Inner voices Mosaic

Materials:
Cardboard
Multicolored paper
markers
acrylic paint
mod podge/glue
paintbrushes



Started out by having everyone paint a "canvas" - choosing a piece of cardboard and painting it with acrylics paints.

Then we asked everyone to take a variety of small 3 x 5 (ish) pieces of paper in different colors, and we asked them these questions:


We asked each individually, and asked them to write their answers on a different colored paper for each question.

After that, we asked everyone to tear up those pieces of paper, and glue them onto the piece of cardboard to make a mosaic.





Themes that came up included: processing from whence these "voices" came - who we learned what from, how hard it was to make something beautiful out of negative things, how we pass on or do not pass these things on to our children, and what pieces of mosaic we decided to glue right-side-up or upside down.

Valentines Love Poems to Yourself

This week's Creative Expression post - great for Valentine Day: Writing a Love Poem to yourself using Found Words

Materials we used:

typed and printed words - from the love poems you are going to read. Have them cut up and in a tub/hat/bag.

mod-podge

cardboard

scissors

paint brushes (for the glue)

pens

paper

Here's what we did:

1. Read outloud "Love poem for Ernest Mann" by Naomi Shihab Nye

2. Read a few love poems from the Magnetic Poetry book

3. Asked each participant to think of 3 people, animals, or places they love

4. Write down three things that describe each of those 3 people/place/animal (so 9 characteristics in all)

5. Have participants copy those words a few more times, cut them up, add to the bucket of pre-cut words

6. Talk about themes of: Valentines Day, Relationships, Love (does not have to be with a significant other), self-love, self-care

7. Explain the concept of "found poetry" writing poems using words that already present themselves to you

8. Have everyone grab a handful of words, and modpodge them onto the cardboard

9. Share - themes that came up for us were:

loving ourselves/is this selfish?

how much power we give to other people when we are angry

inner critique trying to write poetry

how hard it is to value ourselves

whether self-love happens like turning on a light or if it is a process

Here's what I did so you have a sample: