Finally we get to meet our art friends!

Pippurit, Mantelit, and Tigers have been making art and sending it to each other since January 2018. Pippurit and Mantelit are from Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Kontula, Helsinki and the Tigers are from Your School in Olari, Espoo. After months of getting to know each other, themselves, and their surroundings, they got to meet to have a morning of making art together!

At first, everybody was a bit confused about the other group.  Once we got inside and we heard Project 3 from the Pippurit and Mantelit and from the Tigers, everything started to come together. "Oh! That's my voice!" "I remember that!" "It was winter!".

We listened to the sound recordings we had made in March. As we listened, we could draw what we heard. After a while we introduced the possibility to collage using road maps of Finland.

One of the great things about this session was how listening to these recordings triggered many memories and ideas that we could then play off of each other in our small groups. For example, one of the groups started to think of boiled eggs as one of the recordings involved a bird. One artist drew snowflakes because at the time of the recording there was snow on the ground. Now it's spring time and everything is in bloom!

At the end of the session we had a mini-exhibition where everybody could display their artworks and tell about what they drew. Each small group was a mixture of the Pippurit, Mantelit, and Tigers. Everybody was so kind and welcoming to their new friends!

Thank you, Museum of Impossible Forms for hosting Dear You!

Have a great summer everybody!

With love,
Arlene

The 5 year old artists at Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 5 year old artists from Your School in Espoo, Finland.

Draw or write what you hear

During the third project students were asked to listen to audio recordings from their friends in China. They were instructed to draw or write anything they heard that sounded like a word that was familiar to them. They could use Swedish, Finnish, and English words for the listening exercise. As we listened students, wrote words that they heard or that came to mind and drew pictures to accompany the words. When the listening exercises was over the students used mixed methods of collage and coloring to complete their images. Using bits cut from maps they created lines connecting their images to one another.  They really enjoyed listening to what their friends had to say. Thanks so much to our friends in China! We really enjoyed collaborating with you on this project!

Sincerely,
Rachel Kangas

The artists in Grade 2 (8-9 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-10 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

Kaneleiden ryhmä kävi nauhoittamassa äänitallenteita!

(English below)

Kaneleiden ryhmä kävi nauhoittamassa äänitallenteita päiväkodin pihalla ja lähiympäristössä. Kohteina päiväkodin pihalla olivat kiipeilyteline, ulkokatos ja leikki siellä, päiväkodin lähimetsä, jossa oli puiden oksista tehty maja ja grillipaikka pöytineen ja penkkeineen. Lisäksi kohteena oli ympäristötaidepatsaat, jossa oli eri eläinten ylä- ja alaosia yhdisteltynä yhdeksi kokonaisuudeksi. Eskarit tykkäsivät osallistua omien kertomustensa äänittämiseen; he kertoivat vapaasti kohteistaan tai sitten heille annettiin avustavia kysymyslauseita kuten mikä tämä on? mitä sillä voi tehdä? jne.

Kanelit

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The Cinnamon group was making audio recordings of what they found around the daycare's yard and nearby surroundings. Around the grounds of the daycare were a climbing frame and an outdoor cabin to play. Nearby was the daycare's forest where there was a log house and a barbecue area with tables and benches. In addition, the point of our search was to find environmental art statues in which we could find the upper and lower parts of animals, which in the end, make a whole. The pre-schoolers liked to share their own stories and record them. They freely told about their discoveries or then they were given some questions to help guide their explorations. Some questions were "What is this?" "What can this do?"

The Cinnamons 

The 6 year old artists at Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 6 year old artists from Your School in Espoo, Finland.

In winter 2018 Dear You project in Kontula is supported by the Museum of Impossible Forms.

Kontula #Piparit #Helsinki

Kontula #Helsinki #Piparit

Kontula #Piparit #Helsinki

Kontula #Piparit #DearYou

Kontula #Piparit #Helsinki

Piparit #Kontula #Helsinki

Piparit #Helsinki #Kontula #DearYou

The 6 year old artists at Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 6 year old artists from Your School in Espoo, Finland.

