Wreaths don’t own front doors. And house doors don’t own front door decorations, either. Why not put a bird house or a bird-i-a-box on your front door? My mother recently downsized to a two bedroom apartment in a retirement community, so she has an apartment door in a hallway rather than the outside door she… Continue reading Door Decorations at Berwick-on-the-lake
Tag: kid’s activities
Art Camp for Two
Last week, my young friend, Grace and I invented our own “art camp.” She stayed with me for four nights and we had 3 full days of creative fun. I sure hope we get to do this a couple more times this summer. Hanging out with young people fills my cup, especially when they are as enthusiastic about life and learning and creativity as Grace is. It was super cool that we got to do so many projects and have some adventures. I promised I’d show her how to make a blog post, so next time, we’ll publish some tutorials. Enjoy our photos!
Budding Artist
Ema spends Wednesday afternoons with me at my studio. She is meticulous, creative, precise, funny, cheerful, interested, respectful and persistent. I enjoy her company immensely and I truly look forward to these afternoons. For the last few weeks, she has been working steadily on a mixed-media artwork. Ema started with some image transfers onto a canvas, then used water-soluble colored pencils and collage to complete her piece. I’m always impressed when a young person can sustain interest in a project over a period of days or weeks, and she certainly did on this piece. She finished this one yesterday. Let her know what you think in a comment. 🙂
Eating Dirt May Be Good For You
What can we, as teachers, parents, grandparents and friends of children, do — to make sure kids reap the benefits of unstructured time connecting with nature? Read this article for some ideas and background about “Nature Deficit Disorder.” Here’s an excerpt from “Last Child in the Woods:” As a child, I was unaware that my woods were ecologically connected with any other forests. Nobody in the 1950s talked about acid rain or holes in the ozone layer or global warming. But I knew my woods and my fields; I knew every bend in the creek and dip in the beaten dirt paths. I wandered those woods even in my dreams. A kid today can likely tell you about the Amazon rain forest—but not about the last time he or she explored the woods in solitude, or lay in a field listening to the wind and watching the clouds move.” Read more and find a list of ideas …
Fun Art Project with Kids: Wild Horses
Paint a herd of wild horses for your wall, your baby’s nursery, or for greeting cards. Here’s a fun art activity to do on your own or with kids. It takes an hour or two and the results are stunning. This article includes suggestions for ways to adapt the activity to younger children, although it works best with kids aged 6 and older. We also have a list of ideas on different ways to use and mount the horse herd. Have fun with this one! N-a-a-a-ay!
5 Fun Kid-Made Valentines
Learn how to make thumbprint hearts; roses/hearts with fruits and veggies; or cootie catchers (fortune tellers) with a love-note theme. It doesn’t take much time — or money — to make your own valentine’s with your kids. Use materials like printer paper, markers, celery, apples and brussels sprouts, a red stamp pad … stuff you probably have around your house. Try out these ideas but don’t limit yourself to just these ideas! Let your kids get creative with whatever supplies you have!
How to Recycle a Cereal Box into a Mask
I bought three of these wonderful Day of the Dead masks from Diane at our local farmers market. I try to buy something from her every time I go to the market. I love these! Anyway, I showed them to Ema and Adia and they immediately wanted to make their own. So they just used hers as a model and figured out how to make them. We used a cereal box and some sticks we had lying around. Try these — they’re really easy and fun to make.