Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

You can download an Irish language version of this page in PDF format here.

About the artwork
This is a copy of a sculpture made 3,000 years ago by the ancient Greeks and Romans! The ancient Greeks believed that a goddess called Selene carried the moon across the sky each night. They imagined her driving a horse-drawn chariot with two white horses. Selene’s crown lit up the moon as her white horses galloped across the night sky.

Let’s Imagine!
Can you imagine Selene riding her silver chariot over your house as you sleep?
Can you draw Selene and her crown that lights the moon?
What does Selene look like in your imagination? Is she ghostly or dreamy or powerful? Is she happy or lonely or bossy? Is she young or old, tiny or huge? Is she singing or laughing or very quiet?
Imagine that you are Selene, travelling across the night sky, what do you see?

Draw a creature or fantastic object to pull the moon across the sky…

• A moon cat that chases and tosses the moon like a ball of wool
• A flock of moon birds
• A shoal of moonfish
• A silvery moon boat with the moon in its net
• A moon whale
• A moon bus
• A moon balloon
• A moon clown or an acrobat balancing the moon on her toes.

Make your own moon horse!

You could use modelling clay, plasticine, tinfoil, or make your own play dough.

Simple playdough recipe:
Ingredients: 1 cup of flour, half a cup of salt, 1 teaspoon of oil.
Method: Mix in a bowl, if the mixture is too wet add more flour.
Here is one that our friend Nell made in the picture below.

Let’s Play!
Can you make a moon telescope?
What can you spy?… moon rabbits collecting moon eggs, strange mountains and seas, moon flowers or a moon cat or a moon disco…

Create your own moon story
Fill your own moon with patterns, shapes, people and animals, the sky is the limit! Or perhaps you fancy some cosmic colouring?

Take inspiration from Cork artist Ailbhe Barrett to create your own fantastic designs! Download colouring sheets here.

Find more moon inspired work in the gallery by using the links below!

We would love to hear your stories and artworks inspired by Talking Pictures! Share them with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the #crawfordartgalleryhomelife.