In winter 2018 Dear You project in Kontula is supported by the Museum of Impossible Forms.

Taizhou Pheonix Primary School translate their environment!

The children in our class enjoy sharing things with me very much. This is no exception, the school take three days off for the Chinese traditional Qingming festival (清明节). Qingming festival, it is spring back to the earth, people sweep the tomb, a young and old in the middle reaches of the nature, home conveniently fold a few branches and leaves bud of willow branches on his head, happy.

Also, some people specially during the Qingming festival to nature to enjoy and appreciate the vibrant spring scenery, watching the spring scenery. We Taizhou area in many places and dragon boat racing, dragon dance and other traditional activities, so most of the children choose and their parents to visit, observe all kinds of activities.

After returning from the holiday, many students shared their photos with the class. We sat together and talked to each other about the fun of the holiday and the beauty we enjoyed. Then find a quiet environment to record your feelings, easy to share with you.

Sincerely,
Miss Wu Juehua

Listen to Taizhou Pheonix Primary School translate their environment 1 | Clyp is the easiest way to record, upload and share audio. No account required.

Listen to Taizhou Pheonix Primary School translate their environment 2 | Clyp is the easiest way to record, upload and share audio. No account required.

Listen to Taizhou Pheonix Primary School translate their environment 3 | Clyp is the easiest way to record, upload and share audio. No account required.

Listen to Taizhou Pheonix Primary School translate their environment 4 | Clyp is the easiest way to record, upload and share audio. No account required.

Listen to Taizhou Pheonix Primary School translate their environment 5 | Clyp is the easiest way to record, upload and share audio. No account required.

Listen to Taizhou Pheonix Primary School translate their environment 6 | Clyp is the easiest way to record, upload and share audio. No account required.

Listen to Taizhou Pheonix Primary School translate their environment 7 | Clyp is the easiest way to record, upload and share audio. No account required.

The artists in Grade 2 (8-9 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-10 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

油菜花. Rapeseed Flowers.

The artists from Linguajoy translate their environment and Easter!

Our third Dear You project took place during the week leading up to Easter vacation. The students were asked to create a Easter eggs and while working they discussed their activities and what their environment looked like.

Linguajoy #DearYou #Helsinki #Finland #Environment #SoundArt

DearYou #Linguajoy #Helsinki #Finland #Environment #Sound #Art

Linguajoy #DearYou #Sound #Art #Environment #Helsinki #Finland

Linguajoy #DearYou #Environment #Translating

The first group was a bit shy but we discussed what we were going to say and even rehearsed saying it a few times before we created our recordings. The second group of students were very excited to describe their environment and discuss their families Easter traditions.  

Sincerely,
Rachel Kangas

The artists in Grade 2 (8-9 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-10 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

I See You! Swedish students stop to take a closer look.

In a small classroom in Finland students stop, take a moment, and visually explore photos of kids attending school in China.  They see, if only for a few moments the visual characteristics and features of the child in the photograph. Using tracing paper the students traced the figures out of the photographs and onto a piece of paper. They added color to the students along with their own artistic touches. Throughout the process the students were encouraged to look closely at the photographs and asked; What did they see? Who is in the picture? What can you learn about them, what is the image telling you?  Once the drawing were completed I transcribed short letters from each artist to the child in the photograph. They explained short things about themselves such as their favorite foods and hobbies.

Now they eagerly await for the exchanging of artworks.

Sincerely,
Rachel Kangas

The artists in Grade 2 (8-9 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-10 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

The Monkeys translate their environment for their friends!

Words have an amazing way of painting pictures in our minds!  The Monkeys have created sound pieces that will hopefully tell their friends in Kontula about where they are in Olari.  We started by exploring the environment and then as we were recording tried to catch as many details as we could to communicate them to our friends.

