COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Example Three: Three Bears’ Beds During “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” units, I often have the children make large bed sculptures. The beds are often made from thick, flat pieces of cardboard. On day one, make Papa Bear’s bed (too hard), using paint and glitter. On day two, make Mama Bear’s bed (too soft), using packing pillows, pom-poms, feathers, or similar materials with col- ored glue. On day three, make Baby Bear’s bed (just right), using felt, fur, and soft items with colored glue. The children have a great time with this activity. creative and authentic art  61 Large Sheets of Cardboard Large sheets or pieces of cardboard make an ex- cellent canvas for painting or other various proj- ects. The best part is they are free! You could put a large flat sheet of cardboard on a tabletop, against an easel, or along a fence. Another idea is to use large sheets from a cardboard box not yet cut down. We did this project during our construction unit while the “workers” were learning about the job of carpenters and painting a wall. It was a three-day project. We cut out one side of the large box, leav- ing a trifold structure that could stand on its own. The children were able to paint it using big brushes and rollers. They began to have their own ideas and added crayons and carpenter pencils. A “bed” for Mama Bear Example Four: Miscellaneous Box and Cardboard Sculptures Sometimes wonderful and spontaneous child- ​inspired art is the best! A plan is not essential. Simply put out the materials and watch the cre- ativity and excitement begin! For instance, offer the children a flat box, along with cardboard tubes, masking tape, colored tape, and colored glue with brushes. On the second and third days, put out squeeze bottles full of glue and more tape and see what happens! Large cardboard painting with rubber brayers Rollers on large cardboard COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL