This month, we are focusing on the “A” in STEAM. It stands for Art, but in this instance, it also stands for Alma Thomas, a renowned African American artist and school teacher from the DC area. Amazingly, Alma did not become a full-time artist until she was 68 years old. Her work was not appreciated throughout the world until after she passed away in 1974.
Before creating your masterpiece, read the book, Trying, my Kobi Yamada. Trying is the story of a young boy who visits a sculptor’s studio and feeling he could never create something like the artwork he saw there.
With the sculptor’s guidance, he embraces the process of trying, using failures as a chance to grow and succeed, and persevering in the face of a challenge.
Now that we have some inspiration to try new things, let’s make some Alma Thomas art! All you’ll need for this simple and fun project is paper, a pencil, different colored markers, and circle objects of varying sizes (think jar and bottle caps, bowls, container lids, etc.).
Trace your largest circle with your pencil first. Then trace the other objects inside the first circle, working down from the center from largest to smallest. After you are done tracing, continue using your pencil to draw lines dividing each ring into small rectangle shapes. There is no right or wrong… Simply draw the lines wherever you think they should go. Use markers to color in each shape, leaving a little white space around your pencil marks. When you are done, erase your pencil lines, and you are left with a colorful piece of art!
Click here to see the full project from Little Bins for Little Hands.
As always, be as creative as you want, and above all, have lots of fun learning together!
We’ll see you right back here next Saturday for another STEAM Saturday activity! Scroll through the rest of our website to learn how Critchlow Adkins is Building Brighter Futures for the children and families we serve!