Kanelit, you can draw a picture based on our recordings!  Also, do you hear what is happening in the background?  The more you listen the more your visions grow.

Thank you for making art with us!

Sincerely,
Arlene, Sanna, Ben, and The Monkeys

The 6 year old artists at Your School in Espoo, Finland are making and sharing art with the 6 year old artists from Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland.

DearYou #YourSchool #Espoo #Finland #Monkeys

Monkeys #translation #environment #YourSchool

Tämä on kanssa aika hauska!

(English below)

Talvi on jännää aikaa: välillä oli niin kylmä, ettemme päässeet ulos ja sitten hetkessä tuli suojasää. Pakkasella juostessa kenkämme narskui ja aurinko paistoi.

Suojasään jälkeen löytyi jäätä ja vettä. Loimme lunta ja rikoimme löytyneen jään, jään alta paljastui aarre: vettä!

Vettä ei voinut juoda, sitä varten on ruokavesi ja wichy-vesi. Onko vesillä eroja?

Terveisin,
Pippurit, Mantelit, Teija ja Satu

+++

Winter is an exciting time: at times it is really cold, so cold that we cannot go outside and then at times comes thawing of ice. When it is freezing, while walking there is crunching sounds and the sun shines.

After the thawing ice and water were found. We created snow and we broke the ice. Under the ice treasure was revealed: water!  

We cannot drink this water. We have water for food and mineral water. How do the waters differ?

Sincerely,
Pippurit, Mantelit, Teija and Satu

Mantelit #Pippurit #soundart #Kontula #Finland #Helsinki #environment

Mantelit #Pippurit #Kontula #MIF #Helsinki

The 5 year old artists at Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 5 year old artists from Your School in Espoo, Finland.

In winter 2018 Dear You project in Kontula is supported by the Museum of Impossible Forms.

The artists in China challenge realism!

The creation has sought the views of the children. They thought that their own photos can be printed out and then they were able to discuss their appearance characteristics. They also could talk about their good characters, talented things even favourite clothes, habitual actions, preferred colors and so on.

There are two kinds of creation, one is to draw themselves, the other is to draw among each other.

Some children believed it can be realistic. They stuck photos on the window and keep papers above them to describe in detail. Some children could also exaggerate some features of their own such as a round face more round, big eyes bigger, even can express themselves with decorative techniques besides expressing some features they don’t have but want to own. For example, short hair girl painted her wanted long hair, lively become calm. In the process of painting, they devoted themselves to draw a variety of styles of themselves.

King regards,
Teacher Lisa and Miss Wu Juehua

The artists in Grade 3 (9-10 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-9 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

The Tigers make sound art!

As the Tigers are telling what they see so many memories and feelings come up. Listen to their sound piece and you will be happily surprised!

YourSchool #Espoo #Olari #TheTigers

They realized that there are so many different ways we can describe snow!  How do we describe air and sound?  This was challenging at first, but they did a great job trying to express their observations through words in Finnish and in English.

Sincerely,
Arlene, Floriin, Anna-Maria, and the Tigers

The 5 year old artists at Your School in Espoo, Finland are making and sharing art with the 5 year old artists from Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland.

Piirtään ja väritään!

(English below)

Kaneleiden eskarit tekivät innolla ja keskittyneesti ensimmäistä tehtävää, jossa piti The Monkeysin lähettämät kuvat jäljentää ja värittää omaksi taideteokseksi. Jäljentämisen ja värittämisen apuna käytimme leivinpaperia, jonka laitoimme kuvan päälle. Kuvan ja leivinpaperin laitoimme ikkunaa vasten, jotta näki ääriviivat, joita piirtää ja värittää. Lisäksi meillä oli piirtämiseen lyijykynät ja värittämiseen puuvärit. Saimme yhden aamupäivän aikana tehtyä kaikki taideteokset. Tässä kuvia prosessista. Kaikki Kanelit lähettävät paljon terveisiä The Monkeys –ryhmän lapsille ja aikuisille. Jäämme mielenkiinnolla odottamaan seuraavia taideteoksia.

