Some of our favorite children's books feature chickens - so we're making our own chicken today!

Supplies:
- One large paper plate
- One small paper plate
- Sheet of red paper
- Sheet of orange paper
- Red and black crayon
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Glue or Tape

Steps:
1. Trace your handprint on the red sheet of paper and a triangle on the orange sheet of paper.
2. Cut out your handprint and triangle.
If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!
3. Cut out two strips of red paper and two strips of orange paper.
If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!
4. Cut your small paper plate in half and cut off the ridge edge, if your paper plate has one.
If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!
5. Color the half of the paper plate with your red crayon.
6. Using your black crayon, draw an eye on your large paper plate for your chicken.
7. Glue on your orange triangle to make your chicken’s beak.
8. Glue your red half paper plate onto your big paper plate to make a wing.
9. Glue your red handprint to the back of your paper plate to create your chicken’s comb (or the red fleshy part at the top of a chicken’s head).
10. Take your strips of paper and create loops by gluing one end of your strip of paper and then folding the paper to attach the other end.
11. Glue or tape your loops to the side of your large paper plate in the back.

Now you have your Chicken!

Some of our favorite children's books feature pigs - so we're making our own pig today!

Supplies:
- Paper Plate
- One sheet of pink paper
- Pipe Cleaner (optional)
- Crayons
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Glue or Tape

Steps:
1. Trace two triangles and an oval on your sheet of pink paper.
2. Cut out your triangles and oval.
If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!
3. Use a crayon to draw two eyes and a smile on your plate and two ovals on your pink oval.
4. Glue your pink oval onto your paper plate, creating your pig’s snout.
5. Color your paper plate in pink!
6. Glue or tape your triangles to the back of your paper plate, creating your pig’s ears.
7. If you have a pipe cleaner, twirl it and then tape it to the back of your paper plate towards the side to create your pig’s tail!

Now you have your Pig!

Some of our favorite children's books feature dinosaurs - so we're making our own dinosaur today!

Supplies:
- Paper Bag
- Two sheets of colorful paper (we used blue and green!)
- Crayon
- Scissors
- Glue or Tape

Steps:
1. Trace triangles and your t-rex’s arms on your two sheets of colorful paper.
2. Cut out your triangles and your t-rex’s arms.
If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!
3. Use your crayon to draw your t-rex’s eye on your paper bag.
4. Glue your t-rex’s arms to the side of your paper bag.
5. Glue your triangles down the side of your paper bag t-rex.
6. Cut out your t-rex’s mouth.
If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!

Now you have your T-rex!

Use your imagination and play a swimming game with Caitlyn!

What’s at the end of a rainbow? A pot of gold!! Make your own rainbow and pot of gold with us today!

Supplies:
- Sheet of Black Paper
- Sheet of Yellow Paper
- Paper Plate
- White Crayon
- Crayons
- Scissors
- Glue
- Tape
- Pencil
- Tissue Paper (optional)
- Pipe Cleaner (optional)

1. Trace a pot on your black paper with your white crayon by drawing a big U and then a circle over the U connecting it
2. Cut out your pot | If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!
3. Cut out circles on your yellow paper to make gold pieces | If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!
If you have yellow tissue paper or gold pipe cleaners, cut those up now too!
4. Glue your gold pieces to the top of the pot in the circle part
5. Cut your paper plate in half and then cut out the middle and the ridges, if your plate has them | If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!
6. Color your paper plate piece red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple to make a rainbow
7. Tape or glue your paper plate piece to the back of your pot

And now you have your Pot of Gold!

Happy Valentine’s Day! Spend some time with the little ones in your life today making this mosaic heart together!

Supplies:
Sheet of Printer Paper
3 Sheets of Colorful Paper
Pick any colors you’d like!
Scissors
Glue
Pencil
Pipe Cleaner (optional)
Tape (optional)

1. Draw a heart on your sheet of printer paper
2 Cut out your heart
If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!
3. Cut one to two strips of each sheet of your colorful paper
If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!
4. Cut your individual strips of paper into squares of any size you like - or a variety of sizes!
If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!
5. Place glue on your heart and put the squares on the glue, creating a mosaic look!

