Sowing Seeds of Literacy & Art in the Garden

Plants are not the only thing that grow in our garden. Literacy and art come to life with garden signs throughout the space. Pictures and print allow pre-readers and early readers alike to "read" about our gardening experience and lending a hand in the creation of garden signs gives a personal artistic touch from all of the hands that help to dig, sow, pull weeds and harvest here.

In fact, our garden plan itself started off with a literary experience this year. At the beginning of the season, S and I had a date to the garden shop after reading the book Pizza Day by Melissa Iwai. To be clear, he's not such a fan of pizza (unless it's literally just dough and cheese!) but he wanted to plant a pizza garden, nonetheless. We chose a couple of tomato plants, a pack of sweet pepper seedlings, some oregano, some basil and some nasturtiums and dill to help invite beneficial insects and ward off less preferable ones. And the same boy who won't even try a grilled cheese sandwich, who once cried in a restaurant because one showed up with pesto on it, loves eating basil leaves right off the plant! (Go figure, it wasn't the pesto that made the sandwich a problem, it was the sandwich itself. Next time, we'll just order a dish of pesto...)

Well, once the raised bed was built (thanks to help from S, Y and their Tatty) and the seedlings replanted, it was time to add some signage! Both boys got busy with this activity (and so did I). At the very least, labeling our plants helps to keep track of the "few" things I'm growing this year. (Ok, ok, I admit it, I may have surpassed "a few." Again.) It also infuses our outdoor space with a print rich environment and adds an element of art and beauty to the garden.

 There are so many ways to create garden signs. Pinterest has a wealth of ideas to peruse! Wooden paint sticks, craft sticks, actual sticks, rocks, plastic forks, clothes pins, purchased plant tags... I've even seen refurbished plastic animals and dinosaurs painted a solid color and printed with plant labels! (This idea may show up again in my own garden!) I got pretty busy during breaks between C's busy eating schedule painting and printing garden labels...

I decided to get more hands on deck for our pizza garden. I printed off some black and white images of a pizza pie and set out oil pastels, cut up photos of tomatoes, peppers and herbs from seed catalogs and some glue sticks. Each of the boys got busy in his own way. S used oil pastels and first colored on the sauce. Then he colored in the crust and last, he added in an abundance of his new (and only) favorite pizza topping--basil!

 Y started off with oil pastels. Then he walked over to the art center and grabbed some ink and rubber stamps, adding layers of flowers and garden themed stamps to his pizza. And, continuing to layer, he next got very busy with the glue stick and magazine cutouts. At last, he was done!

S cut out his pizza on his own and Y had some help from me. We ran them through the laminating machine and duct taped them to wooden paint sticks on which I'd printed the words "Pizza Garden." S wasn't feeling done yet. He's recently discovered he loves art and wanted to continue to create garden signs. He decided to "recycle" the scrap from his pizza cutout and noticed the outer edge of the circle created two arches--the perfect shape for a rainbow. He carefully colored each color of the rainbow, in order (asking for some help to remember the order) and then added in some pink as well. He cut that out, we laminated it and he dictated what he wanted written on the stick. He's decided it is a sign to hold up whenever he sees a rainbow. We "planted" it with our cucumbers. I know, I know, I was only going to grow a small pizza garden...but pizza goes so well with salad...and berries...and herbal teas...and loofah sponges...and peanuts...and flowers...and blue potatoes...fairy gardens...broccoli...mammoth sunflowers...

So I may have gone a little overboard on the plants this year. Again. But with school ending in just over a week and all three Sprout Scouts home for the summer, we will have plenty to keep us busy outside (and if we're lucky, in the kitchen as well)!

Happy Planting & Playing!

Get Outside And...Paint & Wash The Fence!

The dust is slowly settling here as a family of 5 now and we've even started up our garden plus some great additions to our outdoor space to get everyone busy playing and learning outside this season. And while I haven't quite gotten back to new activities outside yet, here's a peek back at a great one we did a while back!

When this white fencing was put up in our shared grassy area out back, I was perplexed. It created a semi-private space in our yard and our neighbor's. It didn't completely block off our own yard or even any part of the big field. But more important than the function and aesthetics to me was what we could do with it... And the bell went off in my head over one Shabbos! While other mothers nest toward the end of pregnancy, I head to the hardware store. On this occasion, I picked up some large utility buckets, some squeegees and some big sponges from the automotive department. Meanwhile, at home I grabbed some paint trays and brushes and filled them up with washable tempera paints. I filled the bucket with soapy water (dish detergent is great).

And we all got busy painting the world red...and orange, and yellow, green, blue and purple... Even my more reluctant painter, S, was enthralled with the novelty of this unique vertical surface! But the fun wasn't over after painting alone--next it was time to wash the fence clean again--and this proved to be just as much fun, if not more fun than painting it in the first place.

I was asked if this activity is one that might confuse children and encourage graffiti. To touch on that topic, I did actually discuss this with my boys when we began--that the artwork we did in this space was to be temporary and only done with permission/supervision from myself or my husband. We talked about the fence being shared property that belongs to the apartment complex and only using the space in our yard. I don't feel giving children a space like this to work with is any differently than teaching them to use an easel indoors and not the walls or drawing with sidewalk chalk in designated areas outside, etc. However, you must also know the personalities of the children you're working with and decide accordingly. Alternatively if this feels uncomfortable you could use plexi-glass outdoors for a vertical work space that is also washable.

I will say that I think the fence came out cleaner when we were done than it was when it was put up in the first place! This is definitely an activity we will be repeating and modifying throughout the months to come. Stay tuned and until then...

Happy Playing!

Make Your Own Stick-bound Nature Journal

 Every budding naturalist needs a nature journal! Opportunities for writing, drawing, documenting and collecting small, flat treasures from the great outdoors are a huge part of our nature adventures. There are many options on the market when it comes to stocking your Nature on the Go Kits with a notebook or journal. You can use a regular, run of the mill notebook or journal--even better if you can recycle one that's been partially used over the school year. You can buy waterproof notebooks especially constructed for outdoor use. You can carry a sketch book or pad. But what better way to bring a bit of nature on the go than to create your own stick-bound nature journal?

There are a few ways to do this project and while it is a great one for kids, some adult assistance may be necessary with younger ones. We've done this activity in a couple of styles here; a smaller sized nature notebook with the binding on the side (as pictured to the left) and a full page size version with the binding at the top (as pictured below). Here's how you can make both versions at home (or at the park, as we did on our nature based playgroup's first meetup of the season).

How To Construct Your Own Stick-bound Nature Journal

You will need:

• a stick: this is a great task to put your little ones up to--finding the perfect stick! It needs to be an appropriate size for your paper and not too thick or brittle. It needs to be just right and little ones have an inherent talent for finding and collecting these!
• cover paper: For your cover, I recommend a sturdier paper, either construction paper, watercolor paper or card stock. If you are making the smaller version, you'll need only one sheet. If you are making the full sized version, you'll need two.
• filler paper: I love to use recycled/scrap paper as filler. Mix it up between lined and unlined, graph paper, sketch paper, colored paper, recycled artwork and plain ol' white paper if you like. You can choose how many sheets to include. I like my journals to be about 10 pages long, so if you're making a folded version, you'll need 5 filler sheets and 10 filler sheets for the larger one.
• rubber band: long enough to stretch the width of your binding without snapping and breaking, I prefer thinner bands as they are easier to work with
• a hole punch
• art supplies for decorating your cover: If you are creating a cover from scratch, decide what medium you'd like to use. For our larger nature journals, I set the boys up outside with watercolor paper and watercolors at their portable easels. I recycled some old artwork of mine to create my cover and recycled artwork can be a great cover source! For our group activity at the park, I brought along oil pastels and anything goes--whatever floats your boat!

Instructions:

Version 1:

For the smaller version of the stick bound journal, I folded the cover and filler papers in half, width wise. I positioned my hole punch about an inch and half or two down from the top and up from the bottom. If you like to be really exact, you can use a double hole puncher. I don't have one and didn't care! For me, the easiest way to ensure the holes would line up on the filler pages was to slip them inside the hole-punched cover and match up the hole puncher to the existing hole before pressing it through. Lastly, pinch one end of your rubber band and thread it through the top hole, so a small loop comes through to the front. Slip one end of your stick through the loop and lay it flat on a tabletop. Pull the other end of your rubber band (on the backside) through the other hole in a little loop and stretch the loop over the other end of your stick. This will affix your stick in place. You may need to wiggle it a bit to adjust the length evenly, but it should be secure at this point and create the binding of your journal. Voila! 

Version 2:

For the full sized page version, you'll follow much of the same instructions as with the half size journal. However, rather than folding your pages, you'll leave them flat. Take your cover page and punch a hole about an inch and half or two inches inward from the left and from the right top side. Position your back cover below it, with the part you want showing, out. Using the existing hole on the front cover as a guide, punch through the back cover. Set that aside for now. Take about half of the filler sheets (my hole puncher can go through about 5 sheets of regular weight paper at a time, but you may need to adjust this if you are using thicker paper or more sheets than 10). Position the front cover over the top, centering your filler sheets as you'd like (especially if your cover sheet happens to be a bit wider around the edges than letter size). Punch through, using the existing holes on the front cover as your guide. Set those aside and repeat this step with your remaining filler paper. Once everything is hole punched, line up your paper and holes, and loop one end of your rubber band through from the back to the front of one hole. Slip one end of your stick in place and from the back, stretch and pull the other end of the rubber band in a loop through the back of the other hole, to the front and over the stick to affix it in place. Adjust your stick as necessary and you're done! 

The last thing to do is decide how, when and where you'll use your nature journals! Stock your Nature on the Go Kits. Pack a set in your car. Set them out on your art or writing center. Perhaps they will be child led and directed. Perhaps you'll provide prompts or use them for a particular project or purpose. You might even decide to gift these to someone special who also loves nature and art! The options are limitless and when you make it yourself, especially from recycled and natural materials, you're saving green both in your wallet and in the environment. 

Happy Trails and Happy Playing!

Get Outside And... Paint a Rainbow!

In my own efforts to get outside with my kids as often as possible, I'm kicking off a new recurring series on the blog, Get Outside And... These will be posts that include a simple to set up activity to bring outdoors with you. We get out plenty with no special reason, activity or destination. Sometimes it's fun and exciting to do something special while we're out there. As the weather warms up, the outdoors can be a great (safe) place to take messy play and art. Today's post is a perfect example, but I can't take the credit for the idea. I first saw the idea for Rainbow Rain Painting on Learn As You Play. We adapted the idea to bring outdoors (using a couple of inexpensive folding table-top easels we frequently bring on the go) and adding in spray bottles along with the pipettes and water. This would be a great activity to take to the sprinkler park in the summer or poolside. And, as an added bonus, those watercolor pallets that are all mixed up and dirty will have a fresh new start! If I ever go back to teaching, I'm going to do this with my students at the end of every school year!

You will need:

• easel or vertical surface 
• white paper (watercolor paper works best)
• watercolor pallet (the standard 8 color version is perfect)
• pipettes & a cup/jar of water
• spray bottles filled with water

To set up your Rainbow Rain Painting Stations, clip your paper and watercolor pallet to the easel. The kids simply fill and squeeze water from the pipettes onto each color or spray with water and watch as the colors drip and bleed down the page. We had so much fun with this one--even I spent a good long while spraying at the end!

Happy Spraying, I mean Playing!

Fairy Potions: Make Your Own Lavender Bud Glue Paint

With Purim and the onset of Spring colliding in one fun filled week (that also happens to be Y's second birthday as well), we have really gotten into some magical fairy themed fun here. We've been busy in general and busy especially at our Fairy Potions Creation Station concocting up some great recipes for art, sensory exploration and play. One of our very favorites was making our own Lavender Bud Glue Paint.

I love encouraging process art here as I feel it really honors each individual artist for who he or she is--regardless of age, ability or interest level. S is not as interested these days in craft art. He does a lot of it at school and I gather that it is not always his favorite activity there either. Artistically, he's often a minimalist. This is not to say that he rushes through something leaving a once-and-done streak across the page (sometimes that is the case, however). Rather, much of the time, he is very intentional in what he does, paying particular attention to the aesthetics of it, but does not necessarily cover a page or spend a great amount of time at one project. He may return to something later on or he may not. He particularly has interest in three dimensional art, self directed creations, using tape/collage, glue, dough/clay, sewing, connecting and using and small loose parts like beads and buttons. Y is typically a fill your page and then some kind of guy. He could color, paint, draw, doodle and "write" all day long if you let him! He likes a variety of mediums from paints to markers, crayons, pastels, pencils, do-a-dots, stickers, stamps, glue, paper scraps for collage and often needs a reminder and swift intervention to remember the paper first! When it comes to craft art or directed activities, I can usually predict my boys' interest and participation level and even how they might approach it. But when I introduce a novel process art activity, I am often surprised.

