I had pinned this idea months ago on pinterest and now the link isn’t working to the original source. I’m sorry I can’t give the teacher credit. Boo. This project rocked. We read Go Away Big Green Monster and then used it as an inspiration for a getting to know you glyph. Super fun. Now I just have to find a place to store the big green monster.
Since my obsession has reached gargantuan proportions, in order to leave our home, you have to make Alien Army. Some resist more than others. Most find out they want to make more than one. As was the case here, with my cousin Ted. He busted out with FOUR new Alien Army recruits taking us to 203!!!! Woo hoo! Of course now I want to make 500 but that’s neither here nor there. Well done Ted!
While Ted made his guys, I set the other 199 up perfectly equidistant apart and then put them into groups of ten, followed by choosing our favorites. Can you say OCD?
Ted was concerned some of the guys don’t look as nice from the back as they do the front. He assured me his next group will be equally intricate on the back side as well. Phew.
I just don’t really want to do anything else. It’s too awesome making these guys. So in between being a wife, a friend, a teacher, and blogger, I am ferociously creating Alien Army dudes till midnight almost every night. Is that normal? Does it matter? NO. I must go on. Besides, I want to have 200 by the end of the month. All help welcome. In fact, Ev helped with this little guy. I love him.
If you’re over the whole Alien Nation thing, come back tomorrow, because when I got to Art Camp yesterday, the kids had been working on it all morning before I even arrived!
They even made up names, which I can’t wait to do for my Alien Army.
So when we were done, I got them ready for the oven…
And in between burning the whole tray due to a chicken nugget/sculpey combo incident, we were able to salvage this great hamsa and put it on a pin. (Note to self: toxic clay, food products, and children-not a great mix. Oy.)
So, I had all these great plans for camp yesterday, including…
this cool drum stick monster
And this sculpey hamsa
But instead, all they wanted to do was this!
Which lead me to this, until about midnight last night.
Meet the new recruits.
We’re up to 72. New goal-200. Obsessed!
Sofia, age 10
A few weeks ago I came up with this alien collection box project. To be honest, I thought it was a dud. I didn’t think the kids would go for it at all. Well, was I wrong! They found it in my things and couldn’t wait to make it. I’m talking totally engaged for half the morning. Kids never cease to amaze. Here are some of their collection boxes. It’s a little hard to tell from the photos, but basically, it’s a box with an accordion folded paper glued in. The kids drew aliens and other things on the panels of the accordion.
Theo, age 5
Viv, age 6
Chaz, age 6
My idea to do an alien world shadow box was inspired by Joel’s aquarium. I just shifted the theme and added a backdrop from outer space. The results were pretty fantastic. Probably the best embellishment we did, thanks to Evan, was to add glow in the dark paint at the end. The kids LOVED that detail. Good one Ev. You’re such an artist.
Here art the steps.
1. Get a box (cereal box, cracker box, shoe box) and cut off one side
2. Paint the inside of the box to look cooool.
3. Draw some simple space shuttles and ufo’s with a sharpie and paste to the background.
4. Make cool alien dude drawings in sharpie on construction paper. Cut them out and glue onto cardboard. Cut slits with an exacto knife at the top of the box. Attach the wire to cool buttons to slide through the slats in the cardboard. (I added some sequins to my aliens to make them shiny and supercool.)
6. We added glow in the dark paint as a final touch. Big hit!
Here are some of the kids
Dexter, age 6
Theo, age 5
It was a busy weekend here at the Cherry house. We have enlisted a total of 55 new recruits to Alien Army 1st Infantry.
Our chief squad in the Chain of Command (clearly I am going to have to brush up on my army lingo)
Here’s the squad with several generals and first sergeant ________. (I am currently taking suggestions for names. If you send me a name that works, I will send you an Alien Army new recruit. First Sergeant is the purple dude with green dots.)
