I save all my children's artwork but don't always know how to display or use it. Finding nice ways of putting the best pieces to use is always in the back of my mind.
So we bought large drawing books and then printed calendar pages off of the internet (go to free printable calendars and choose one you like for 2009). The pages were cut and glued into the drawing book and then each page was embellished with artwork from this past year.
Who will be the lucky recipients of these 2009 art calendars??
15 December 2008
02 December 2008
Last year I was very inspired by this list which someone posted on their blog (I am sorry I cannot remember which one but I remember that it was shared)..but then forgot about it. I found it again and am going back to my original plan: to print it in fun fonts, change it to suit my own children and their environment...roll it up with a bow and pop it in the kids' stockings for the holidays!
I think you will find it a great list too -- and will want to try them out even if you are all grown up already!
60 ways to leave your mother (alone)
Create a fairy world.
Put a blanket on the grass and pretend it’s a raft, the grass is the ocean or river. and you are adrift! Think about what supplies you would need for this adventure.
Prepare an Imaginate Box with bits of leftover materials (string, wire, cassette tape, watch parts, yarn, shells, bottle caps, pages from ruined books, magazines, fabric snippets, buttons, paint swatch chips, plastic spoons, assorted trash, etc.) to have on hand for spontaneous art projects.
Draw an original comic strip of at least 3 panels.
Create a scavenger hunt for your parents. Make it difficult!
Submit some art to The Telekids section of the newspaper
Read an interesting book to a younger sibling. With enthusiasm. And lots of silly voices.
Make and send postcards to all your friends.
Create a picture with seeds and/or beans by gluing various types on a sturdy piece of cardboard. plain white glue works fine. Also try this with pasta, which comes in lots of fun shapes like stars and letters.
Make blue jello in a clear glass dish and “float” gummy fish inside when it starts to set. Eat it for dessert.
Put on some music and dance with abandon. Or just plain crazy.
Think up a really scary story to tell around the fire next time we go camping. You might want to write it down!
Learn how to hello and your name in another language. Or two.
Draw coloring pages for your little brother or sister. That they will enjoy.
Find an ant hill and place an apple slice on top. Watch. Or put bits of different foods on a plate nearby and watch to see what the ants like best to eat, second best and so on.
Make up a secret code and write a letter to a friend using the code (be sure to include decoding key!)
Make a collage with materials from your Imaginate Box.
Make a necklace and/or bracelet by stringing colorful pasta on elastic or string. (You can color pasta by adding it along with a little rubbing alcohol and some drops of food coloring to a ziploc bag and shaking well. Dry on newspaper.) Or string beads, cereal, buttons, tiny bits of fabric, etc.
Write down and/or draw all the different insects you see in just one day.
Listen to bird calls online and try to imitate them.
Type a review of the last movie you saw or book you read.
Create a play, opera or puppet show. Practice, then perform for your family. Make tickets for your performance.
Call your grandmother or best friend just to chat.
Make a treasure map of your yard or house. Make sure it looks dirty, wrinkled and torn and really authentic!
Have a treasure hunt (don’t forget to bury the treasure.)
Find a penpal.
Lie on the grass and look for shapes in the clouds.
Talk like a pirate for an entire day. And dress like one, if you dare. (And don’t forget your pirate name.)
Mail yourself a letter.
Write a REAL letter and mail it to your favorite relative.
Write a letter to a soldier. Or send an e-card.
Play catch with someone.
Make cookies, pudding or a cake and surprise a neighbor with a plate of them.
Write some jokes.
Make a joke book using jokes collected from every person in your family. Call your grandparents if you can. Knock-knock jokes are acceptable. Staple the joke pages together and keep the book handy for when everyone needs a good laugh.
Make Christmas ornaments then pack them away for a surprise this winter.
Lie on the sidewalk or driveway and let someone draw your outline with sidewalk chalk. Make silly poses and keep drawing.
Use old pillowcases to have a sack race (especially fun if you’re kind of tall.)
