Lesson: The Whale Trail
In this lesson students will explore the world of gray whales.
Animals, Nature

Everyday Arts Challenge: Tail Spin
Pretend you have a tail. Is it long? Short? Curly? Fluffy? Does it change how you walk? Chase it. What happens?
Animals, Theater

Everyday Arts Challenge: Howdy Partner!
Walk like a rodeo cowboy or cowgirl. To get it right, how do you move your feet? Legs? Arms? Now try riding an imaginary horse.
Animals, Physical Activity

Cuesheet: NSO Family Concert: The Cricket in Times Square
In this world premiere retelling of George Seldon’s classic children’s book, The Cricket in Times Square, the story comes to life on stage with actors, music, and the National Symphony Orchestra. Join Chester and his new friends in this exciting, “symphonic play.”
Music, Orchestra, Musical Instruments, Animals

Cuesheet: A Brown Bear, a Moon, and a Caterpillar: Treasured Stories by Eric Carle
People have used puppets to tell stories, entertain, or teach lessons for thousands of years. In this performance, puppets act out the stories and drawings from Eric Carle's classic picture books The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, and Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me.
Puppets, Animals, Theater, Backstage

Theme: Plants and Seasons
How can the arts represent the change of seasons? Then watch as Japanese Shigeo Kawashima creates intricate geometric shapes from bamboo; Mali storyteller Yaya Coulibaly carves a marionette out of wood, Native American Keith Bear discusses how a tree branch becomes a flute, and listen to Andes manta recreate the South American rainforest with instruments made with natural materials.
Nature, Plants, Science, Animals

Theme: Animals
How does an actor become a chihuahua? How do you get a school of fish to perform on on a dry stage? Jump into the animal kingdom with both flippers!
Animals, Folklore, Nature, Puppets

Lesson: Gyotaku Japanese Fish Printing
By acquiring knowledge of historical and cultural qualities unique to this particular art form, students can gain an understanding of how Gyotaku reflects a part of Japanese history
Animals, Asia, Visual Arts, Japan

Lesson: Animal Habitats
Pre-readers are introduced to animal habitats through story, song, and dramatic play using children’s books
Animals, Nature, Literature, Music

Lesson: Counting Crows
Students will learn the meaning of Aesop's fable, "The Crow and the Pitcher," blending math and art with literature and film.
Animals, Folklore, Math, Literature

Arts Quotes: Albert Schweitzer
"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats."
Europe, Literature, Music, Animals

Everyday Arts Challenge: Safari Stretch
Act like a giraffe. Eat leaves. Stop for a drink. Enjoy the view. What other activities do you do in your typical giraffe day?
Animals, Theater, Physical Activity

Everyday Arts Challenge: On the Prowl
Act like a wolf. Run. Dig. Howl. What other activities do you do in your typical wolf day?
Theater, Animals, Physical Activity, Language

Everyday Arts Challenge: Catch Me
Pretend you’re a frog, chasing a fly. Listen as it buzzes by your ear and watch as it flies around. Now try and catch it. How long does it take?
Animals, Theater, Nature

Everyday Arts Challenge: Animal Instincts
Inch around like a caterpillar. How quickly do you get places this way? Remember though, in time you become a butterfly. What’s it like to suddenly be able to fly?
Animals, Physical Activity, Theater, Nature

Everyday Arts Challenge: Bird Brain
Act like an eagle. Soar. Swoop. Nest. What other activities do you do in your typical eagle day?
Animals, Theater, Nature, Physical Activity

Everyday Arts Challenge: If Animals Could Talk
Talk like an alligator. What do you sound like? What do you talk about? See if a friend or family member can guess what animal you are.
Animals, Theater, Language

Everyday Arts Challenge: Mail Call
Waddle like a duck on your way to pick up the mail. To get it right, how do you move your feet? Legs? Hips?
Animals, Theater, Physical Activity

Everyday Arts Challenge: Do You Tweet?
Listen to a bird. Imitate the sounds it makes. Can you convince it you are a fellow bird?
Animals, Theater, Nature, Language

Arts Days: October 14, 1926: Pooh Power!
The legend of a golden bear named Winnie the Pooh, a boy named Christopher Robin, and an assortment of animal pals has charmed generations of children. Author A.A. Milne based dozens of Pooh tales on his own son and his beloved stuffed bear Winnie.

The first set of these stories, published on this day in 1926, introduced readers to other characters, including Tigger, Kanga, Roo, and Eeyore. Readers were immediately taken by the animals and their shenanigans in the Hundred Acre Wood, catapulting Milne to international fame. The now famous honey-loving Pooh character can be found in countless cartoons, movies, and books.
Literature, Animals, Cartoons, Comics, & Animation, Popular Culture

Arts Days: August 22, 565 C.E.: Telling Tales
Decade after decade, century after century, sightings of the Loch Ness Monster continue to be shared by word of mouth.

It’s originally told that Ireland’s St. Columba spotted a beast moving toward a swimmer in the lake. When the saint made the sign of the cross, the monster quickly retreated. Ever since, tales of a dinosaur-like creature prowling the lake’s murky depths have surfaced, even as some have used cameras, sonar, and other technologies to debunk the myth.

In this fashion, the art of storytelling carries a tale down through the centuries, regardless of whether the teller can read or write. Sometimes stories may be embellished by a speaker; other times they are surprisingly consistent from one age to the next.
Animals, Geography, Folklore, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Arts Days: July 27, 1940: Whatta Wabbit!
That irrepressible bunny named Bugs first popped out of his hole during a showing of The Wild Hare, only to ask the bumbling hunter Elmer Fudd the immortal question, “What’s up, Doc?”

As originally voiced by Mel Blanc, this rabbit has a wisecracking persona, a Brooklyn accent, and a knack for getting out of tough spots.  And let’s not forget, a penchant for carrots, which he gnaws on contentedly with his enormous buck teeth.

According to TV Guide, Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse are the top two cartoon characters of all time.
Cartoons, Comics, & Animation, Movies & Movie Stars, Popular Culture, Animals

Video: In Performance: Leo Lionni's Swimmy
A tiny, fast-moving, black fish-that's Swimmy! He lives in the ocean with all his little red brothers and sisters. They are a happy school (that's a group) of fish.
Animals, Literature, Puppets, Theater

Video: In Performance: Leo Lionni's Inch by Inch
How does a little inchworm survive in a garden full of hungry birds?
Animals, Literature, Puppets, Theater

Video: In Performance: Leo Lionni's Frederick
While the family of field mice works hard to gather food for the long, cold winter, Frederick seems to be doing nothing!
Animals, Literature, Puppets, Theater