I've got a project for you that combines Art and Literacy, and can be scaled up or down to meet the needs of students of all ages and abilities. It's full of engaging activities that meet kids right where they're at. Two year old just learning to tell a story - we got you! Thirteen year old who is perfecting the art of short stories and expressive illustrations - we got you too!
The inspiration for this project comes from the artist Katie Paterson. This contemporary artist blends Art, Science, storytelling, and environmental work into her conceptual pieces. And after finishing up another Peterson project that leaned into the Science side of her work, we were ready to tell some stories.
But hey, we're always ready to tell stories. Oral storytelling is at the heart of how both my kids learn and play, so our days are spent immersed in all sorts of stories. I knew that this Art/Literacy project would be a hit.
The work of Art we explored this time is Paterson's Future Library. The quick run down: she's planted a forest of trees to be grown over the course of a hundred years, and then plans to harvest the trees to publish books. But not just any books. The books that will be published far into the future are written by the very best writers humanity has to offer. Each year, an author writes a book and then hands over a secret transcript to be kept locked away until publication. It's such a thought provoking project - if you haven't come across it yet, please check it out here.
I created a story to present the overarching concept to the kids, and once they understood the basics, we were off and running. Maybe not to plant and harvest a forest of trees, but to create our own paper and walk through the publishing process.
The first step was making our own paper. This is a simple enough process, and countless artisans have captured how to make truly great paper at home. This article offers up the steps to create recycled paper that can be used in a variety of ways. Our paper was a bit more rustic.
For truly good paper, you need a blender, and one that isn't used for food. We just don't have a second blender. What we do have is a couple kids who love to cut things and mash things, so we took advantage of our resources.
The kids cut used paper into small chunks, and then set the paper to soak overnight in a bath of water. Once everything was properly soaked and mushy, the kids got their hands in there and mushed. We also drained out the water and did a bit of pounding with a potato masher. The end result of our labor was a still pretty chunky, but workable slurry.
We then created our handmade pieces of paper using a small mould and deckle. The kids took turns scooping up the pulp into the mould and deckle, then sponging off the excess water. The paper was then transferred onto a towel before heading over to a flat canvas to dry out.
Sierra loved the process and wanted to keep making paper long after the pulp was used up. She even tried adding some shapes into the last couple pages, and was so excited by how they turned out. I can see us doing some more paper making in the near future.
The next day, I sat down with each child and had them dictate a story to me. Rémy went first and spun a tail of a construction crew racing cars. Sierra followed and her story was about a loader and a dump truck that tip over. They immediately wanted me to read their stories again and again. I read out the fun narratives, pointing to their own words.
I copied their stories onto the dried pieces of paper and created a simple accordion book. The kids then glued their pages into the book and we pressed the whole thing under a heavy load.
The next day was the great unveiling - the kids got to read their hand made books dozens of times. Throughout the day, I would catch Rémy sitting on the couch unfolding his book and telling himself the story. It was such a lovely sight to behold.
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