Visual Manna's Artsy Animals provides arts education materials for children ages 4-8 focused on American history and art. The document includes images and descriptions of famous paintings to inspire children's own artwork, such as landscapes, portraits, and scenes of farms, rivers, seas, and wildlife. Children are guided to incorporate elements from the paintings like colors, shapes, animals, and people into their drawings.

1. Visual Manna’s Artsy Animals
Celebrate American History and
Art for Younger Children
(ages 4-8)
by Sharon Jeffus
copyright 2009
all rights reserved
Contact us if you would like us to do an art camp or workshops for
your support group or convention!

2. “The Rocky Mountains
Lander’s Peak” by Bierdstadt
 A landscape is a picture of the
land and the sky. Bierdstadt was
a very famous artist in early
America. He did pictures of the
wilderness the way that Lewis and
Clark might have seen it. Do you
see where the Indians lived in the
picture? We are going to make a
log cabin landscape. What kinds
of lines do you see in the cabin?

3. “Home in the Woods”
by Thomas Cole
This picture is
a picture by
Thomas Cole.
Would you
like to see an
apple tree in
this picture?
We are going
to make a log
cabin like
your great
grandpa and
grandma
might have
lived in. We
are going to
put a rainbow
in the sky.

4. Johnny Appleseed
 Do you know the story of Johnny Appleseed? People seem to think that Johnny
Appleseed was slim and tall, but Harper's Weekly describes him as "small and
wiry." Are you small and wiry? Are you tall and slim? His real name was John
Chapman and he planted apple trees. Do you have a nickname?

5. What are some ways that you can eat apples? You can
eat candy apples, apple pie, apple tarts, apple juice and
applesauce. Which is your favorite?

6. The colors of the colorwheel are red, orange, yellow,
green, blue and purple. Hey, can you see those in the
rainbow? Put a colorwheel rainbow in the sky of your
log cabin landscape.

7. In the Artsy Animals program, children learn to read by drawing
simple pictures. The frog is on the log. The ladybug leaps over a
lamb. Art, science and history is combined in each lesson .

8.  You can make a cloud
at the end of your
rainbow. You can put a
person in the picture.
Do you see the tepees
far away? What color
are the mountains?
(Teacher does step by
step drawing with the
power point lesson).
You can put a ladybug
or lamb in the picture.
You can put a frog on a
log in each picture.

9. George Caleb Bingham’s
“Fur Trader’s on the Missouri”
 Do you
think the
animal
on the
left is a
cat?
Some
people
think it is
a fox.
What
would a
fur trader
do?

10. Bingham’s “The Jolly
Flatboatman in Port”
 What do you
look at first in
this picture?
That is the
center of
interest. Do
you see the
man who is
dancing? Do
you see the
boats in the
background of
the picture?
Things in the
foreground
are larger,
things in the
background
are smaller.

11. Mark Twain wrote about what Bingham painted about; life on the
Missouri and Mississippi River. We know how people dressed and
what they did thanks to artists who did pictures of it? What was
Huckleberry Finn doing in this picture?

12. Did you ever see a frog on the river? If you were on the Missouri or
Mississippi River, you wouldn’t see these frogs. Why? Where
might you see them?

13.  Make a riverboat picture just like George
Caleb Bingham did.

14. Draw an otter in the water.

15.  This is
Audubon’s
picture of a
Flamingo.
Audubon did
pictures of
all the birds
of America.
He put them
in their
natural
habitat. He
gave them
the scientific
name along
with their
real name.
What color
is this bird?

16.  Here is another
wonderful bird in a
photograph.
 This cardinal is
singing a song.
The sky is blue.
What color would
the sun be? Is
this bird bigger or
smaller than the
flamingo?
 Red, yellow and
blue are the
primary colors.
 Which bird could
put a fish in his
mouth?
 Photo © by Motorrad67

17.  When you mix red and white you get pink. Pink is a pastel color. If
you put a red cardinal and a yellow sun on a blue piece of paper, you
have the three primary colors. The flamingo is pink. Pink is a pastel
color. When you mix red and white you get pink.