Optional
Turn your heart over and tape your pipe cleaner to both sides of the heart. You can now hang it up on a door, shelf, or somewhere else!

And now you have your Mosaic Heart!

In our new musical, Dory Fantasmagory, Dory meets Mrs. Gobble Gracker, an evil lady who is trying to play tricks on Dory. So Dory makes a Poison Soup to try and scare her away!

Now Mrs. Gobble Gracker is just an imaginary character that Dory makes up in one of her wild stories, but today you and Caitlyn are going to make your own pot of Poison Soup to help Dory get rid of Mrs. Gobble Gracker!

Grownups, if your little ones liked this activity learn more about Dory Fantasmagory:

https://www.nycchildrenstheater.org/show/dory-fantasmagory/

Getting ready to ring in the new year? Make this New Year’s Eve clock with your little one and you’ll be set to countdown until midnight on Friday!

Supplies:
Paper Plate
Crayons
Pipe Cleaner
Tape
Scissors
Pencil

Before You Begin
Grown-ups, make a hole in the middle of the paper plate. They can use scissors, a hole punch, or something else!

- Write numbers 1 through 12 around your plate, like a clock
- Color in your clock using your favorite colors!
- Fold your pipe cleaner in half, making one half smaller than the other, hold them together making a V shape (but with one side smaller). Leave some room at the end where the fold is, because we’ll fold again soon! Cut off any pipe cleaner that’s longer than your plate.
If you do not have safety scissors, make sure a grownup helps you!-
- Put your pipe cleaner through the hole that your grownup made before. Fold it down on the back of the plate so that it hooks on.
- If needed, put a piece of tape on the hook on the back to keep it in place

And now you have your New Years Eve Clock!

We’re wrapping up our celebration of spring today with this adorable paper plate caterpillar!

Thank you for making a new craft with us every Thursday this spring! You can explore crafts, interactive stories, and more at NYCCT’s Creative Clubhouse!

What’s red and black and ready to fly? One of our favorite insects - little ladybugs! Make a paper plate ladybug with us today!

Throughout spring we’ll be sharing a new craft every Thursday for you and your family to do together as part of NYCCT’s Creative Clubhouse! Explore crafts, interactive stories, and more at the link in our bio!

One of our favorite parts of spring? Seeing little snails slowly walking in the grass outside! You can make your own snail with us today!

Throughout spring we’ll be sharing a new craft every Thursday for you and your family to do together as part of NYCCT’s Creative Clubhouse! Explore crafts, interactive stories, and more at www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse

Fluttering butterflies are one of our favorite parts of spring! Make a paper bag butterfly with us today!

Throughout spring we’ll be sharing a new craft every Thursday for you and your family to do together as part of NYCCT’s Creative Clubhouse! Explore crafts, interactive stories, and more at www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse!

Our spring craft celebration continues with this colorful caterpillar! Create this pom pom caterpillar on a leaf with us!

Throughout spring we’ll be sharing a new craft every Thursday for you and your family to do together as part of NYCCT’s Creative Clubhouse! Explore crafts, interactive stories, and more at www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse

Buzz… Buzz… One of the first signs of spring is when we start seeing bees flying around from flower to flower!

Throughout spring we’ll be sharing a new craft every Thursday for you and your family to do together as part of NYCCT’s Creative Clubhouse! Explore crafts, interactive stories, and more at the link in our bio!

Today, Khalia is going to lead you through theater games based on the book Harold and the Purple Crayon!

1. Meet Khalia!
2. Warm up your body, voice, and imagination
3. Play games!

Grownups: This video aired on Channel 13's Let's Learn NYC on Friday, June 12th 2020. You can view the full episode of Let's Learn NYC on Channel 13's website:
https://www.thirteen.org/programs/lets-learn-nyc/colorful-crayons-is-alliteration-english-captions-trflq4/

You can learn more about New York City Children's Theater at www.nycchildrenstheater.org.