+++

The Cinnamon preschoolers excitedly and with great concentration made their first project from which The Monkeys sent their woks. From those artworks we traced and colored in the picture to make our own artworks. We used baking paper to trace by putting the baking paper on top of the picture. We put the picture and the baking paper against the window so that we could see the outlines we would draw and color. We used colored pencils and crayons. We did everything in one morning. Here are the pictures of the process. All the Cinnamons send many warm hellos to the Monkey kids and adults. We look forward to the next artworks. 

The 6 year old artists at Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 6 year old artists from Your School in Espoo, Finland.

In winter 2018 Dear You project in Kontula is supported by the Museum of Impossible Forms.

Upeita taideteoksia Päiväkoti Pihapirttista!

Paketti on saapunut! The package has arrived!

Hello! Beautiful thank you for your artworks, they were great! Here are our responses to your artworks :). Let's keep in touch! Kanelit/Eskarit/ Päiväkoti Pihapirtti.

Monkeys tekivät suoraan taidenäyttelyn ystävänsä taideteoksista!
The Monkeys immediately made an art exhibition of their friends' artworks!

The 6 year old artists at Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 6 year old artists from Your School in Espoo, Finland.

In winter 2018 Dear You project in Kontula is supported by the Museum of Impossible Forms.

Taking time to explore

To start the Dear You project the students and I sat down around a table and reviewed the photos sent to us from our new friends in China.  With each picture we took time to visually explore what was taking place. Was it a boy or girl? How old did they appear? Where was the photo taken? We explored what sort of information could we gather from elements presented to us in the photo?  

Following this activity we completed an journaling exercise where the students described things about themselves that they felt were important to share with their new friends. Then we completed the session by taking our self portraits.

Alexandra said: I like candy. I like to dance. My favorite food is pea soup.
I am Amos. I like school. I play my PS4. I have a big brother. I like pizza. I like candy.
I am Ebba. I like English club. I play football. I have a mom.
Felix said: I am 8 years old. I like candy. I play Minecraft.
Lucus said: I am short. I like my friend Benjamin. I play football. I have a little sister.
I am Maxim. I like Samuel & Benjamin. I do Ty-boxing. I have a dog.
Oskar said: I like playing my phone. I like candy. I am 7 years old. I play the guitar.
Sophia said: I also like to laugh. I like to play pretend mommy and daddy. I like my mom. My favorite food is spaghetti and I love bread. I like hotdogs and I like friends.

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Rachel Kangas

The artists in Grade 2 (8-9 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-10 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

Olet inspiraatio!

(English below)
Kun palasimme hiihtolomalta takaisin päiväkotiin, meitä odotti ihana posti: saimme kirjeen. Kirjekuoresta paljastui upeita piirustuksia meille meidän omista leikeistämme ja kiinnostuksen kohteista. Kiitos Tiikerit!

Nyt olemme itse viikon ajan piirtäneet ja värittäneet kuvia kaavapaperin läpi teistä Tiikeri-lapset. Se ei ollut kovin helppoa, mutta hyvin me selvisimme siitä. Saatte postia piakkoin!

yt. Pippurit ja Mantelit

---

When we returned to the daycare from the ski holiday, we had a wonderful package waiting for us: we received a package. The envelope had many amazing drawings, which came from our own jokes and interests. Thanks to the Tigers!

This week we have been painting and coloring pictures of the Tigers. It was not that easy, but we managed to make the artworks. You will receive mail soon!

Kindly,
Pippurit (gingerbreads) and Mantelit (almonds)

The 5 year old artists at Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 5 year old artists from Your School in Espoo, Finland.

In winter 2018 Dear You project in Kontula is supported by the Museum of Impossible Forms.