For this activity, I simply set out a glass jar about 1/3 full of clear gel glue, a wooden craft stick and a tiny plastic dessert spoon on a dollar store mirror tray at each space. In the center of the table, I set an additional glass vase with paint brushes, a small glass vase of lavender buds and one more glass vase filled half way with water dyed purple (with food coloring) and a couple of pipettes for transferring. I had some half sheets of thick watercolor paper on trays as well for when the boys would be ready to paint with their concoctions. Particularly with more hesitant or reluctant artists, I find smaller sized paper to be more appealing. Smaller children of all artistic interests can benefit from the use of paper in non traditional sizes, shapes and mediums. In other words, your classic 8.5x11 white paper gets boring after a while--mix it up a bit!

Speaking of mixing it up, I loved having the opportunity to allow each of the boys to mix his own paint concoction. They each chose how much water to add, how much lavender to sprinkle in, what to use to mix it, what to use to paint with and how to complete their painting in the end. As I mentioned, I'm often surprised by the "results" of a process art experience. I gave no specific instructions and really made a point to say very little other than in response to the boys. S--who is more likely to want to wipe his hands during painting loved the sticky glue paint. He was fascinated by every aspect of adding ingredients to his jar, watching them layer and settle and mixing it together. He was most drawn to using the paintbrush--a tool he is not particularly interested in most of the time. He painting wide and thin streaks of lavender bud glue paint across most oft he paper he chose. Y, who usually loves to be hands on and in, was a bit more reserved about the sticky glue. He loved shaking lavender buds over his mixture and favored using the spoon to drizzle a few smaller dots and puddles in the center of his paper. 

While I cleaned up a bit, the boys played at stirring up some sparkly water potions at our sensory table, which I had already filled with colored water, glitter, lavender buds and lily petals (recycled from some cut flowers that were on their way out). I had some water play in the kitchen sink rinsing our dishes. I did combine the two boys' paint mixtures into one jar, screwed on the lid and saved it for future use. I think that having a hand in creating the materials used for art really adds an element of ownership to the experience. If the "messiness" factor is inhibiting for you, I'd recommend taking this one outdoors as the weather gets nicer--it truly was a lovely experience for all involved! 

8 Great Chanukah Activities: Day 1 Chanukah Dramatic Play

A toy latke eating blast from Chanukahs' past... Now if only he would eat the real thing!

Chanukah is finally here! The build up in this household has been long and immense, particularly for S, who has been looking forward to Chanukah since last Chanukah! This holiday really is such a fun one for children and families. Lighting the menorah each night, frying and eating latkes and donuts, dreidel games, gelt and parties around town all invite families to spend extra time together during this darkest time of year. S was so excited for our community's Chanukah on Ice party this year. He had his mind and heart set on trying to skate, and what do you know? He did it! In very closely related news, my wonderful husband also took one for the team and tried to skate! I think I was more worried about S's ego than any bone in his body, but although he lasted only a few minutes on the crowded ice rink, he was proud of himself for trying and might even want to give it another whirl. In the meantime, he and Y can continue to enjoy our indoor skating rink...

Chanukah was probably my favorite holiday as well growing up. For one thing, my [Jewish] birthday happens to fall on the first day! And there were a lot of presents. We are not big into Chanukah presents for the kids, although there are many doting grandparents and relatives who are and it is very likely they will come to make the association as well. We did initiate the boys making each other a present last year and we did that again this year. I like the idea of doing that as a Chanukah activity when they both get to give and get something rather than on one of their birthdays when jealously already abounds. They were both so thoughtful about it this year and it was quite sweet! I took Y to Walmart with me one day while S was in school to pick out a project to make and he adamantly declared on the craft aisle he wanted to get S a water bottle. So we made our way to the kitchen supply department and picked out a metal water bottle for him to decorate with permanent markers and stickers. S initially had the idea to make Y a blanket with bumblebee printed fleece since Y really loves bees and frequently dons a bumblebee hat I knit this fall. At the last minute, seeing how much Y enjoys putting on scarves from our Skating Rink dress-up basket, he opted with my suggestion to make him a bumblebee scarf instead. We cut a strip of the fabric together and using a piece of masking tape, I marked off a square at each end for him to cut strips for fringe. Y's face upon receiving the gift pretty much says it all!

