Creative Family Fun

Your one-stop shop for kids activities and family fun

Art Activities

3-D Paper Weaving: Exploring Bangladesh Through Art

By

Inspiration for Project: Around the World can come in many places.

Sometimes we look at traditional (and very useful crafts) and at other time we look at famous artwork. We’ve been inspired by architecture, nature, and archaeological findings.

When we started learning about Bangladesh, we took our inspiration for our  project from a once common but now endangered native animal, the royal Bengal tiger.

We combined the traditional craft of weaving with the rich colors of the Bengal tiger for our art project inspired by Bangladesh: 3-D Paper Weaving.

Do a twist on the traditional paper weaving project, by making this 3-D paper weaving sculpture inspired by the country of Bangladesh.

About Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a small Asian country. It’s located on the east side of India. In fact India borders Bangladesh on the west, north, and east. Myanmar (formerly Burma) shares a small portion of the southeastern border. The Bay of Bengal is along the southern border. (You can see Bangladesh on a map here.)

Bangladesh is a very poor country. Because of its flat land and many waterways, it often suffers during monsoon season. Despite the harsh conditions for humans, nature thrives, it’s colorful, lush, and home to many diverse animals.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Do a twist on the traditional paper weaving project, by making this 3-D paper weaving sculpture inspired by the country of Bangladesh.

Supplies needed:

1 piece orange construction paper
2 pieces black construction paper
Scissors
Tape or glue stick

How to get started

I had originally planned a simple paper weaving project. But, as I played around a bit, the idea of 3-D paper weaving came to fruition. It was a more difficult project than we’ve done in the past, but through trial and error (and some frustration) we came up with a fun project with awesome results.

You start the same way as you would a traditional paper weaving project. Fold the orange piece of paper in half vertically. Start at the folded edge and cut strips. You don’t want to cut all the way through to the ends. Stop about 1 to 1-1/2 inches from the edge.

Next, cut the black construction paper into long strips. The strips should be the length of the longer side of the paper. You will be weaving vertically.

Do a twist on the traditional paper weaving project, by making this 3-D paper weaving sculpture inspired by the country of Bangladesh.

3-D paper weaving

Now it’s time to transform your orange paper from a flat piece of paper to a 3-D piece of paper.

Go along your orange paper and reverse the direction of the crease of every other strip. You’ll want each strip to go in opposite directions. You can get  a good look at what I’m talking about in the picture above.

Do a twist on the traditional paper weaving project, by making this 3-D paper weaving sculpture inspired by the country of Bangladesh.

Once you have all your creases made, you should be able to stand your orange paper up on it’s end. It will look like a rectangular box just like the one in the picture above. It will be very floppy and not stand up by itself at this point.

Note: We did discover that the wider you cut the orange strips, the sturdier the rectangular box would be.

Do a twist on the traditional paper weaving project, by making this 3-D paper weaving sculpture inspired by the country of Bangladesh.

Now, it’s time to start paper weaving. Keep your orange paper in the 3-D form. Next, take a black strip of paper and start from the top. Weave over and under until you reach the bottom.

Keep going all the way around your rectangular box alternating the weaving as your go. (See above). As you go around your box, you’ll notice that the box will keep getting sturdier and sturdier.

Once you’re done, glue or tape the ends of the black strips. If you don’t do this, your strips will not stay in place.

The weaving step was the hardest and most frustrating part for the kids. We found that things moved much smoother if someone would hold the orange paper up while the other person weaves. It takes some perseverance. I would not recommend this for a group of preschoolers. It’s more suited for your elementary-aged kids. Also, this is not a quick project. Take your time and have some fun!

Once we had everything done and all the ends either glued or taped, our 3-D paper structures were able to stand on their own.

Add a fun twist to traditional paper weaving with this fun 3-D Paper Weaving art project for kids.

You can find inspiration anywhere

While no one would guess at first glance that this project was inspired by Bangladesh, each part was inspired by something we read. The weaving was inspired by the traditional craft still practiced to this day and the colors were inspired by the Bengal tiger, a native animal that has always been important to Bangladesh. Inspiration can come from many areas and it’s fun to combine a couple of areas of inspiration into one new art project.

Note: We found the book Bangladesh, Enchantment of the World by Tamra B. Orr to be a valuable resource for learning about Bangladesh. Check your local library for a copy.