The thoughtful artistic process in Barcelona

I have chosen this photo because I think that I have my own light.

I have chosen this photo because I like very much to make chinese shadows.

I have chosen this photo because there are numbers in it and I love numbers.

The artists at SOLC in Barcelona have shared their creative process of making a self-portrait.  They sketched their ideas of what personality traits and things about themselves they would like to tell their new friends in Finland.  Before they took their photographs they first experimented with the camera and found many different ways to play with the images.

Great job!

The 4th graders at Vesalan Peruskoulu in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 5th graders at Escola SOLC in Barcelona, Spain.  Artists in both groups are 10-11 years old.

I choose this picture because exaiting and I love the light and yellow colour.

I love this photo because I thing it’s like sience. It’s dizzy / making you feel dizzy!!

I did dis photos because i like the sun and the lights .And the natural places and other things .And I love dance with the lights and the dark.

I like that photo of one poster of my school because I'm so creative, and this photo too.

I chose this picture because I love sports and I like swim

The Sun:The Sun represents space,I like to study bodies of space.

This photo means the water (of a swimming pool, anything more than water…). I think that can mean many things of me. This is a curious photo for me.

Using light and transparency to make art!

Using our friend's artwork as a direct inspiration for our artwork is a pure collaboration!  At first, the Tigers were wondering how can we do that?  How can we make something together with our friends when they live in Kontula?  This was the first time the Tigers used tracing in their artwork and they did an excellent job!

When they finished tracing we had a talk about the original artwork- what was the photographer trying to say with their image?  From that, the Tigers chose colors to try and bring that idea to life. We had a good discussion and compared the original artwork from their artwork they made. 

Colors and lines, make such a difference even if it's coming from the same source. We learned how we can "say" what we mean.

Thank you for being such an inspiration for us!

Sincereley,
Arlene, Floriin, Anna-Maria & The Tigers

The 5 year old artists at Your School in Espoo, Finland are making and sharing art with the 5 year old artists from Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland.

The Monkeys translate their friend's artwork!

Our new friends in Kontula have become even more alive as we all sat around to talk about the self-portraits.  What do you think this picture means?  What do you think our friend is trying to say with that gesture?  Through the process of trying to understand what the picture is conveying, we started to connect with the picture and the person behind the camera. "I like horses too!" "I like to do gymnastics too!"

We had a good discussion about translation.  Can we say something exactly in another language?  We practiced saying hello and how are you in different languages.  Even from that we sometimes got stuck because the direct translation wasn't always exactly the same. 

We tried applying this concept of translation to picture form by tracing the self-portrait.  Then when we added color, we could play around with how color enhances and changes the meaning of the picture.  All the elements come together so choose carefully what you would like to communicate!

The Monkeys did an amazing job!

Sincerely,
Arlene, Sanna, Ben & The Monkeys

The 6 year old artists at Your School in Espoo, Finland are making and sharing art with the 6 year old artists from Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland.

I think we will make good friends!

申钰萌：我是一个性格内向的小女孩，我有一双大大的眼睛，一头乌黑的长发和一张能说会道的嘴巴。音乐、画画、跳舞都是我平时的爱好，跳绳、跑步是我喜爱的体育项目。这就是我，一个快乐的小女孩。

申钰茜：我是一个性格内向的女生。我有一双炯炯有神的大眼睛，一头乌黑的头发，和一张能说会道的嘴。我喜欢画画、跳舞、唱歌。跑步、跳绳都是我喜爱的体育项目。这就是我，一个幸福、快乐的女孩。

Shen Yu Meng: I am an introverted little girl, I have big eyes, long black hair and I like to talk. My hobbies are music, drawing and dancing. Skipping and running are my favorite sport. This is me, a happy little girl.

Shen Yu Qian: I am an introverted girl. I have big and bright eyes, a black hair, and a can of mouth. I like drawing, dancing, singing. Running, jumping rope are my favorite sports. I am a happy, lucky girl.

沈力萌：我是一个爱笑的女孩。闲时，我喜欢吟诗诵读。画画，唱歌是我的最爱。每天我都在不断努力，不断进步，因为我相信：顽强的意志可以征服世界上任何一座高山。

Shen Meng: I am a girl who likes to laugh a lot. For fun, I like to recite poems. Painting and singing are my favorite. Every day I am constantly working hard and making progress, because I believe: if we work hard we can conquer any mountain in the world.

陈仁杰，今年9岁了。我是个阳光活泼的大胖子，跑步、跳绳、打篮球、画画等等都是我的兴趣爱好，但没有一个是我擅长的，我特别爱交朋友，希望我们能成为好朋友。

Chen Renjie, I turn 9 years old this year. I am a lively little pudgy boy. Running, skipping, playing basketball, painting and so on are all my hobbies, but I am not especially good at any of them. I especially love to make friends and hope we can be good friends.

陈楚楚：我是一个安静内敛的女生。我喜欢折纸，画画，跳绳……其中旅游，交友是我的最爱，好期待认识远方的您们！

Chen Chu Chu: I am a quiet introverted girl. I like origami, drawing, skipping ... travel, making friends is my favorite, so looking forward to meeting you from a distance!

程志奥:大家好，我叫程志奥，今年十岁，我是一个活泼开朗的小孩。喜欢打羽毛球、骑自行车还喜欢踢足球。我相信在这个大家庭里没个人都有不可代替的作用。

Cheng Zhi-o: Hello everyone, my name is 程志奥, I turn ten years old this year, I am a lively and cheerful kid. I like playing badminton, cycling and also I like to play football. I believe that everybody in the family has an important place and role.

石杰文：我是一个快乐的男孩，我喜欢阅读和唱歌，爱看一些关于恐龙的书籍和影片，我的理想是长大后成为一名考古学家！你们喜欢我吗？喜欢就和我交朋友吧！

Shi Jiewen: I am a happy boy. I like to read and sing. I love to read books and watch videos about dinosaurs. My dream is to grow up to become an archeologist! Do you like me?  If you do, we can be friends!

徐志东：大家好，我叫徐志东，今年十岁。我是一个活泼可爱的小男孩，我善常跑步、骑自行车、画画……我的梦想是成为一名聪明的冒险家，因为我想看看世界！有好奇心的小朋友就跟我交朋友吧!

Xu Zhidong: Hello everyone, my name is Xu Zhidong, I turn ten years old this year. I am a lovely lively cute little boy. I am good at running, riding a bike, painting and drawing ... My dream is to become a wise adventurer because I want to see the world! Curious children, come make friends with me!

徐梓惠 : 大家好，我叫徐梓惠，我是一个活波可爱的女孩。跳舞、画画、主持人，这都是我的兴趣爱好。我长大想当一名护士，因为可以帮助生病的人减轻痛苦。

Xu Zihui: Hello everyone, my name is Xu Zihui, I am a lively cute little girl. Dancing, drawing, being a talk show host are my hobbies. I want to grow up to be a nurse because then I could help the sick to make them feel better.

徐俪宁，我是一个活泼开朗好运动的女孩。平时休息的时候我会去做一些体育运动，例如：游泳、轮滑、攀岩。我的特长是舞蹈和绘画，但我更喜欢表演，我希望我长大后能当一名演员，像我的偶像杨幂那样优秀。

Xu Li Ning, I am a lively, cheerful, and sporty girl. Usually to relax, I will do some sports, such as swimming, roller skating and rock climbing. My specialty is dance and painting, but I prefer acting, and I hope I grew up to be an actress, as good as my idol Yang Mi.

When I explained to the kids what the event meant and what to do, they were very positive and found out how many great pictures they had and asked friends to pick out the ones they like. 

Next, the kids told stories about the photos. Then, the kids talked about their photos one after one. They made self-introductions and wrote them down, they expect to be new friends with the kids in Finland.

