• Meet Norman Bridwell, the creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog. - 09/01/2011

    There is only one Clifford the Big Red Dog, and children all over the world enjoy reading about his adventures. But why is Clifford red? Why isn’t he brown or black or tan, like other dogs? When I visited Norman Bridwell, who is Clifford’s creator and my neighbor, I asked him just that. His answer...

  • Get in step with a girl who loves to dance. - 09/01/2011

    With flashing footwork and amazing straight-leg kicks, Katie Hughes makes Irish jigs and hornpipes look as easy as skipping across the sidewalk. Her spunk and love for Irish dance have made her a U.S. and world champion. “But I didn’t like dancing at first,” Katie remembers. “I began classes when...

  • Learn about music and instruments you can make from household items. - 09/01/2011

    What do you do when you hear music? Do you tap your feet or clap your hands? Maybe you feel like dancing or marching. Creating new rhythms and tones with instruments you make yourself can be an enjoyable and unique way to find the music inside of you. It’s easy to make your own instruments. Just...

  • Art isn't easy for Marisa, but she's learning. - 09/01/2011

    I’d give anything to draw horses the way Euphemia Tucker does. She draws them in the margins of spelling tests and on the back of her math homework. They’re always running wild and free, their manes swirling over the paper like clouds across the sky. Euphemia’s horses look so real you can almost...

  • Learn how to make a rabbit, eagle, and other animals with shadow pictures. - 09/01/2011

    Shadow plays are one of the oldest forms of entertainment. They first appeared in China more than one thousand years ago and later spread across Europe. Magicians and puppeteers would travel the countryside performing them at fairs and other community events. But making shadow pictures is so easy...

  • To draw something difficult, start with simple shapes like a circle, square, or triangle. - 09/01/2011

    To draw something difficult, start with simple shapes. Have you ever wanted to draw something, but you didn’t know where to begin? There is a trick you can use to help you get started. The trick is to look at all objects as simple shapes. If you can draw a square, a circle, and a triangle, you can...

  • George Nakashima shaped wood into beautiful chairs, tables, and cabinets. - 09/01/2011

    George Nakashima always insisted that he was a simple woodworker, not an artist. Even though major museums exhibited his work and the director of the American Craft Museum called him a national treasure, Mr. Nakashima rejected the label of artist. For almost fifty years he simply went on shaping wood...

  • Parc Güell in Barcelona, Spain, examplifies engineering genius and unusual art. - 09/01/2011

    How would you like to play in one of the most amazing public parks in the world? If you visit Barcelona, Spain, you can. Spanish architect, sculptor, and artist Antonio Gaudí originally designed this unique park to be the garden area of a spectacular housing development. His idea was to create a...

  • Learn to be a ventriloquist and you'll always have someone to play with. - 09/01/2011

    Have you ever wished that you could make your little sister’s teddy bear talk to her? Or have you ever wanted to bring a puppet to life? If so, you may be interested in learning the art of ventriloquism. A ventriloquist can make an ordinary object seem to be alive by giving it a personality, movement,...

  • A friend's encouragement and musicianship inspire Leslie to not give up. - 09/01/2011

    No one looks at you twice if you play guitar. But I carry around a violin case, and it’s like I’m in “The Untouchables.” I’d like a dime for every time someone yells “Fran, don’t shoot!” Very funny. I tried the guitar and the flute, but I’d rather play the violin. It just feels right, and it sounds...

  • Learn how a pop-up book artist got his start. - 09/01/2011

    Maybe it has happened to you. You pick up a book, turn the first few pages, and something magical happens. You are transported to another place or time. When Robert Sabuda was eight years old, he flipped through a book in his dentist’s office and was transported to another dimension— the three-dimensional...