You may also like one of these fun projects:

Illuminated Manuscript Initials: Exploring Armenia Through Art

Clay African Baskets: Exploring Angola Through Art

Watercolor Tiles: Exploring Afghanistan Through Art

Project: Around the World

Thank you for following along during our artistic journey around the world. To find all our projects so far, please click here or on the image below.

 


Clay Seals: Exploring Bahrain Through Art

By

One thing I love about our virtual trip around the world, is discovering countries that I knew very little about.

One of those countries is Bahrain. I knew approximately where it was located, the Middle East, and therefore had a few ideas about what it is like. But, there were definitely lots of things I didn’t know.

It was fun to discover Bahrain together with my girls and make a fun clay art project in the process.

Learn about the history of Bahrain with a fun clay art project. Make clay seals inspired by an archaeological find from the Dilmun era.

About Bahrain

Did you know that Bahrain is an archipelago nation? It’s a small nation made up of 33 islands located off the east coast of Saudi Arabia. (You can see it on a map here.)

Because of it’s island location, it served as a center of trade for many, many years. It is greener and less barren than it’s neighbors in the Middle East, but very few animals make their home there.

Bahrain has a very rich history and we found our inspiration for our art project from its ancient history, the Dilmun Era, which was between 3200 and 2200 B.C. Dilmun was a great center of commerce and trade.

One of the most significant archaeological finds from this era was a Dilmun seal. A man would use this seal to “sign” an agreement. Because each person has their own unique seal, when he died his seal would be buried with him.*

We took our inspiration from these seals and created our own unique clay seals.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links, please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Learn about the history of Bahrain with a fun clay art project. Make clay seals inspired by an archaeological find from the Dilmun era.

Supplies needed for your clay art project

Air Dry Clay (We love the Crayola brand.)
Toothpicks
Wax Paper

We’ve used air dry clay a few times during Project: Around the World, like our clay baskets from Angola. We’ve been using the same tub of Crayola Air Dry Clay for all these projects. We find it easy to use and it dries nicely. It’s been well-worth the price.

Learn about the history of Bahrain with a fun clay art project. Make clay seals inspired by an archaeological find from the Dilmun era.

Making our clay seals

I gave each girl a small lump of clay, some wax paper, and a toothpick. We used the wax paper to keep our clay from sticking to the table. You can also use a plastic tray if you have one. But, wax paper does the job nicely.

The girls rolled their clay in a ball and flattened it into a round seal. Then, they used their toothpicks to draw their decorations. They worked on creating their own personal seal. Their challenge was to create something that reflected who they were.

Ask these questions to help with the design. 

What are your favorite things?

What words do you use to describe yourself?

What are your talents and interests?

What is your passion?

We chose toothpicks to create our designs because it’s a favorite choice of my girls. But, don’t let that limit you. You can use your fingers, forks, knives, other pieces of clay, LEGOs or other small toys. The possibilities are endless.

After you’re done, leave the seals on the wax paper and leave it to dry for at least one day.

Note: You will not be able to use this as a real seal. The clay soaks up paint and ink too easily and it will not stamp on paper. We did test it out and it didn’t work!

It was fun to create our own personal seals with this clay art project and learn a bit about the history of Bahrain in the process.

Explore the world through art! Make clay seals inspired by Dilmun seals, an ancient artifact found in Bahrain.

*Information about Bahrain came from the book Cultures of the World: Bahrain by Robert Cooper.

You may also like one of these art projects:

3-D Paper Weaving: Exploring Bangladesh Through Art

Painting on Music: Exploring Austria Through Art

Handprint Art: Exploring Argentina Through Art

Thank you for following along during our artistic journey around the world. To find all our projects so far, please click here or on the image below.

 

Layered Paper Art Underwater Art Project

By

I’m not a winter person at all. I don’t like being cold and I’m really not fond of snow, especially when I have to shovel it.

Luckily, Project: Around the World provided some welcome relief from the cold of winter.

I was very happy that we reached The Bahamas during the coldest time of the year. We got to experience a little bit of warmth as we spent a day exploring this group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. The Bahamas are a popular vacation spot for those of us in North America thanks to its tropical climate and miles and miles of beaches.

We went underwater to find our art inspiration and created these fun Layered Paper Underwater Art.

