Free Craft Sundays Goes
With all due respect to Kermit the Frog, it’s easy – and fun – being “green” during Free Craft Sundays at the Arab American National Museum!
Free Craft Sundays for children ages 6-12 resumes on Sunday, April 15, 2012, with the first of six weekly sessions designed to expose young people to cultures and activities outside their normal experience. AANM educators lead all sessions; all supplies are provided. There is no charge to take part, and Museum admission is free for everyone on Sundays.
This series of sessions focuses on “green” crafts – creating new items by using materials we’d typically toss in the trash. It’s presented in conjunction with the Watch Your Waste e-Museum, a joint project of the Arab American National Museum and the Children’s Museum Jordan in Amman, Jordan. This online platform engages youth in Jordan and the U.S. to share information and images they collect as they research the ways voluminous trash puts a heavy burden on our planet and how our daily consumption practices contribute to the problem.
On Earth Day, Sunday, April 22, kids in metro Detroit are invited to bring their own recyclables or use those provided to create their own piece of sculpture at Free Craft Sundays. Then, all participants’ sculptures will be combined into one big super-sculpture to be displayed temporarily at the AANM to raise awareness.
On Saturday, May 12, we harken back to Victorian England, where the art of paper-bead-making was a popular pastime, with a craft activity resulting in a lovely gift for Mom, just in time for Mothers Day.
All of these Free Craft Sundays projects use recycled materials,” says AANM Educator Lindsay Robillard. “We want to raise awareness of how much we throw away and illustrate how we can re-use many of these things for a variety of purposes, including fun activities.”
Free Craft Sundays takes place from 2-4 p.m. in the Lower Level Classroom at the AANM. All children taking part in Free Craft Sundays must be accompanied by a parent. An RSVP is also required; contact Lindsay Robillard at 313.624.0210.
A complete schedule appears below.
Free Craft Sundays is made possible in part by Blake and Brady Hishmeh and Blick Art Materials.
Watch Your Waste is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Museums and Community Collaborations Abroad program, administered by the American Association of Museums.
FREE CRAFT SUNDAYS @ AANM
SPRING 2012
April 15: Kokeshi Dolls
You may find the sight of these big-headed dolls with no arms or legs somewhat familiar – they’re the basis of the Mii avatars on the Wii video game console. First carved from wood as souvenirs in 15th-century Japan, these small dolls are easily recreated by using recycled toilet paper tubes and other cardboard.
April 22 (Earth Day): Collaborative Trash Sculpture
By repurposing found objects such as old plastic toys, packaging materials and other trash, kids will make their own piece of sculpture. Then, all participants’ sculptures will be combined into a single super-sculpture that demonstrates just how much trash our society produces, for temporary display at AANM.
April 29: Tin Can Herb Pot
Aluminum cans may be recycled repeatedly without breaking down, but we recycle only slightly more than half of cans used in the U.S. So, if we recycled all our existing aluminum, we’d have an inexhaustible supply of it right now. By painting on and planting in tin cans, kids will contribute to a healthy planet and a better diet.
May 6: Healthy & Mutated Insects
The smallest creatures, such as bugs and frogs, are always the first to show the effects of garbage and other pollution in their environment. Kids will explore the ways excess trash and other pollutants harm all living things, and then use cast-off materials to construct their own interpretations of a healthy bug and a bug with toxic mutations.
SATURDAY, May 12: Paper Beads
Kids will make a resourceful eco-friendly gift for Mom using just scissors, glue and recycled paper. This creative tradition dates back to Victorian England and today is a cottage industry in some developing countries, including Uganda and Cambodia.
May 20: Plastic Lid & Bottle Art
Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour and 28 billion plastic bottles every year, but less than 15% get recycled into jackets, carpets and other household items, such as decorative pieces. Using just cardboard, plastic bottle caps and paint, kids will produce colorful works of art worthy of home display.