Summer solstice is the perfect opportunity to give thanks to our Earth and all that it provides. Franzi Shelton created this beautiful moving picture mealtime blessing to celebrate the solstice.
Mealtime blessings have become an essential aspect of our family’s daily rhythm.
Blessings provide us with a calm moment prior to mealtime and allow us to practice gratitude.
Make a moving picture to go with a favorite blessing or verse. Franzi and her family use moving pictures as a great tool for their children as a visual reference as well as a movable manipulative.
You Will Need
- Watercolor paper and watercolors
- Waldorf Watercolor Paintbrush
- Scissors
- A glue Stick
- A hole puncher
- A brass fastener
- A black pen
- Optional: a thermal laminator and laminating sheets
Crafting the Sun
Use a salad plate (roughly 8-inch diameter) and a pencil to trace an even circle onto watercolor paper. Next, use a pencil to draw a crown of rays around the circle. Use scissors to cut out your sun.
Divide the inner circle of the sun into four even quadrants. Be sure that all of your lines are perpendicular to each other.
Cut one of the four quadrants from your sun. This opening will become a “window” for your moving picture.
Turn your sun over so that your pencil lines are now facing your crafting surface.
Use a broad brush or foam applicator to color the sun yellow.
Use a medium-sized brush to add details to each ray. Apply a lighter orange and then added darker orange details to each point. Let your paint dry for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Craft the Moving Picture
Trace another circle onto watercolor paper using the same plate. Use scissors to cut out this second circle and use a ruler to divide the circle into four quadrants. Once again, all of lines should be perpendicular to each other.
Use a watercolor brush to color your moving wheel in a very pale shade of yellow or orange. Next, let your wheel dry for a minimum of 15 minutes. Once dry, use a very fine brush to add detailed imagery to your wheel. Here, you can use these paintings as a guide or you can come up with your own designs.
Connecting the Pieces
Trace a quarter onto watercolor paper. Color the small circle yellow, let it dry for at least 15 minutes and cut it out.
Use a glue stick to attach the little yellow circle to the center of your sun. This is where the brass fastener will go.
OPTIONAL: At this point, feel free to laminate any or all parts of the project to preserve your moving picture.
Puncture a hole through both the center of the moving wheel and the center of the yellow sun. Add a brass fastener to facilitate rotating the wheel.
Use a black pen to add the mealtime blessing to your moving picture.
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