Some oceanic themes for inspiration...
Bacchus turning sailors into dolphins: Homeric Hymn 7:32 (image of plate from www.arts.ed.ac.uk)
He is also known as Dionysus or Dionysos, Bakchos, and Liber (Roman); as well as Bromios, Lénaios (god of the wine press), Lyaioe (the one who delivers you from worries), and Dendritès (the protector of bushes). He may sound like a lot of fun, but he's also the god of mob insanity and sometimes causes it in his followers.
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Howard Pyle I am a creature of the Fey Prepare to give your soul away My spell is passion and it is art My song can bind a human heart And if you chance to know my face My hold shall be your last embrace. | The History of Mermaids and Sirens: Symbols of Seduction and Transformation from the Northstar Gallery. |
The Little Mermaid (Bonnie's notes)
Hans Christian Anderson's tale of "The Little Mermaid" is kind of about freedom and love...and sacrifice. Interestingly, the tale illustrates the reality of clothing of the day: sumptuary laws and pain for women. As written, it's also typical of the time with its fascination with royalty and religion; categorizing women with useful and uncommon knowledge as witches; and a gratuitous moralistic message at the end to try to get children to behave.
Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid story
(full text)
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne -- full English text
Political: Oceania papers, and the more-current Lifeboat project by the same libertarian.
Diecut images to use as guides. Includes seahorse, starfish, statue of liberty, etc. from Wisconsin. Print out and cut out the seahorse for a stencil!
NorthStar Mermaid and Siren gallery -- includes Mermaid parade pix.
a google image search for tropical fish, mermaid, Atlantis
Friends for the parade--if we have a booth or a float to decorate. (We aren't allowed to hang them off sticks in NYC, I believe.)
from http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/1230.html and elsewhere
2D Fish
Paper Plate Fish: Draw a triangle mouth shape on a paper plate. Have your child cut out the triangle and have them glue it on the fish as a tail. Let the child decorate the fish.
3D Fish
Paper Bag Fish: Lay a plain paper bag down flat. Leave the bottom folded up and fold in the corners of the bottom of the bag and staple in place to form the fishes snout. Loosely stuff the sack with scrap paper and close the end with a rubber band. Slide it up a couple of inches and spread out the end to make the tail. Let the children paint their fish any way they want.
Translucent Fish
To make fish, cut two identical shapes from clear contact paper. Peel the backing off one shape and decorate with colored tissue paper and sequins. Cut out an eye and add a pupil. Cover the decorated fish with the other piece on contact paper.
Jellyfish Windsock:
Take two clear kitchen trash bags, crumple one of the bags into a ball and stuff it into the corner of the other bag. Tape around the bottom of the ball to form a neck. Cut part of the trash bag hanging down into long strips to make tentacles. Push a string through the neck of the jellyfish and tie the two ends together to make a hanger for the windsock.
Octopus
Assorted colors of 9x6 paper flourescent paints Q-Tips Students trace around four of their fingers, then move them over and trace around them again thus making the eight tenacles. Hook the right and left sides together with a high rainbow, creating the head of the octopus. Decorate with flourescent paints dabbed on with a Q-Tip. You can add wiggly eyes or draw them. [Bonnie's note: if you really want the pointellism effect, I recommend a small handful of Q-Tips dipped into the paint, one bunch per color.]
Paper Plate Octopus:
Cut a paper plate in half. Draw eyes on the plate, and then glue on eight pieces of crepe paper as arms.
Still looking for some. Chants are listed on the main page.
Voir aussi: "Nous étions trois jeune matelots..." Trois Matelots by Renaud, and an international dictionary to help you enjoy it. (English summary: "Momma, Don't Let Your Sons Grow Up to be Sailors, Unless They're Dumb Bastards Already.")
Bonnie would like to suggest the Primorski restaurant in nearby Brighton Beach for the after-party. A whole bunch of funny-dressed Americans shouldn't faze them too much! It's got an ocean theme. ("Morye" means sea in Russian, "Primorye" is "at, by, near or upon the sea.") The restaurant has authentic Russian food (lot of Georgian-Jewish influence) in a group-seating arrangement with a dance floor like an Ukrainian disco. It's one subway stop away from Coney Island, which should get us away from the main crowd of people. They're on the web now... http://www.primorski.net/
Coney Island
The Soul of Coney Island, from NorthStar Gallery
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