Create a fun ocean scene inspired by The Bahamas with this layered paper underwater art project for kids combining printmaking with wet-on-wet watercolor.

Fun Fact: The Bahamas is home to the largest flock of flamingos in the world! They make their home at Inagua National Park. 

When my girls and I started Project: Around the World last January, I had no idea how much we would love it. We’re learning so much about the world, making quite a lengthy travel wish list, and having fun together. We’ve made it though one year and all the countries that start with an “A,” now it’s time to move on to another year and another letter of the alphabet.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Create an underwater scene inspired by The Bahamas with this layered paper art project for kids combining printmaking with wet-on-wet watercolor. 

I’ve been inspired by the wealth of layered paper art projects I’ve seen all over Pinterest and have been wanting to try something similar with my girls. (Here’s a great example.)

We used two different art techniques to create our paper and combined the two together for our finished underwater art project.

Wet-On-Wet Watercolor

The first technique we used was wet-on-wet watercolor. This process is so simple and so fascinating. Kids can create beautiful artwork with this technique alone.

The key to the process is using thick paper suitable for watercolors. Regular copy paper will tear easily once wet.

Before painting, we soaked our paper briefly in water. Don’t leave it sitting in the water; you don’t want soggy paper. Once our paper was nice and wet, we use our pan of watercolors to paint the paper. We weren’t trying to make actual pictures, just a pretty colorful design.

Tip: Put your wet paper on a plastic tray for painting, so you don’t get the table wet.

Create an underwater scene inspired by The Bahamas with this layered paper art project for kids combining printmaking with wet-on-wet watercolor.

Bubble Wrap Printmaking

While our wet on wet watercolors were drying, we used a printmaking technique to make our background.

We used another sheet of watercolor paper, blue and white craft paint, and bubble wrap for this part of the project. Thanks to all the packages we received recently, we had a variety of sizes of bubble wrap to choose from.

I cut small pieces from an assortment of bubble wrap. The girls used the paint to paint over the bumpy side of the bubble wrap. Then, they turned it over and pressed it onto their paper. They did this over and over using different colors of paint (blue, light blue, and white) layering it on top of each other until they were satisfied that it looked like water.

Create an underwater scene inspired by The Bahamas with this layered paper art project for kids combining printmaking with wet-on-wet watercolor.

Combine to make your layered paper underwater art project

We waited a couple of days until we finished our project. We had some plans which kept us really busy, which is why we waited so long. You only need to wait overnight for all of your paper to dry.

Once everything was dry, the girls drew fish on their watercolor paintings. Then, they traced the fish and added details with a black Sharpie. They cut out their fish and arranged them on their bubble-wrap printed paper. For the last step, they glued all their fish to the paper.

It was so much fun exploring a tropical location with a on a cold winter’s day with our underwater art. We stayed inside, stayed warm, and learned a lot. I love this project!

Create an underwater scene inspired by The Bahamas with this layered paper art project for kids combining printmaking with wet-on-wet watercolor.
If you enjoyed this underwater layered paper art project, the above photo is perfect for sharing on Facebook or you can share on Pinterest.

Travel the world without leaving home with art projects inspired by all the countries. To find all our projects so far, please click here or on the image below.

You may also like one of these ocean crafts:

Watercolor and Salt Beach Scene

Beach Themed Paper Plate Wreath at Rainy Day Mum

Coral Reef Watercolor Art Project at Rainy Day Mum

Recycled Egg Carton Ocean Animals at Homeschool Preschool

Becoming Architects: Art Project Inspired by the Buildings of Azerbaijan

By

When I started planning Project: Around the World, I wrote down all the countries of the world on separate index cards. While I was writing, ideas and images would pop in my mind. Some countries, though, came up with a total blank and that blank made me feel uncomfortable. How can there be countries in this world that I know nothing about? This realization made me more bound and determined to do this project with my girls.
Azerbaijan was one of the countries that drew a blank. I did have a vague idea of its location on the globe, but other than that, I couldn’t think of anything associated with it. (It’s south of Russia and borders the Caspian Sea – you can see a map here. It was one of the countries formed by the breakup of the U.S.S.R.) Luckily for all of us, the internet helps make the world a smaller place and I found a lot of information and many pictures of Azerbaijan. It’s rich in culture and history, but the thing that stood out to me was more modern – the incredible architecture. Take a look at the Heydar Aliyev Center – wow! Here are many more examples of beautiful buildings. We took our inspiration and a lump of clay and became architects for the day.