18.  Sculpture is art that
you can walk
around. We are
going to sculpt a bird
in a nest. You can
make a ball with
your clay and press
in the center to make
a pinch pot. This is
a nest for your bird.
Make more balls for
eggs. Pinch the tip
of an egg for a beak
of a bird and the
other end of the egg
you can pinch for the
tail. Put the eggs
and the bird in your
nest.

19.  Hey, Kids, It’s me…Bard
Buzzard. This picture is
by Peale of George
Washington and I am so
inspired, I just had to
write this poem!
 George Washington said
to speak what is true.
 To be kind and polite in
all that you do.
 The story of how he
chopped down that
tree…
 “I did it!” said he. He
showed honesty!
 A hero is someone who
does the right thing.
 To do what is right is to
what we must cling!
 I love you!!!
 Bard Buzzard

20.  This is a
picture of
George
Washington
by Gilbert
Stuart. The
scarf
around his
neck is
called a
cravat. Do
you know
anyone who
wears a
cravat?

21.  What are
some
symbols of
America?
The
American
flag, the
liberty bell,
the
Washington
Monument,
the White
House and
the Lincoln
Memorial.
What about
an eagle?

22. American Symbols

23. Long ago maps were
very artistic. A map
maker was called a
cartographer. Lewis
and Clark made a
famous map of the
Louisiana purchase.
This is a very old map
of the state of
Virginia. If you went
camping for two years
and took a map with
you and made it, how
might it look at the
end of the trip? Do
you think it might be
dirty? You can map
your map look dirty by
putting brown crayon
on it. How can you
tell direction on this
map?

24. This is a very famous picture called “Breezing Up” by Winslow
Homer. These boys might have a treasure chest right under
them on the bottom of the ocean. Notice how the boat in the
foreground is bigger than the one in the background. Diagonal
lines show movement in art.

25. You might see
a treasure
chest under
the sea. How
many treasure
chests do you
see on the
left? Pirates
would
sometimes
attack ships
and the
treasure would
sink to the
ocean floor.

26. Under the sea, you could see
red or blue starfish.

27.  You could see a shark, a whale or a dolphin. Which
animal of the sea below is not real? How can you tell?

28.  Can you
guess what
this is? I
bought this
painting at
Marineland. It
was painted
by a real
dolphin
named Alvin.
It is called
abstract art?
Do you like
it?

29.  You can put an octopus in your
picture. You can put a jellyfish
in your picture. How about
drawing a whole school of
fish?

30.  Here you can see
several drawings for
children. A man of war
on the dance floor and a
zebra crab who likes to
blab. You can order
your Artsy Animals
package and get more of
these delightful lessons!

31. How many
different
colors
could you
see in this
picture?
Color your
picture
with as
many
bright
colors as
you can
think of.
Can you
tell me
where the
school of
fish is?

32. This picture is
called “Storm
Rising at Sea” by
Washington
Allston. This
boat may need a
lighthouse? Do
you think the
waves look very
big?

33.  In art, the black is negative space and the light is
positive space. You can make your lighthouse shine
brightly by using white and drawing lines out from it.

34. This picture is
called “American
Gothic” by Grant
Wood. You might
have seen it
before. It is a very
famous farm
picture. What is
the man holding?
In art, this is called
a prop because it
helps tell a story.
It is really called a
pitchfork.

35. Here are some farm pictures.
What do you see?

36.  You could see a cow or a pig on a farm.
What other animals could you see?

37.  Have you ever heard
someone say “When pigs
fly?” Have you ever
thought about a horsefly?
Can you invent an animal
that has wings that has
never been seen before?

38. Old MacDonald
How many animals had a farm, E-
I-E-I-O.
can you think of? And on that farm
he had a
[animal
name], E-I-E-
I-O,
With a [animal
noise twice]
here and a
[animal noise
twice] there
Here a [animal
noise], there a
[animal
noise],
everywhere a
[animal noise
twice]
Old MacDonald
had a farm, E-
I-E-I-O.

