Time Required: 20 minutes

Materials

• The Starry Night by Neil Waldman
• For icing: 1 lb. powdered sugar, c. butter, tbs. salt, 1 tbs. vanilla, milk for consistency (You may also use premixed icing and add food coloring.)
• Food coloring
• Sugar cookies or graham crackers
• Plastic sandwich bags
• Pastry tube tips of different shapes and sizes (if available)
• Popsicle sticks
• Wax paper
• Copies of various works by van Gogh

Set up

• Prepare icing by mixing softened butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and milk to the right consistency. Divide the icing into 6 containers and add several drops of food coloring to each container to make a rainbow of colors. (If you have extra time the children would also enjoy mixing in the food coloring.)
• Scoop the colored icing into plastic bags. Snip off a tiny bit of the corner to allow icing to be squeezed through the hole. (If available, before you add the icing, insert a pastry tube tip into the corner of the bag.) Release the extra air and fasten the bag so that no icing can escape. 
• Cover tables with wax paper and set plastic bags of icing in the center of each. Prepare enough bags for approximately 1-2 easily accessible bags per child .
• Set out cookies or graham crackers.
• Post several of van Goghs prints around the area to inspire. Tip: There are many calendars that provide inexpensive prints of van Goghs work.

Directions

• Read aloud The Starry Night by Neil Waldman.
• Discuss the works of art that van Gogh produced and how he painted by applying thick paint to canvas.
• Tell children they will create similar masterpieces using icing.
• Demonstrate how to pipe icing using the baggies by squeezing the full part of the bag in your hand.
• Allow them to practice on the wax paper first and show them how mistakes can be scooped up with a popsicle stick.
• Give children a cookie or cracker as their canvas and have them create their own masterpiece.
• Be sure to share the art work (and take photos) before gobbling it all up.

Volunteer Involvement

Assign volunteers to:

• Monitor the icing to ensure that supplies last.
• Ensure that children share the various colors.

Family Involvement

Encourage families to:

• Take up cake decorating on their own time.
• Make the icing together allowing the children to practice mixing a palette of colors.
• Study art work to inspire their own creative interpretation. Anything from cakes to cookies will work perfectly as a delicious canvas for their fun.

Community Connection

• Go to a local bakery and have a cake decorator demonstrate his/her art work in icing.
• Have children practice with the real tools of a cake decorator and discover the time and dedication it takes to create these edible masterpieces.

Adaptations

If sweet treats are not appropriate for your group, turn lunchtime into discovery time. Sandwich bread can make a great canvas and ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise dyed with food coloring can provide the same kind of fun.