fine art and food art

Gushing gratitude for my blogging friend, Jo, from Japan! Jo put together some art card PDF files and sent them off to me to share with y'all. I've uploaded them to Box.net for easy downloading. Just click on the blue "Box View My Files" button in the side bar. The files are located in the "Art Cards" folder.

Another fabulous resource for art appreciation is the Child-Size Masterpiece series, available here at Montessori Services. I also recommend this book that tells you how to use the series in the home or classroom.

While we're on the topic of art, let me throw in another artsy idea - bento boxes! This is creativity extended to food. Jo first turned me on to the possibilities of Bento for children. Here's one of her creations:
Bento boxes are common in Japanese cuisine. They first made their appearance during the mid-1500's, and were eaten during a hanami, or tea party. Their portability made them popular among travelers, and their use later extended to teachers and school children, who brought their bentos for along for lunch.

The potential of bento boxes for children seems astronomical - a delighful, fun presentation of fresh, healthy, unprocessed food! I imagine that it would also be a fun way for the adult and child to corroborate in meal preparation. Here are some links to other bento box resources:

Bento Corner English blog on creating bentos, specifically for children
Bento In Japanese and English
Cooking Cute - A Bento Site Links to lots of resources, including bento making supplies
Vegan Lunch Box Bento book for vegetarians and vegans, geared toward children
Bento Boxes - Japanese Meals on the Go
e-obento Japanese language blog with great pics