The kids had been talking for awhile about the art show their school would be having at the end of February, and also there was mention of costumes? but it was unclear who was wearing the costumes, what kind of costumes they needed to be, and why they needed to wear them. So when I finally received the flyer with the details, a huge light bulb went off in my head! And it turned out to be such a wonderful show that I had to share!
The theme for the school-wide art show this year was “Night at the Museum.” (last year it was a roaring ’20s theme!) The kids were told they could dress as historical characters as if they were wax figures in the museum come to life! So fun!
We researched historical female figures and Penny just loved the story of the sharpshooter Annie Oakley, so we used our Toy Story Jessie hat and I made her a red velveteen skirt and vest outfit to wear. She was such a hit! Penny’s craft was aboriginal art.
Evelyn was interested in Joan of Arc because she came from… you guessed it, France! So we talked about how Joan heard God’s voice as a young girl and followed His commands to lead the French army to victory, crown the dauphin, and help the people of France find their own identity as a country. I tried to focus on that part of the story, which was very inspiring to her. Then we watched a trailer for the made for TV movie and things got deep real quick. Before I knew it, I was holding two sobbing girls and trying to explain why they would burn her as a witch when she was so young and so full of faith. Yikes!
Eventually we talked it all through, and while the story still shook her up, Evelyn knew she wanted to be Joan of Arc for the art show.
Evelyn’s craft was a woven Peruvian saddle blanket.
And Alex, as ever intrigued by flight and airplanes, chose to dress as Wilbur Wright.
Alex’s craft was Turkish pottery! (love!)
Each class did a craft from a different culture. We couldn’t believe all the countries and different art forms that were represented! And it was such a global vision that Mike and I were thoroughly impressed and pleased our kids were receiving such a broad cultural instruction.
In the gym, there were different dioramas with backdrops and live actors and actresses dressed in period costume who would pose for a long time and then move every once in a while. They had ancient Egypt, America in the ’20s, the Wild West, cavemen, etc.
They even had a moving “T-rex skeleton” and Native American dancing on the stage. Penny and I loved watching the dancers because their dresses and shawls were just like her doll Kaya’s outfits.
I can’t wait to see what the art teacher comes up with for next year.
