Home Sweet Home Popsicle Sticks Puzzle

A teenager copied the sample photos exactly!

Home Sweet Home Popsicle Sticks Puzzle was a fun project during "Christmas break" for mothers and children inside an immigrant family detention center. I am grateful to my artist friend, Lynn, for sharing this project which had done with elementary school children as part of an after-school program. I consolidated her instructions (and made them bilingual) for use inside the detention center. It was sweet to see the mothers helping the smaller children and equally sweet to see the teenagers really getting into the project and adding much detail.

1.           Write your names on the back.

2.           Draw your “house” picture step by step, ONE step at a time.

3.           OUTLINE each step and color it in. Outlining is part of this process.

4.           Outline the house, door, windows and roof/chimney.

5.  Color in the forms made. Use colors that stand out next to each other

so you can “see” the outline –use a dark outline with light interior or vice versa.

6.  Outline the smoke and color it in.

7.  Draw a yard horizon line

8.  Draw the tree, foliage and branches Outline first then color in

9.  The flowers are next. Outline and color in with chosen colors.

10.        Draw the front “lawn” and color in or put flowers/rocks/pathways in. Color and outline

11.        Draw any people, outline and color in.

12.        Outline mountains, or any background. DO NOT color in yet.

13.        Draw a sun next, outline and color in.

14.        Outline clouds and color in. Put mountains in, outline and then color the

 background after all images are outlined first. Add birds (“V” birds!)

15.       Add any details.

16.       Pull tape off and reassemble puzzles. Trade and do each other’s puzzles!