This week at Creative Clubhouse Stories, we're reading The Roots of Rap - to get us ready for the book, play a game with Caitlyn and explore rhyme and rhythm!

The roots of rap and the history of hip-hop have origins that precede DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash. Kids will learn about how it evolved from folktales, spirituals, and poetry, to the showmanship of James Brown, to the culture of graffiti art and break dancing that formed around the art form and gave birth to the musical artists we know today.


This month, Creative Clubhouse Stories is celebrating Black History! We will explore stories of black folks who have made an impact on history, music, science, and literature. To learn more, visit www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse/stories

This week at Creative Clubhouse Stories, we'll be reading Song in a Rainstorm! Get ready for class by creating your own piano with us!


Born blind into a life of slavery, Thomas Wiggins was dismissed as a “useless burden” But through the loving protection of his family, he went on to become one of the greatest musicians of his time. From Tom's childhood on a plantation to his performances in the concert halls of Europe, Glenda Armand shares the beautiful and at times heartbreaking story of a long-overlooked musical great, the love that supported him, and the struggle for freedom.

This month, Creative Clubhouse Stories is celebrating Black History! We will explore stories of black folks who have made an impact on history, music, science, and literature. To learn more, visit www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse/stories

This week at Creative Clubhouse Stories, we're reading Mae Among the Stars - to get us ready for the book, share your dream with Caitlyn!


“When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering.She wanted to be an astronaut. Her mom told her, "If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.”


Mae Jemison’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents' encouraging words, paved the way for her success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space.

This month, Creative Clubhouse Stories is celebrating Black History! We will explore stories of black folks who have made an impact on history, music, science, and literature. To learn more, visit www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse/stories

This week at Creative Clubhouse Stories, we'll be reading Fast Enough: Bessie Springfield’s First Ride! Get ready for class by creating your own bicycle with us!


Have you ever been told that you’re not enough? That you’re not strong enough, tall enough, fast enough? Bessie was told she was not enough.Bessie dreams of riding her bike with the boys after school, but they tell her she is not fast enough. When she finally gets a chance to race, she proves not only that she is fast enough, but she is faster.

This month, Creative Clubhouse Stories is celebrating Black History! We will explore stories of black folks who have made an impact on history, music, science, and literature. To learn more, visit www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse/stories

This week at Creative Clubhouse Stories, we're reading The 5 O'Clock Band - to get us ready for the book, play a game with Caitlyn and pretend to play an instrument in a parade!



Hailing from the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was high. A prodigy, he was leading his own band by age six, and today this Grammy-nominated artist headlines the legendary New Orleans Jazz Fest. Trombone Shorty is a celebration of the rich cultural history of New Orleans and the power of music.


This month, Creative Clubhouse Stories is celebrating Black History! We will explore stories of black folks who have made an impact on history, music, science, and literature.

This week at Creative Clubhouse Stories, we'll be reading Ron's Big Mission!

Get ready for class by creating your own paper plane with us!



Nine-year-old Ron loves going to the Lake City Public Library to look through all the books on airplanes and flight. Today, Ron is ready to take out books by "himself." But in the segregated world of South Carolina in the 1950s, Ron's obtaining his own library card is not just a small rite of passage - it is a young man's first courageous mission. Here is an inspiring story, based on Ron McNair's life, of how a little boy, future scientist, and Challenger astronaut desegregated his library through peaceful resistance.



This month, Creative Clubhouse Stories is celebrating Black History! We will explore stories of black folks who have made an impact on history, music, science, and literature. To learn more, visit www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse/stories

Do you remember the ending of How the Grinch Stole Christmas? The Grinch's heart grew three sizes!!! Make your own growing Grinch heart with us today!