 

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more information.
 
Instead of making my own clay for this project, I decided to try out Crayola Air Dry Clay. I was quite pleased with the results. It was easy to work with, did not crack while drying, and was easy to paint. Perfect!
I gave each girl a lump of clay and challenged them to think like an architect. What kind of building did they want to build? What would the building be used for? (Apartments, stores, sports stadium, etc.?) They molded and smashed, started over, and molded some more.

 

It took awhile to get our creative brains going, but finally they came up with a few ideas. They made their final structure, then used toothpicks to add some detail. According to the tub of clay, it takes 2 to 3 days for the clay to fully dry, so we had to set it aside for awhile. After a couple of days, we were able to get out our paints and finish our buildings. We used both watercolor and acrylic paint and both worked beautifully. The dome was painted with watercolors and the arch with acrylics, if you are curious to see the difference.
I bet you’re wondering the stories behind the buildings. Well, let me fill you in. The dome is a giant indoor playground so kids can run around and have fun no matter what the weather is like. The arch is a tearoom styled after a fancy teapot. It will be near the domed playground so the mothers have a place to relax. Sounds wonderful to me!

 

 

Now, when I see Azerbaijan, my mind no longer comes up empty. I picture mountains, shoreline, and beautiful buildings. The world is a wonderful place!

Thank you for following along during our artistic journey around the world. To find all our projects so far, please click here or on the image below.

 

 

Painting on Music: Exploring Austria Through Art

By

We recently paid a visit to Austria during Project Around the World, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the time. We did something a little different this time. We didn’t pull our inspiration from something we could see, instead we pulled our inspiration from something we could hear.
Austria is a country that is very rich in history and in culture. There were so many places to draw our inspiration, from the food, to the architecture, to the castles, to the Alps. I was paralyzed with the choices for awhile. But, then it hit me, the music. I’ve always loved classical music and since Austria was the birthplace of many famous composers, I knew I’d found our inspiration. It was time for some Mozart.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more details.
Supplies Needed:
Sheet music. I printed off my sheet music here.
Paint. Use acrylic or craft paint. We used our Crayola paints. Watercolor may smear the ink from your sheet music if you print off your own.
Paint brushes
Music. We chose a Mozart cd that I’ve owned for many years. It’s no longer being produced, but you can find many other great choices. If you don’t already have a cd, check with your local library to find one to borrow.

 

Before we started listening to our music, we read a little bit about Mozart. I found the book, For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart by Elizabeth Rusch at our library and decided to use that as inspiration. It only touches on Mozart’s life while telling the story of his sister Maria Anna. But, it paints a beautiful picture of the time period and his family life and is peppered with musical terms. It was a great introduction to our project.
Once we were finished reading, we turned on the music. I chose Mozart because I already owned a few cds of his music and I also knew my girls were already familiar with it. They knew the music but didn’t realize it was from Mozart. I also had a pile of music that I had printed online. (It’s very easy to find classical sheet music online since most of it is now in the public domain. I printed off my sheet music here.)

 

We turned on the music, got out our paints, and started creating. There were no rules. Our goal was to just listen and create. We listened for awhile and started painting what we heard. No one painted anything in particular. It was all a series of lines, curves, and flourishes. There was no plan, just free-form painting.
When we were done and all the paintings were spread out to dry, I realized just how beautiful our creations were. We painted what we heard and the sheet music provided such an interesting backdrop. It was a fun creative exercise and one that I plan on trying with different genres of music in the future.

 

In addition to our art project, we also learned more about Austria, the tradition of the Lipizzaner horse, and Austria’s involvement in World War II by reading a book in our new favorite series, Horse Diaries. We read book #4, Maestoso Petra. You do not have to read these books in order and each one can be a stand-alone book. Maestoso Petra was told in first person from the point of view of one of the famous Lipizzaner stallions. It was fascinating and completely appropriate for your elementary-aged kids. I read it aloud to my 1st and 3rd grader and we enjoyed it so much that we’re now reading the entire series together.

Thank you for following along during our artistic journey around the world. To find all our projects so far, please click here or on the image below.