Make a mobile with materials from your Imaginate Box.
Make up a song or poem about your pet. Record it, if possible.
Wash your bike.
Decorate your bike for a parade. Have a parade (even if you’re the only participant.)
Read about constellations during the day and then find them in the night sky.
Start planning your Halloween costume.
Make sock or lunch bag puppets of your favorite characters from a few different books or t.v. shows. Perform a puppet show in which they meet and become friends.
Paint
Create a miniature house using a cardboard box (shoebox size or larger) with one side removed. Use recycled food packages and masking tape to create tables, chairs, countertops, refrigerators, etc. Cut openings for windows and doors. Make curtains from fabric scraps, Use bottlecaps for stove burners, empty thread spools for chairs, etc.
Write or draw the story of your life so far.
Learn your name in sign language.
Find something in your house from a different country, then look up that country online or in an encyclopedia to learn more about it.
Make a list of things you’d like to learn more about. Take it to the library on your next visit and bug the librarian to help you find good books on at least 2 of the topics on your list.
Make some fruit from paper mâche (this will take a few days.)
Close your eyes and draw a quick doodle on a piece of paper. Open your eyes and complete the drawing.
Throw a fancy party for your pet. Invite all your stuffed animals.
Make an obstacle course in your backyard. Time yourself and others as you complete it.
Practice cartwheels. Or somersaults. Or walking on your hands.
Lie in your bed and ponder what needs pondering.
Decorate a box and lid; use it to hold treasures and mementos from your summer.
Make a fairy stew from flower petals and leave it out for the fairies to find.
Leave a shallow dish of beer in your garden if you’d like to see what slugs look like once they are, uh, dead.
Get a book on knot tying out of the library and learn to tie some knots (but no fair using them on your siblings).
Learn to identify all the trees in your yard/neighborhood.
Write the story of a day in your life as a grown up.
Put a white flower in a vase with water and food coloring.
Learn to write upside down. No, no — YOU stay right side up — just write the letters upside down on the paper.
12 September 2008
Ribbon bookmarks
Sometimes little girls sort of grow out of their ribbons and it is time to find new uses for them...that's what got me thinking about what I can do with all the beautiful ribbon we have around our house.
To make, fold ribbons in three so there is a piece that goes about half way down the back. Now, cut a tiny slip just at center-top for the loop to go through; then stitch up the sides. When you are stitching near the loop, you will need to do some reinforcement stitches so that it is sewn in properly. For the back, give a tuck for the hem and stitch across. Knot and voila!
To make, fold ribbons in three so there is a piece that goes about half way down the back. Now, cut a tiny slip just at center-top for the loop to go through; then stitch up the sides. When you are stitching near the loop, you will need to do some reinforcement stitches so that it is sewn in properly. For the back, give a tuck for the hem and stitch across. Knot and voila!
31 August 2008
She rocks
A trip to a riverside or beach can yield some good rock collections. But what to do with all the rocks the kids lug home??
My daughter used water-based glass colours to make these little designs on her rocks. They are great to give as gifts, and make nice good luck charms to keep in your pocket. Like worry stones.
My daughter used water-based glass colours to make these little designs on her rocks. They are great to give as gifts, and make nice good luck charms to keep in your pocket. Like worry stones.
19 July 2008
puzzle recycling
One of life's sadder moments is when you realize that you have lost so many pieces to a particular puzzle, that it is no longer satisfying to do the thing anymore....
The backs of puzzles (especially wooden ones like this) are great backgrounds for little paintings and collages. This one was done on the back of a wooden puzzle that was given to me by a friend who moved away (sniff) but which turned out to have quite a few missing pieces (sniff-sniff).
But there's a lot of recycling going on because we are using the small wooden puzzle pieces to paint and attach magnets to the back of for gifts.
The backs of puzzles (especially wooden ones like this) are great backgrounds for little paintings and collages. This one was done on the back of a wooden puzzle that was given to me by a friend who moved away (sniff) but which turned out to have quite a few missing pieces (sniff-sniff).
