Learn Together

When children use their imaginations to think about the world around them, it helps them make creative connections to their communities and cultures. Practicing everyday conversations and acting out imaginary activities also helps children develop language and critical thinking skills.

Materials

  • Cardboard piece that props up (a corner of a box, drink holder, etc.)
  • Construction paper (various colors)
  • Scissors
  • Markers
  • Crayons
  • Glue or glue stick

Make Together

Enjoy Faith Ringgold’s reading of her story Tar Beach.

Think about the girl’s view in the story as she’s flying. How does the city look from way up high? This is a bird’s eye view—a scene shown from high up in the air as a bird in flight might see it. Create a cityscape inspired by your own imaginary bird’s eye view of your neighborhood.

“It’s very easy. Anyone can fly. All you need is somewhere to go that you can’t get to any other way. The next thing you know you’re flying among the stars.”

What colors and shapes did you see as the little girl flew over her city? Did she see what you would see if you could fly over your neighborhood? Where would you go?

  1. Cut construction paper the short and long way, thin and wide. These are your buildings and skyscrapers around your city you like to visit.
  2. Cut smaller square shapes. These are your windows for your buildings.
  3. Glue the smaller squares, your windows, onto your buildings.
  4. Lay your cardboard base stand flat on a surface like a table.

Think of how your neighborhood may look from a high distance.

  1. Glue your first layer of buildings onto the cardboard, covering the background.
  2. Add more colorful buildings, stacking them over each other to cover the entire cardboard. They should stick out past the cardboard as you go!

Your cityscape will start to look wider and smaller as you overlap and layer buildings of different sizes. They should stick out past the cardboard as you go!

Now, we’re going to add ourselves flying over our cityscape.

  1. On a new piece of paper, draw yourself flying. Use your colorful paper or markers and crayons to color yourself in.
  2. Cut yourself out and glue yourself flying over your cityscape.
  3. Prop up your pop-up 3D book!

Black people have historically been, and continue to be, underrepresented in children’s books. Enjoy this list of books compiled by The Conscious Kid to add to your library.