In this week's Creative Clubhouse Stories, we'll be exploring the different ways artists may draw snowmen! Today, get a sneak peek at the book and pretend to be a snowman with Caitlyn!

Did you know that different artists can make the same item differently? In this week's Creative Clubhouse Stories, we'll be exploring the book If Picasso Painted a Snowman and seeing how some famous artists would paint their snowman!



Let's get started today by creating our own plastic spoon snowman!

To get ready for The Storm Whale in Winter, Caitlyn wants to sing a song with you! It's a song you may know, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, but with a fun new winter twist!

This week at Creative Clubhouse Stories, we're reading a special winter tale: The Storm Whale in Winter! In the book, our friend Noi goes out onto the rocky sea in a boat - so today, we're making our own rocking boat!

Caitlyn loves to play in the snow - don't you? But how can you play in the snow when there's none on the ground yet?



Join Caitlyn as she reads a little bit of this week's Creative Clubhouse Stories book, The Snowy Day, and then pretends to play in the snow with you!

Pumpkins can have a lot of feelings - just like us! Can you guess what each pumpkin is feeling?

Explore feelings with us Live on Zoom! Forest of Feelings plays select Sundays through February!

www.nycchildrenstheater.org/forest-of-feelings

Winifred Schnitzel doesn't think monsters are scary, she thinks they're cute! Don't you? Did you know monsters love to dance?



Join Caitlyn to read a little bit of Monster Trouble and then learn a monster dance!



Want to play more games with Caitlyn? Join us for Halloween Creative Clubhouse Stories! www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse-stories-caitlyn

We're ready to explore the forest - are you?

Make a forest with us then join us for a performance of Forest of Feelings - a musical yoga adventure live on Zoom!

Learn more at www.nycchildrenstheater.org/forest-of-feelings

Today Caitlyn is going to show you how to be a superhero! And then - you can really be one!



To ensure the future well being and vibrancy of the creative economy, we need to Defend Arts Workers Now and pass the DAWN Act to guarantee that all our favorite theatres, dance studios, concert venues, and art teachers will still be there for us when COVID is past. Let’s make sure you can continue to experience, learn, and create theater, music, dance and visual arts now, and for generations to come.


Visit https://nycchildrenstheater.org/be-an-arts-hero/ to learn more!

For today's Back to School craft we're making a school bus! You might not be riding in one right now, but whether it's how you get to school each day, or if you've only been in one for field trips, there's nothing more fun than a bumpy ride in a school bus with your friends!

We have a new craft on our website and YouTube channel every Wednesday! Subscribe to our channel so you don't miss a craft!

Who's ready to go back to school?

Whether you'll be in person, online, or both, you'll definitely be reading some really good books this year. Let's celebrate all of the great books you'll be reading by making our own bookworms!

You can even use this project as a bookmark, if you want!

We have a new craft on our website and YouTube channel every Wednesday, and all of September's crafts are back to school themed! Subscribe to our channel so you don't miss a craft!

This year, NYCCT presented Taste the Clouds - our hit show created by Hit the Lights! Theater Co.

Learn more about Hit the Lights!, why they loved Rita Marshall's book Taste the Clouds, and learn how to make your own shadow puppets!

Don't forget to watch their Storytime with Buddy videos here on our YouTube channel and on our website www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse

Let's go under the sea and bounce around with our very own jellyfish, inspired by Arty Crafty Kids!

Today is the last Wednesday in August, but we have one more sea animal to make! Join us on Monday for our last sea animal craft! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and visit www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse to never miss a craft!

NYCCT's Arts Administration Apprentice, Miranda, loves to draw!

Today Miranda is drawing a bee, and she's going to show you how to draw one too!

Join Teaching Artist, Caitlyn as she shares a bit of this week’s story and an activity with you.

To learn more or sign up for Creative Clubhouse Stories, visit www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse!

This week, we're continuing our exploration of the beach by making our own mosaic beach ball!

Visit the rest of our beach exploration videos to make a sun and a seashell with us!

You can find more activities at www.nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse