I stumbled across an Eric Carle exhibit yesterday while biking around Yokohama at Sogo department store (6th floor-info here in Japanese only). The Very Hungry Caterpillar is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary this year and as a previous kindergarten teacher, I have always loved his books for their simplicity and artwork.

The exhibit also shows several examples of the planning and draft phases he goes through to create his stories. They also provide an insightful video of him creating the caterpillar pictured left. His books are so enjoyable and easy to create cross-curricular activities with.

Last year grade 1 students created ‘paint’ pictures using KidPix based on the book Little Cloud. They completed these in one or two 45 minute lessons and were all compiled into a class book. My example for the students is pictured right. Of course, creating actual collages from painted paper works too! If you are interested in collage, also have a look at the work of Peter Clark.