King regards,
Teacher Lisa and Miss Wu Juehua

The artists in Grade 3 (9-10 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-9 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

杨俊涛：我是一个爱笑的男孩。我的眼睛小小的，笑起来眯成一条缝。我喜欢踢毽子、唱歌，魔方是我的最爱。

Yang Juntao: I am a kind of boy who likes to laugh a lot. My eyes are small, and when they are smiling that are like tiny slits. I like to play badminton, sing, and the Rubik's Cube is my favorite.

大家好！我叫刘晶瑶，今年10岁了。我内心阳光，性格开朗，是同学们的好朋友，老师的小助手。我热爱画画，钢琴、体育等…，希望大家喜欢我！

Hello everyone! My name is Liu Jingyao and I turn 10 years old this year. My heart is full of sunshine, I have a cheerful personality, I am good friends with my classmates, and I am teacher's assistant. I love painting, piano, sports, etc ..., I hope everyone likes me!

李一轩：我是个活泼且调皮的男孩，个子高高的，皮肤白白的，爸爸说他最喜欢我水灵灵的大眼睛，因为觉得我的眼睛会说话。别看我瘦得跟豆芽菜似的，我的饭量可大了，妈妈特羡慕我这种吃得多还不胖的体质。我的爱好是国际象棋和运动，来和我做朋友，让我给你们带去欢乐吧！

Li Yixuan: I am a lively and naughty boy, I am quite tall, my complexion is light, and my father says he likes my big watery eyes the most, because he thinks that my eyes can talk. I may look thin, but I have a big appetite. My hobbies are chess and sports, come and be my friend so that I can make you happy!

任建业：大家好，我叫任建业。我今年十岁了。我是一个活泼、爱笑的男生，一笑眼睛就眯成一条线。我有很多的兴趣爱好：看书、跳绳、踢毽子、画画……我的梦想是成为一位有名的画家，所以现在就要好好学习，天天向上，这样才有可能性。你们愿意和我做朋友吗？

Ren Jianye: Hello everyone, my name is Ren Jianye. I am ten years old. I am a lively and loving boy. I have a lot of hobbies: reading books, skipping, playing badminton, painting ... My dream is to become a famous painter, so I will study hard now and work everyday so that it can be possible. Will you be friends with me?

大家好，我叫吕明轩，今年10岁，我活泼好动，非常喜欢体育，尤其喜欢踢足球，跑步和打篮球这三项体育运动。如果来到我们学校的操场，那个跑步第一名的可能就是我哦！

Hello everybody, my name is Lu Mingxuan, I am 10 years old. I am active and very much like sports. I especially like playing football, running and palying basketball. If you come to our school playground, and we have a race, I could maybe be the fastest!

马嘉鸿：很高兴见到你们，我是一个好学、端行、尚美的学生，我的兴趣爱好很广泛，比如说：画画、跳舞等。

Ma Jiahong: I am very happy to meet you. I am a studious and pretty student. I have many different hobbies such as: painting, dancing and so on.

唐雨亭，我是个活泼开朗的女孩，今年9岁，我喜欢听音乐，每次爸爸妈妈接送我上学放学的路上都会拿着手机哼唱几首自己喜欢的音乐。你们喜欢跟我交朋友吗

Tang Yuting, I am a lively and happy girl. I turn 9 years old this year. I like to listen to music

When Mom and Dad pick me up from school I listen to and hum along to my favorite song on my phone. Would you like to be friends with me?

孙诗涵：我是个活泼开朗、乐于助人的女孩，也是个粗心大意的人。我的爱好广泛，最喜欢弹钢琴，因为88个琴键弹出来的声音是五彩缤纷的。我相信：天才出于勤奋，只有不断努力，才能让自己更优秀！

Sun Shih Han: I am a lively and helpful and thoughtful girl. My hobbies range, but my favorite is the piano, because the sound of the 88 keys are so colorful. I believe: genius comes out of diligence, only through continuous efforts we can make them better!

