Small Frye Returns with "The Dot"

Photo of kids and teaching artists at a Small Frye program in the Frye Salon with a light blue color overlay and the words "small / FRYE 10th Anniversary" in white over the lower right corner of the image

Small Frye is back to celebrate 10 years of storytelling + art! On November 2, we had our first program of the season here at the museum where we read The Dot by Peter Reynolds. If you missed it, you can get a taste of Small Frye at home right now! 

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Watch the read aloud of The Dot, then go on an adventure and look for dots all around you! Looking closely helps children with concentration, observation, and curiosity. You can stay in one place and play “I Spy” with what is around you, start a timer and gather all the items with dots at home in a matter of minutes, or go for a walk around the neighborhood and snap photos of dots outside. 

Photo of a blank white piece of paper with various art supplies around it

Once you’ve collected your dot-spiration, you can continue to practice looking closely with observational drawing. You can use any drawing materials for this activity—crayons, markers, pencils, watercolors and brushes, construction paper, or scissors and glue.

Choose one dotted object that you discovered to draw. Bring it close to you and start by looking. Do you recognize what shape it is? Is it big or small? What color is it? Start drawing the outline first or tracing the shape directly on your paper. 

Photo of a white piece of paper with three colorful circles of construction paper on top along with a glue stick and scissors and paper remnants in the lower left corner

Move your hand slowly. Once you’ve drawn your outline, you can add details. Maybe those are smaller shapes, colors, or lots of dots! Maybe you can turn your dot into something like a smiley face or a snowman! Add paint or try a different material to change your dot. After you’ve drawn that object, you can move on to a different one from your collection. I wonder if you will make as many dot drawings as Vishti did in the book?

Photo of a piece of paper with circles of colorful construction paper on it and doodles in many colors
Photo of a piece of paper with colorful construction paper dots on it and colorful doodles as well as colorful watercolors; a set of watercolors, a brush, and a glass of water sit around the paper

If you enjoyed this activity, join us the first Wednesday of each month for more interactive storytelling with Seattle Children’s Theatre and hands-on art-making lead by the Frye. Small Frye is a free program, but space is limited, and pre-registration is required. On December 7, we will be exploring the painting Botaniker (The Botanists), ca. 1900-1915 by Gabriel von Max from the Frye Founding Collection and working with clay. Don’t forget to register!