But there's a lot of recycling going on because we are using the small wooden puzzle pieces to paint and attach magnets to the back of for gifts.
27 June 2008
Book Covers
Where I live, it is Back-to-school season so I pulled out my handy dandy collection of reusables and found old maps, shopping bags, and calendars to cover all the notebooks and textbooks with -- and brighten up the ole bookbag in the meanwhile.
10 April 2008
Bread Spread Concocting
If all else fails, kids generally like to eat a piece of toast so lately we have been mixing up different bread spreads to liven these up. Our favorites so far have been...
• Butter, honey (or maple syrup), and cinnamon
• Tahini and lots of sweet honey (or pekmez molasses; this is a variation on a spread that a Turkish friend taught me)
• Butter, garlic, parsley and basil from our garden. We melted this up on the stovetop and now have it ready to make up some garlic toast in the toaster oven at any time. This is great with homemade cream soups (stay tuned for those recipes too!!)
The kids enjoy the mixing up and I enjoy having something easily on hand that they want to eat. So spread the LOVE, I say!
• Butter, honey (or maple syrup), and cinnamon
• Tahini and lots of sweet honey (or pekmez molasses; this is a variation on a spread that a Turkish friend taught me)
• Butter, garlic, parsley and basil from our garden. We melted this up on the stovetop and now have it ready to make up some garlic toast in the toaster oven at any time. This is great with homemade cream soups (stay tuned for those recipes too!!)
The kids enjoy the mixing up and I enjoy having something easily on hand that they want to eat. So spread the LOVE, I say!
05 April 2008
Paint-something-up Hobby Cases
These little metal cases come in all shapes and sizes at the local market. When my son was having his friend over after school and I was getting some snacks, I got the idea to buy two and let them paint them up with a bit of acrylic paint.
I love how different they both came out.
You don't need to buy something new to let kids paint-up on: try old photo frames, bookshelves, wooden or cardboard boxes, door frames, walls, etc...
I love how different they both came out.
You don't need to buy something new to let kids paint-up on: try old photo frames, bookshelves, wooden or cardboard boxes, door frames, walls, etc...
31 March 2008
I had to develop a little gift for two women who are leaving our embroidery group so I pulled out two old greeting cards I had. I did some book binding with these old cards as the cover and all the women in the group can sign a page with their own message. I think it will make a nice memory to carry home with them.
These are some gorgeous embroidered cards made by JEEVIKA Development Society that worked really well with the handmade paper pages I cut to the same size. Jute cord for the binding. Though I hate to say it due to the state of our flat, the moral of the story is...never throw anything out!!
Mission accomplished
These are some gorgeous embroidered cards made by JEEVIKA Development Society that worked really well with the handmade paper pages I cut to the same size. Jute cord for the binding. Though I hate to say it due to the state of our flat, the moral of the story is...never throw anything out!!
Mission accomplished
12 March 2008
Weaving paper or any kind of material is not only fun but really good for developing motor skills. For some reason kids just love it.
You can start by just cutting strips and working from a center point, or start with a paper and cut slits into it. Then, weave using the slits like a loom.
You can weave into all sorts of things, like window grills and racks, etc.
For some reason, hands just love to weave too!
You can start by just cutting strips and working from a center point, or start with a paper and cut slits into it. Then, weave using the slits like a loom.
You can weave into all sorts of things, like window grills and racks, etc.
For some reason, hands just love to weave too!
03 February 2008
You can have a lot of fun making all sorts of characters with finger printing. We were thinking of something to put on a card for my cousin who had twins and we got out the ink pad. A few little characters later, we had a whole little family put together!
All you need is a bit of free time, some scrap paper, your fingers, an ink pad or two, and a black felt tip pen for adding all the little doo-dads.
Kids will come up with some really funny stuff...mark my words!
All you need is a bit of free time, some scrap paper, your fingers, an ink pad or two, and a black felt tip pen for adding all the little doo-dads.
Kids will come up with some really funny stuff...mark my words!
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