GONE NUTS!

STEVE CASINO: PAINTER OF NUTS

Everyone has found an oddly shaped peanut, that looked like an animal or a person before.  This guy, Steve Casino, takes it to a new level and makes extremely detailed celebrity portraits on peanuts!  The completely engrossing website Laughing Squid featured Steve's nuts a few weeks ago, and our family was hooked. From Star Trek to Elton John, he takes popcorn culture and makes it peanut worthy.  For $175, you can commission a portrait that will certainly wow everyone you meet.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF:

1. Have you ever found a nut or a rock in the shape of a face?
2. Why is it so much fun to find art in the unexpected?
3. Who would you like Steve Casino to make a portrait of if you could choose anyone?
4. What other medium could you use to make surprising art?


LINKS TO DIVE DEEPER:

Share this video with your kids on how Steve Casino does it and the intricate process behind the little peanut people.

EXTENSIONS:

When the kids are begging to give it a try on their own, try this simple and joyful project by the educational and motivating blog Tinkergarten.   I can only imagine how much fun it would be for my son to find one of these in the park or playground.  As they say on the website, this is a great way to teach compassion without having to say a word.

 (Photo by Tinkergarten)

1. Gather a whole bunch of acorns. We used about 30. (What a great reason to use a bindle?!).
2. Use permanent markers to draw a smiley face on each acorn (kids help too!). Young kids like ours can use a washable marker to make their “faces” and feel a part of it all.
3. Go to your favorite park, trail or playground—wherever you’d find acorns. Let kids know that you are going to leave the acorns in spots where other people may find them. We called it "spreading smiles."
4. Then, start sprinkling the acorns around, looking for fun spots to tuck the little friends. You can see some of the spots we chose in our acorn people photo gallery. 
5. Talk about what you are doing with kids as you sprinkle the acorns. Ask them questions like these, and prompt them to think about what you are doing and why you are doing it:

• Who do you think will find this acorn?/these acorns?
• What do you think they will think when they see it?
• How do you think they will feel when they see it?
• What do you think they will do with the acorn?