onto paper, they knew exactly what and how they wanted to paint. In between, they were encouraged to use the view finders again, which they applied from different distances involving other kids to hold the painting or to look through their view finders.

We had a lot of fun and discovered many new things around us.

All the best,
Lusine and Felixers

First signs of Spring and much much more from the artists in Vantaa, Finland!

Here are the Lumileopard's paintings from Vantaa, Finland.  You can see the first signs of spring through the viewfinders!  I wonder if their friends in Austria are also seeing the seasons change through their viewfinders.  Anne-Marie, the Lumileopard's teacher, has shared so much great information with us!  She says:

This Art task was so gorgeous and funny. Kids and adults were so excited about all working and screening.  At first I told the children about the new themes and we were discussing what all of that means and how we can do this work.  We then built our own viewfinder.

Next we made small groups and went out to search for good painting items and at same time we considered signs of spring. After that everyone painted their own watercolor landscape. 

Some kids found their views easily, some of them had to seek them out longer. That view what is in Picture, can exhibit small detail from nature, or house's wall etc. or it can be also bigger view from landscape or even imagination topic ! The finished works were delightful!
 

I wrote some notes about what the kids named their works:
Rebekka: Firs, red house, stones.
Teppo: Firs, red stable, watergrass.
Eetu: Space and ufos
Veera: Sky, sun
Anna: Spruce and flowers
Jimi T: House, Big Flat
Andreas: Car, house and human being
Rasmus S: Colour of the sky
Karl: Spring is coming
Jimi P: Venetian blind and bricks
Doina: Spruce, sun and dry leaves
Eelis: Rainbow and sun
Sandra: All kind of colours
Moonika: Birds, clouds, sun, grass and spruce
Helmi: House and grass
Miina: Nursery's playsquare on sunny day
Aapo: Octopus on the wall
Leevi: Bus on the road
Adam: Stones, man is walking, sun and blue clouds

Have a nice spring there and lot of more fun with art and kids!

B.W : Anne-Marie and Snowleopards from Vantaa

Antwerp International School share their views!

Naomi Kite and her pre-school artists have been busy looking at their world through their handmade viewfinders.  From the looks of their watercolor artworks, I see many happy faces. This must mean only one thing!  

I'm sure their friends in Philadelphia will find some common points between their pictures.

From Macro to Micro Views from Estonia

Evelyn Müürsepp and her artists have made beautiful paintings with the help of their handmade viewfinders.  I love how they use their viewfinder on their newly created painting.  Perhaps we can make a painting in a painting?  Anything is possible!

I'm sure their friends in Berlin are going to be so happy when they receive these artworks!

A room with many views

We were so excited to receive our first package from our new friends in India!  Aniish asked, "How can you draw that good?!"  Ella asked, "Do you like the Monkeys- the animal and us?"  Dante asked, "Is the boat in your painting going to Sweden?"

The Monkeys were discovering all special angles of their classroom with the help of their newly crafted viewfinders today.  The viewfinders also helped us build a better composition.

Have a look at their paintings and then see if you can find where they found it in their room.  It doesn't surprise me that there are a couple of watercolor paintings of fish and monkeys!  Can you see why?

Our colorful view!

The Tigers and I started our session by making a viewfinder with our hands and seeing what is around us.  We saw the trees outside the window, we saw the view to the downstairs where the Dolphins and Lions are, we saw the hearts on the windows and all the beautiful artwork hanging from the ceiling!  Now have a look at how our views turned into beautiful watercolor paintings : )

We our curious how our views are the same and different from The Mice in Vietnam!

With love,
Arlene & The Tigers from Espoo, Finland

Out and about in Mooste with our viewfinders!

Through the perspective of the artists in Mooste you'll catch a glimpse of how beautiful their town is with their historical buildings.  You can even see MoKS across the street! 

I wonder if their friends in India have ever seen such a place.  We can share our worlds with each other!

Berliners know how to improvise with string and glue!

Have a look at some pictures of String Stories from Berlin.  Lusine said, "The kids had so much fun improvising with string and glue that they all wanted to make another sting story for the family to take home.  It was very sweet :-)"

You are sweet!  And your friends in Estonia are going to appreciate your stories!

The Tigers are a team of great storytellers!

I see snow, cars, sun and a whole lot of adventures in these string stories by the Tigers! The Tigers soon figured out how to use the string to add texture and volume to their colored pencil drawings. Each one tells so much about themselves. I'm sure their friends in Vietnam will love these pieces of art!

The Monkeys String their way to India!

The Monkeys are super excited about meeting their new friends in Mysore, India! Since this is their first piece of art to exchange, some of the Monkeys were trying new visual techniques on how to bring our worlds together.  For example, Niklas and Lotta drew the Indian flag and Finnish flag on their paintings.  Patrick and Hartti drew games that they like to play.  Everybody enjoyed sharing a part of themselves with their new friends!

Making a Tree of Life with the help of String

The string collages from the 6th grader artists in Odder, Denmark to Texas, USA are in the mail!

Line, their teacher, said, "The students had a great time making their string collages. At first they found the task a bit strange, but when they started to think about what was important to them, they quickly got a lot of ideas and made some great collages."

Stringing together Valentine's Day and Carnival!

The Cats in Vienna have been up to some lovely thoughts and artwork!

Simone, their teacher, wrote:
My children loved to work with this new material, the wool. I told them to make some pictures of something they love. So they can share it with their partners. Also, we talked about people we love.

Children love their parents and their families, also their animals. Important is the fact we can love someone because he is doing something good, he is helping us and very important: he is playing with us. :) And he has to be very nice.

What can we do for people we love? You can write a love letter, you can paint something, you can give flowers.

Best wishes,
Simone and her cats

Ystävänpäivä every day : )

Hello Dears,

In Finland Valentine's Day is Ystävänpäivä, which means Friend's Day :).  The artists at Päiväkoti Lystilä in Vantaa decided to make woolly socks as part of the string theme AND sing a song for their friends at Evangelischen Volksschule am Karlsplatz, Vienna.

Lumileopards think woolly socks are great because:
- here in Finnish winter we really need warm socks!
- and like warm socks, a good friend is important and really necessary to move on!
- every kid can easily make and have their own stylish design and be proud of that too!
- there are always two socks in a pair. We are stronger together as opposed to just one!

HAPPY VALENTINE's DAY <3 
Lumileopardit & A-M

And here is Anne-Marie Keckman's translation of the Woolly Sock Song:

MY FRIEND

MY FRIEND IS LIKE A WOOL SOCK, IT WARMS ME AT WINTER,
AND MY FRIEND IS LIKE A MELLOW FLOWER, MAKES ME A SMILE!
SO TAKE MY HAND AND FOLLOW ME TO THE STRAND, I WILL SHOW YOU HOW THE SUN GOES DOWN BEHIND THE TREES, PAINTING THE SKY RED.
I'M SO LITTLE AND NEED A GUIDE TO TEACH ME HOW TO MAKE THIS WORLD BETTER!
SOMEDAY, WHEN I AM GROWN UP I WISH THAT,
I NEVER STOP LEARNING!

You can try to sing it too! :D

Stories tell you so much

The 4th and 5th grade artists from Mooste Põhikool  in Estonia have a lot to tell their new friends in Arivu School in Mysore, India.  I can sense closeness to the family and to their surroundings.  I think our world is feeling warmer from these string collages.  Thank you!

Happy Stories from Belgium: )

Here are some photos of the String Stories from the Pre-K group at Antwerp International School in Belgium!

Naomi, their teacher said, "We are doing a unit on feelings, so I asked the kiddos to think of a time or story that makes them happy and then create their ideas with string."

I think their friends at Moonstone Preschool in USA are going to be super happy with these shiny stories!

The Solar System strings us together!

Hi,

We had a great time doing the February Dear You art project.  We have been focusing on the solar system and talking about how we are connected to everything, so the project tied in perfectly with our curriculum! We have also been working on sharing and teamwork, so each piece was a collective effort.  

Have a great day,
Michelle

The 5 years old at Moonstone Preschool in Philadelphia, PA, USA is making and exchanging artwork with Pre-Kindergarteners at The International School of Antwerp in Antwerp, Belgium.

String stories together between Estonia and Germany!

The artists at Lasteaed Illikuku in Põlvamaa, Estonia have made their stories by collaging string for their friends at Kita Felix and Friends in Berlin, Germany.

It's story time!