Pillow Fort Activity Sheet 1-4

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons melted butter
1+ cup fresh blueberries
more butter for the pan

Mix the milk & vinegar and let it sit for one minute (or two!)
Grown-ups, you are making buttermilk.

Whisk dry ingredients together.
Whisk the egg, milk, and melted butter into the dry ingredients until just combined.

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Melt a little smear of butter in the pan.

Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the hot skillet and spread it flat-like (it will be pretty thick). Arrange a few blueberries on top. Cook until you see little bubbles on top and the edges starting to firm up. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the pancakes are sky-high fluffy and cooked through.

Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Yummy!

Check this space for additional activities for Episode 1 over the next few weeks!

Thanks for watching!

Pillow Fort Activities

Episode 2: The Lighthouse: Company is Coming
For ages 3-7 (and their grown-ups!)

Make a Lighthouse

An easy craft project using a paper towel roll allows children to use their creativity and to better visualize lighthouses.

Materials: Yellow, red, and black paper, Paper towel roll/thick white paper, scissors, tape, glue, stapler, black marker

Make a Lighthouse Out of a paper towel roll or a thick piece of paper or foam mat made into a roll.

Color a plastic lid

Cut red stripes for the lighthouse

Cut a small piece of yellow construction paper and glue it on top of tube. Explain that this yellow paper represents the light. The “light” can be as simple as a piece of paper cut or torn unevenly or it can be cut in more complex geometrical shapes. This end will be the top of the lighthouse.

Make into a roll by connecting the two sides.

Cut a circle and then make a slit to create a roof

Show examples of solid colored light houses and ones with patterns. Can also allow the viewer children to use their imaginations to come up with their own patterns and designs. However, if a more uniform lighthouse pattern is desired, show the children specific patterns and limit their choice of paper colours and shapes.

Learn about Lighthouse Codes

Learn about lighthouse codes, or have a print out of the lighthouse codes.

Every lighthouse emits a distinctive series of flashes known as its “characteristic.” These flash sequences allow ship captains to time intervals between flashes so that they can identify lighthouses, using a publication called the Light List. This publication assigns a number to each lighted beacon and describes its identifying characteristics. Flash sequences include the following: fixed, occulting, flashing, isophase, group flashing, alternating, and Morse code

A fixed light is a light that shines continuously. An occulting light has longer periods of light than of darkness, while a flashing light has longer periods of darkness than of light. An isophase light has equal durations of light and darkness. A group flashing light has a specified number of regularly repeating flashes of light, while an alternating light shows light of different colors. Morse code shows short and long flashes that represent dots and dashes, respectively. These dots and dashes are grouped to represent code characters.

Foghorns & Radio Signals

Many lighthouses are equipped with a horn to help guide ships sailing in foggy weather. These foghorns, which make their sound by quickly releasing compressed air, can be heard for distances of up to 13 km (8 mi). Ship captains can determine their position by identifying distinctive combinations of long and short horn blasts specific to each lighthouse.

Some lighthouses are also equipped with radio beacons that transmit Morse code radio signals. These radio signals, which are distinguished by short (dot) and long (dash) combinations, have a range of up to 320 km (200 mi).

Pillow Fort Activities

Episode 3: Outer Space: Making Friends
For ages 3-7 (and their grown-ups!)

Make a Rocket Ship

Materials: Plastic bottle, foil, string, colored paper, scissors, tape, glue
Wrap the bottle in tin foil to create the body of the rocket
Glue some string to the bottom of the plastic bottle to create the flame and then close the foil at the bottom to reinforce.
Add a nose cone tip, fins, and any details to make the rocket ship your own.

Make Asteroid Pancakes With Your Grown-Up

In Episode 3, the space creature gives the host some delicious asteroid pancakes. Try making these mini pancakes with your grown-up. When you are eating your pancakes, pretend they taste like different foods too!

Mix: In a bowl, sift the dry ingredients and combine. Then, make a well at the center where you will put the wet ingredients in. Then, whisk everything until fully incorporated.