吴奕昊：大家好，我叫吴奕昊，我今年十岁了。我是一个活泼开朗的小男孩，我爱跑步、踢足球、扔垒球，我喜欢交朋友，我的梦想是当一个出色的运动员！为祖国争光！

Wu Yi Hao: Hello everyone, my name is Wu Yi Hao, I am ten years old. I am a cheerful little boy, I love running, playing football, throwing softball, I like to make friends, my dream is to be a good athlete! Wishing everything good to the motherland (China)!

顾一川:大家好，我叫顾一川，今年九岁。我是一个活泼开朗的女孩，一眼望去最小巧可爱的那个就是我。我喜欢看书、画画、做手工……，其中做科学小实验是我的最爱，我希望长大后做个科学家，揭开世界未解之谜。小朋友们，快来跟我做朋友吧！

Gu Yichuan: Hello everyone, my name is Gu Yichuan and I am nine years old. I am a lively little cute girl. I like to read books, draw pictures and do things with my hands. Amongst them, doing scientific experiments is my favorite. I hope to grow up to be a scientist and discover the mysteries of the world. Kids, come and be friends with me!

Festivities here and there!

Class 7C in Kontula were all very excited that they received a package from our friends in China!  We displayed their artwork and discussed them.  Many of the artworks had very warm and welcoming thoughts on them such as, "Welcome to China!".  Finally, we figured out what C & F stands for - China and Finland!  I hope we are right!

On one of the artworks had some questions written on them. 

These questions translates to: Firstly, it is very nice to meet you. Can we make an exchange using QQ? What kind of Chinese food do you like? Do you have some interesting festivals there?

We try to answer you the best we can:

It is very nice to meet you too!  We do not know what QQ is. What is it?

Some of us had said that they like the fried pork, fried rice, white rice and the duck.

Finland has all kinds of festivals. We celebrate Juhannus, which is called Midsummer in English. This happens towards the end of June where it is usually the longest day of the year.  We celebrate Pride, Vappu (May Day), Tikkurila Festivaali, Vegan Festivaali, and Ruis Rock, which is a big music festival.

Yesterday, in Helsinki there were two big celebrations. One is called Penkkarit and the other you will know very well, Chinese New Year!  Senior high school students ride on the back of trucks in costumes to celebrate before they have to start their matriculation exams.  There is lot of honking the horn and throwing candy at the crowd!!  The Chinese New Year celebrations were so beautiful this year! There was dancing, Kung Fu, music, Dragon Dance, Lion Dance, and ice skating too to happily bring in the year of the dog!

We wish you all a happy new year!

The 13 year old artists at Shenzhen High School in Shenzhen, China are making and sharing with 7c, 13 year olds, from Helsingin yhteislyseo in Helsinki, Finland.

Looking at us through a lens

The artists at Vesalan peruskoulu in Finland are so excited to have new friends in Spain!  We had a good discussion about languages and all the different ways we can communicate.  In the group we have people who speak Finnish, Russian, Arabic, English, and probably many other languages, but we realized that art is a language too!  And today we experimented with using photography as our medium! 

Since this was the first project in getting to know our friends we first thought of things we like about ourselves and characteristics that we would like to share with them.  

Then we experimented with photography!  The characteristics we wanted to highlight guided our camera.  Some of us went outside (in freezing cold weather!) to take the self-portraits while others used different techniques to spread their message such as drawing.  In any case, the final work was a photographic self-portrait.

To round out the session we looked at some self-portraits from Nan Goldin, Josef Koudelka and Zev.  Everybody could share their own perspectives on how that photographic spoke to them.

We look forward to seeing our friend's self-portraits!

The 4th graders at Vesalan Peruskoulu in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 5th graders at Escola SOLC in Barcelona, Spain.  Artists in both groups are 10-11 years old.