39.  Early Americans might have eaten a variety of
foods. They ate berries and we know they ate
apples. We even know who planted them!!!

40. “Still Life with Vegetable”
by William Chase
 In art, a still life
is a grouping of
inanimate
objects. What
do you see in
this still life?

41. “Still life with Watermelon and
Apples” by Melendez
 Do you think
children in
early
America ate
watermelon?
 What color is
watermelon?

42. A pattern is a repeated design. The tablecloth has a
pattern. Do you see the primary colors? Can you think
of any other fruits or vegetables to put in the picture?

43.  If you went to school in early America, you
might go to a one room schoolhouse. You
might make a rebus.

44. If you went to
school long ago,
you might have
played jacks or
marbles. You
probably would set
in a desk like those
on the right. Your
teacher might look
like the one here.

45. You may have made a rebus. What are
some word pictures you can think of?
How would you say “time” in a picture?

46. This picture by Moran shows the birth of “Old Glory.” Betsy Ross and her
children are showing the new flag to George Washington.

47.  Here are some
early American
flags. My
favorite is
“Don’t tread on
me.” Why do
you think
people
compared early
America to a
rattlesnake?
 If you leave a
rattlesnake
alone, it won’t
bother you, but
if you step on
it, LOOK OUT!

48.  Listen my children
and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride
of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of
April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now
alive
Who remembers that
famous day and
year.
 He said to his friend,
"If the British march
By land or sea from
the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft
in the belfry arch
Of the North Church
tower as a signal
light,--
One if by land, and
two if by sea;
And I on the opposite
shore will be,
Ready to ride and
spread the alarm
Through every
Middlesex village
and farm,
For the country folk
to be up and to arm."

49. This is a picture of a real Indian with a war bonnet on.
It was taken long ago. Can you count how many
feathers you see?

50.  Feathers
were
very
special
to the
Indians.
Today,
you
cannot
even
pick up
some
kinds of
feathers
without a
license.

51.  Making feathers is fun. You can use oil pastels and make a colorwheel feather. Parts of a feather:
1. Vane
2. Rachis
3. Barb
4. Afterfeather
5. Hollow shaft, calamus

52. This picture is of William Penn’s treaty with the Indians. Do you see any feathers
in this picture? Do you see an Indian baby?

53.  Here is a picture of Benjamin Franklin’s famous experiment with a
kite. He believed he could prove that lightning was electricity by
flying his kite in a lightning storm. He was right. A coin was created
to honor his idea.

54. You can make
a kite by
cutting a
piece of
heavy
paper into a
diamond
shape. Put
a hot air
balloon
design on
your kite.
Remember that
a pattern is
a repeated
design.
Can you think
of any other
things that
fly through
the air?

55.  An artist named
Clifford
Berryman drew
this picture of
President
Teddy
Roosevelt
refusing to
shoot a little
bear who was
hurt in a forest
fire. A
toymaker,
Morris
Mitchum, got
the idea for the
Teddy Bear
from this very
famous picture.

56.  There
are all
kinds of
Teddy
Bears.
 How
many
kinds
can you
think
of?

57. Here are some very simple bear drawings for children to
do. Artsy Animals also has parties for children. Have you
ever heard of an educational party with party hats and
snacks and songs and oh so much fun?

58. Teddy
Bears are
there when
you need
them most.
Let’s make
our Teddy
Bear
puppet and
take it to a
picnic!!

59. Mommy Bear says, “Let’s pack up all this food
and have a picnic!!!

60.  Contact us about becoming an Artsy
Animals Party Coordinator/Teacher.
There are 7 Artsy Animal Learning
Books and seven parties. Write
visualmanna@gmail.com for more
information today!!!! Let the fun
begin!!!!
 Make learning more fun than a
party!!!!
 Jeremiah 33:3