Meet the Maker:
Create your own circus or theater using kid-friendly makerspace craft materials, inspired by Calder's Circus (1926-31).
Alexander Calder
UNPLUG & CREATE
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This downloadable or printable, offline "class" is designedfor kids to be able to work on hands-on, creative projects
semi-independently.
jeanettebradley.com(c) 2020 Jeanette Bradley
For Parents
There are all kinds of makerspaces - somephysical, some virtual. What they share is anapproach to design and problem-solving thatinvolves providing a wide variety of materialsand allowing kids to make their own designchoices through trial and error. Some mayinvolve solving a particular design challengelike this one, others may be more open-ended. The art that emerges from makerspaceexploration may not always be beautiful, but itis always the result of a child trying outdifferent approaches on their own, learningwhat works and what doesn’t, and tryingdifferent strategies to solve design problems.
What is a makerspace?
Hi, I'm Jeanette Bradley,
www.jeanettebradley.com
author/illustrator of books forkids, and creator of this
parent/child guide to homemakerspace activities.
Books written and/or illustrated by Jeanette Bradley
Find out more at: jeanettebradley.com
Check out my introductory downloadable PDF:
Choose an out of the way corner in your house or garage that it's OK toget a little messy in to set up your makerspace.Help your child gather clean, dry recycling and other materials.Organize the materials into recycled boxes or whatever containers youhave on hand.Use a drop cloth, newspaper, or flattened cardboard to make cleanupeasier.Help your child choose a prompt to get started, but let them veer offinto other ideas as they arise.Let your child create independently.
Build a Home Makerspacehttp://www.jeanettebradley.com/news/build-a-home-makerspace
Focus on process, not product
For Parents
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Tips for getting started:
How did you build this?What problems did you face?What solutions did you invent?What new things did you discover?
Four questions to ask instead of "What is it?"
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor who was inspired by mechanicaltoys. In 1926 be began using wire and found objects such as corks andcolored bits of paper to create tiny people, animals, and other elements of acircus, that he would use to perform a minitature circus to music. Audiencesloved these performances. Calder later went on to originate mobiles - hisversion being very large moving abstract sculptures.
Calder's Circus
Alexander CalderAcrobat
1926–1931
Alexander CalderTightrope Artist
1926–1931
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Alexander CalderAcrobat
1926–1931
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5. Paper
9. Pipe cleaners
What You Need
Glue1.2. Scissors 3. Crayons or
markers
4. String or yarn
6. Tape
7. Clean cardboard box
Find these things before you get started:
Print this page and go on a scavenger hunt!
8. Paper clips
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Recycling/upcycling
Broken toys
Old clothes
Wrapping paper & ribbon
Craft supplies
Pom poms
Pipe cleaners
Google eyes
Ribbon
Sequins
Wire
Surface decorations
Washable paint
Glitter glue
Stickers
More MaterialsHere are some more fun materials you can add to your building library!Go on a scavenger hunt around your house and see what you can find.
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Popsicle sticks
Wood scraps/ dowels/ sticks
Cardboard tubes
Tissue paper
Wire coat hangers
Crayola model magic clay
Beads
Old silk flowers/plants
Buttons
Cotton balls
Felt
Take it to the next level
Spools
Feathers
Aluminum Foil
How to Make a
Pipe Cleaner Person Make a loop at one end and 1.
twist the pipe cleaner around itelf to hold.
2. Bend the pipe cleaner to maketwo triangles < > and a tail.
3. Twist to create two arms and a body.
4. Bend a second pipe cleanerinto a triangle that overlaps onone side.
5. Twist to create legs. 6. Bend body stem around middleof legs and twist to hold.
7. Cut a head from constructionpaper. Draw a face. 8. Tape face onto person.
9. Bend feet so person can stand.Add hair and clothes if you want!
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How to Make
Animals That Stand Up
Cut your animals out of chipboard or card stock Cut a rectangle out of the same material.Bend your rectangle like this to create a stand.
1.2.3.
4. Put glue inside the stand and slide your animal in the top. Use paper clipsto hold the stand tight while it dries. 5. If you want to make your animals slide back and forth in one spot, cut aslit in a larger rectangle of card stock. Feed the animals through the slit sothe stand is on the bottom and the animals are on top. Tape the largerectangle to the bottom of your stage.
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Building a tight rope
Making a tight rope walker.
How to Make
a Tight Rope Walker
Draw a person on paper or yardstick, cut it out. Bend a pipe cleaner into a V shape, then tape it upside down on your person'sback. Your person will now balance on your tight rope like it does on this pencil.
1.2.
3.
Use a skewer or a pencil to poke a hole on the right and left side panels of yourcardboard box. You will want the hole to be far enough down that your tightrope walker can fit between the hole and the "ceiling" with at least an inch tospare. Thread a piece of yarn through both holes, pull it tight, and tape it on theoutside.
1.
2.
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Setting the Stage
Now it's time to really get creative! Think about all the fun things yourcircus or theater performers might like to have. Paint or color yourcarboard box to make it look like a stage. Add some bling!
Paint or color your cardboard box inside and out
Create curtians out of old fabric or paper towels
Create clothes and accessories for your people
Make a ticket stand, cotton candy stand, or other structures
Put your performers on stage! How do they move?What are they doing?
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What music will you play during your performance?
PerformanceCalder's Circus was meant to be seen in motion, as part of a
performance. He served popcorn and peanuts and played music.How will you perform your circus?
Who will your audience be?
How will you set the stage for your audience?
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Learn More
Check out these online resources to see The Circus and othersculptures by Calder in action:
Sandy's circus : a story about Alexander Calder by Tanya Lee Stone ; illustrated by Boris KulikovStone As a boy, Sandy was always fiddling with odds and ends, making objects forfriends. When he got older he started creating wire sculptures. Sandy made alion. Next came a lion cage. Before he knew it, he had an entire circus and wastraveling between Paris and New York performing a brand-new kind of art foramazed audiences.
Alexander Calder Performs "Circus" at the Whitney Museum of Art
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6jwnu8Izy0t
Slideshow of Calder's wire scupltures, including The Circus: http://www.calder.org/work/by-life-period/1926-1930
Alexander Calder and his magical mobiles by Jean Lipman, with Margaret Aspinwall As a boy, Sandy was always fiddling with odds and ends, making objects forfriends. When he got older he started creating wire sculptures. Sandy made alion. Next came a lion cage. Before he knew it, he had an entire circus and wastraveling between Paris and New York performing a brand-new kind of art foramazed audiences.
Check out these books - your library may have them available online!
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