We all know that Vincent Van Gogh loved to paint on canvas, but what would happen if he painted a house? That is exactly what Tedd Arnold supposes in the 2016 Missouri Building Block Nominee “Vincent Paints His House.” (You may know Tedd Arnold from such books as “Arnie the Talking Donut” and the Fly Guy series.)
In this tale, Arnold imagines that Van Gogh decides to paint his house a nice lovely shade of white. However, he can’t seem to get very far without meeting some opinionated vermin who have their own ideas about how the house should be painted. The process takes all day, but in the end Van Gogh’s house looks wonderful under a starry starry night sky. This book is a great conversation starter for topics like art, artists, colors and compromise. Here are some other activities you might enjoy.
- Perfect for K-2 students, this activity kit includes pages to create and color your own house and opportunities for you to talk to your child about color variations. For example, lemon is a shade of yellow!
- Make your own finger paints to design your own house just like Vincent.
- Get crafty and cut out your own flannel and tell the story of “Little Mouse Where is Your House?”
Once you have read at least five Missouri Building Block nominees, help your child vote for their favorite.
