Book Week 2014: Banjo and Ruby Red

As part of our Book Week celebrations this year, students in Prep, grade one, and grade two read the book 'Banjo and Ruby Red' by Libby Gleeson. This book was a real winner with children from these levels! The story follows Banjo the farm dog, as he rescues Ruby the chicken from being ill. A touching story of friendship that inspired some wonderful activities in the art room! 

Pictured below are the Preps with their 'Ruby' chickens, made from paper magiclay and coloured in with textas. Students in Prep learned how to shape and mould a chicken using the magiclay, which is a lightweight paper clay, perfect for little hands! Students added details such as joggle eyes and feathers for wings and a tail. Students also learned how to construct a pyramid shape by folding, cutting and sticking paper. This shape became their chicken's little home, resembling the wood heap Ruby sits on in the book. Students decorated their wood heaps using twigs, wood chips and ripped patterned papers. 

Students in grades 1 & 2 worked on a large scale collaborative group project and created a free range hens mural. Students traced their hands and cut out the shape to form a chicken from cardboard. They decorated their chickens using drawing blocks, torn paper and feathers. Students also constructed little farm houses from corrugated card and popsticks. Extra details were added using buttons and torn paper. Students in grade 2 worked together to paint the background, whilst some of the students from the senior levels helped put it all together and stick bits and pieces down. 

A wonderful and productive book week in the art room!