Sidewalk Chalk Paint!

It has been so hot this summer that we haven't spent as much time outside as I would have wished. Fortunately, we are starting to see some cooler days now which means that I need to find activities that will motivate the kids to play outside. I have one child that will spend all day outside and one child that I have to drag out there. A good friend of mine suggested that I try chalk paint. I had seen it several places, but hadn't yet tried it.

It's so easy to put together, I don't know why I didn't try it before. The recipe is just equal parts cornstarch and water. Then add whatever food coloring you like. We just pulled out random craft brushes. I wouldn't recommend the foam brushes, they get torn up too easily when painting on cement.

The color is really nice when going down. It mostly dries white. The kids had a great time splashing the colors around. Jellybean is into abstract color patterns.

Buddy is more into painting greek letters.

Teddy Bear was napping, so I decided to try some painting myself. Because I'm awesome.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Paint!

Buddy is a fastidious child. He doesn't like getting his hands messy. Because of this, he has gone almost the entire year of pre-school refusing to participate in painting projects.  Right now, his class is working on a dress-up wardrobe for a school fundraising auction. The children have been painting the wardrobe. Making balloons with their fingerprints as well as flowers, butterflies and grass with handprints. Just imagine how much of this painting my son has done.... His teacher has wanted him to be involved so she sent home some paint and the handles for the wardrobe drawers. She figured that I'd be able to find him in the right mood to paint the handles if we did it at home.

Well, it took a couple of weeks to find a time when he was willing and boy did I find him willing:

After he painted the handles, he just kept going.

Buddy said, (and I quote) "I like painting!" So, I asked him why he doesn't paint at school.  He responded very matter of fact, "I just like cutting and gluing at school."

So, did Jellybean paint too? Yep, she did.

She was a little disturbed when I told her not to paint her mouth.

I love the end results of both of their work.

I think I'm going to need to frame both of these.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Last Minute Valentine Odds & Ends

With Valentine's Day coming tomorrow, I decided to just dump the rest of my Valentine related photos today.

Buddy working very seriously on a valentine for his little sister's mailbox.

First attempt at a wire hanger, yarn wrapped heart. Kind of a craft fail. Next attempt will involve hot glue.

Jellybean painting a wood, heart-shaped wand her favorite color. This kid loves to paint.

An extra little Valentine's treat for Buddy's pre-school class. Trying to satisfy everyone: Gluten-free, nut-free and friendly for the kid who's mother won't let her eat sweets (I hope).

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Snow Day Activity Center

It's hard being stuck inside on a snow day. I often struggle to keep the kids occupied. This last snowy day, I set up an activity center on our dining table.

On one side of the table I set up some paint in ziplock bags. I've seen this activity done a ton on Pinterest. You just put some paint blobs in ziplock bags and tape them down. Buddy doesn't like getting his hands messy, so this was a good solution for clean play. Even still it took a little convincing because he dislikes paint so much. Of course, once we showed him how to draw letters in the paint, he was sold.

I set up some paper and crayons on another side while he warmed up to the idea of playing with the paint.
Once Jellybean was tired of pushing paint around, I brought out some salt dough. She loves dough, but Buddy is, again, a bit resistant because of the potential mess factor. His preschool teacher has recommended that we try to get him to do activities that will build the strength in his fingers. Playing in dough is a good one.

Yep, our hands are a little messy.

I had a bag of decorative rocks close by, so I brought those out to see if it would make the activity more interesting. To my surprise, Buddy loved sticking the rocks in the dough and was engrossed in it far longer than Jellybean. He didn't even get annoyed about his hands not being perfectly clean.

First, he concentrated on making a stonehenge of sorts.

Then he squished all of the dough together and created a monster.  When he was done with that he worked on hiding the rocks inside the dough. Weird how adding one new thing can change everything.

Well, that was one morning successfully managed. Here's hoping that there aren't very many more days that we're stuck inside this winter.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

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Artsy Play Wednesday

First Day of School Chalkboard

Buddy just started his first day of preschool today!  I'm certain that I'm more anxious about it than he is.  Is it okay for the parent to experience separation anxiety?  He's my first, so unlike most of the parents I meet, I kind of want to keep him home forever. He's pretty much awesome.  Perhaps, after I've experienced life with just one child a few days a week, I'll feel differently. Maybe. And I suppose that the one on one time with Jellybean will be good for both of us.

Here's my amazing preschooler (AHH! I have a preschooler!)

See that chalkboard in his hands? I got this really simple tip from a friend.  Just pick up a frame and spray paint the glass with chalkboard paint. Now, I'll be able to use this chalkboard every year. How awesome is that?

Here's the step by step:

1. Get some chalkboard paint and take the glass out of your frame.
2. Spray paint the glass. I gave it several thin coats. After it was dry to the touch, I did a few more thin coats.
3. Let it dry for 24 hours
4. To get it ready for use, rub chalk over the entire surface.
5. Erase.
6. Put it in your frame and you're ready to write.

I don't have incredible art skills, maybe they'll improve over the years.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

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