Cook: Heat a non-stick pan or griddle. Put in scoops of the batter. Cook until each one turns brown then flip to cook the other side.

Serve: Garnish with your favorite fruits.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk (whole)
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter (melted)

Add a teaspoon of vanilla or cinnamon for some flavorful variations.

Check this space for additional activities for Episode 3 over the next few weeks!

Thanks for watching!

Episode 4: Hibernation
For ages 3-7 (and their grown-ups!)

In Episode 4 of Pillow Fort, audiences are taken to a bear’s cave, where they discover a bear and her cub, sleeping.

Hibernation Definition for Young PeopleHibernation is a way that some animals deal with the harsh winter. The animals curl up in a safe place and stay there until winter ends. Hibernating animals barely breathe, and their body temperature is near the freezing mark. In warmer weather they return to their regular activities.

Creative Play
After watching Pillow Fort, Episode 4, turn the pillows from your sofa into a Bear’s cave. Then, have your young people pretend to be bears who are sleeping, they can also bring in a favorite teddy bear. Play some classical music, and you can also have them play “Pillow Fort: Hibernation.”

Craft Project Make a fun sleeping bear craft on a large paper plate.

What You Will Need:

Scissors
Glue
Brown & Black Construction Paper
Markers or Crayons
Cotton Balls

Cut out bear ears, sleeping eyes (two black strips of construction paper), a very big bear nose and then glue them to the plate.

Place cotton balls all around the sleeping face to make the bear “cozy” in his cave. Once your project has dried, display in your favorite spot!

Check this space for additional activities for Episode 4 over the next few weeks!

Thanks for watching!

www.treehouseshakers.com

About Pillow Fort by Treehouse Shakers

Pillow Forts are a place of safety and comfort, where imagination is ignited and children can explore creativity. Pillow Fort meets young children in an intelligent, imaginative setting, and gives them the additional tools necessary for play. Each 7-8 minute episode explores new adventures, emotional feelings, and the power of imagination. Directed and written by Mara McEwin, filmed and edited by John Noel, original music composed by Anthony Rizzo, choreographed by Emily Bunning and animation and puppetry by the ensemble of Treehouse Shakers, our new web-series engages young people safely at home. Each episode will also have a downloadable PDF or video extension of fun art activities connecting directly to each episodic theme that families and students can then create.

About Treehouse Shakers

Treehouse Shakers Inc., a non-profit dance and theater company, was founded in 1997 in New York City. Treehouse Shakers is committed to creating work that encourages people to experience their feelings and connection to the greater community. The company achieves this by creating humanistic stories, experimenting with narrative styles and exploring the story’s elements through the abstractions of modern dance. Our work is sometimes the first performance many young people experience. We want to sharpen their aesthetics as they are entertained, challenged, and engaged, while at the same time expanding their knowledge of various art forms. We have built our repertory to carefully address every age level within youth programming and serve babies to teens. We are building audiences who are creative-thinkers and hopefully life-long performance enthusiasts.

Increasing the reach of our work, we partner with local non-profits, community centers and schools to provide tickets to low-income and underserved youth and families. Helping solidify our role in the American theater, we are currently the only U.S. company touring a dance-play specifically for babies. We produce a Bi-Annual Season in New York City, primarily at The Ailey Citigroup Theater in Manhattan and at the BAM Fisher spaces in Brooklyn. The remaining part of the year we have a rotating tour which expands from additional NYC venues to Performing Arts Centers across the nation. Our roster currently includes: Hatched (ages 0-6), Olive & Pearl (ages 2-5), Animal Rhythms (ages 4-10), Under the Tangle (ages 8-13), The Boy Who Grew Flowers (ages 5-10) and Let’s Talk About IT! (ages 10+.) Currently, we are devising a new work for babies, Flutter, for ages 6-18 months, to premiere hopefully in 2021. Since the pandemic hit, the company began creating virtual experiences, including a new 9-part series online, Pillow Fort for ages 3-7. Complimenting performances, THS provides teacher trainings and residencies for students that focus on the art of storytelling, dance, music, puppetry and theater.