But aside from the giving and receiving of gifts, Chanukah really is a time to spend together as a family. The menorahs are lit, there's no place we need to be, so it's a great time to play together! And my gift to all of you this year is 8 Great Chanukah Activities you can enjoy as a family during the holiday, after the holiday or another year, if you wish. And since this is a blog about play, the first day's activity is all about ways to encourage Chanukah themed dramatic play at home.

Once the menorah is lit, it's off limits. Frying latkes and donuts are also activities that can be a little risky to involve kids in once the oil gets super hot. Many ritual and holiday objects are hands-off and we like to make holidays here hands-on! One way we do that is by including holiday props in their play area that they can use to play about Chanukah. Even the very young can enjoy exploring Chanukah candles, dreidels and gelt, even oil and water from the safety of a sensory bottle. (My older guys still love our Chanukah sensory bottles!) Both of the boys loved our clothespin play menorah as babies, but now they both favor using a real one with real candles (unlit) in play. Those tin menorahs are perfect for this! They are inexpensive (and often given out for free this time of year by various organizations) and the candleholders are malleable enough for little hands to maneuver candles in and out with minimal breakage. You can also make candles out of pipe cleaners, straws or crayons. 

My kids love to help in the kitchen and making latkes can be a labor intensive process. They have tried their hands at washing, peeling and cutting potatoes, even mixing latke batter. But once the pan gets hot with oil bubbling out every which way, I prefer kids to be out of the actual kitchen and in their own toy kitchen. This inviting little setup allowed them to prep, mix, flip and fry their own little latkes. I used toy eggs, potatoes and onions from our kitchen food collection. I made a bottle of "oil" using actual oil and water in a recycled bottle I sealed with hot glue and duct tape. Our latkes are actually wood circles and the accessories are a combination of dollar store kitchen supplies and toys. But even before we had accumulated these props, we had just as much fun using a Dollar Tree frying pan set and latkes cut from yellow craft foam!

Making their own dramatic play props is a great way to empower children to take ownership and pride in their play space. The boys loved making gingerbread salt dough cookies for our Chanukah themed play bakery. They smell just about good enough to eat and have been so much fun to use in play!

Want to do more? Grab some scarves, props and accessories from around the house (kids can come up with their own or craft things from cardboard, paper plates, etc.) and act out the Chanukah story. There are plenty of children's books with family friendly versions. Grab a pack of gold gift-wrap and some golden and glittery party favors from the dollar store. Wrap a set of wooden blocks or recycled boxes and rebuild the Beis Hamikdash in your own home. Older children can even help with wrapping blocks in gift-wrap. And what's Chanukah without a party? Many communities are bustling with special events this week, but even if yours is not, children love the activities involved and planning and throwing a family party. Gather some arts and crafts materials from around the house and let them have a ball decorating, making invitations, place cards, and even menu and event planning. We will be back tomorrow with another great Chanukah activity for Day 2! Until then...

Happy Chanukah and Happy Playing!

Art & Artists in the Garden: Claude Monet

 I try not to play favorites, but when it comes to studying artists with children, Claude Monet is definitely in my top ten! I love that Monet returned through his paintings to the same scene repeatedly --I think this can instill a reverence for the beauty of repetition and practice in children. I don't necessarily favor his sense of perfectionism (though I can relate to it on a personal level). And although Monet was known for his paintings, I love to study his works with children using mixed mediums.



I simply cannot get enough of Monet's paintings of the Japanese bridge. And since it is one sight he returned to repeatedly over the course of many seasons and many years, I decided we make this an art study we returned to over the course of many days. Breaking up a project or art activity into several days' work does a few things.

• it allows for drying time and the use of a variety of techniques and art mediums
• it conveys a sense of importance in children's art: you do not need to "produce" something that you "finish" right away, rather, you can return to your work as the inspiration strikes and add on as you see fit
• it conveys a sense of value in the time spent to create art in general--this is not a rushed process, but rather a process led by desire and inspiration

For our study we used:

• stretched canvas
• tempura paint
• Q-tips
• Cotton balls
• Clothes pins
• blue cardstock
• scissors
• floral patterned fabric scraps
• sequins
• rhinestones 
• flower, butterfly and bug stickers
• white glue
• paint brushes
• Mod Podge* (I did this part for the boys)

You can use any or all of these materials and add in your own ideas as well.

On day 1, I set out blank canvases, a print of Monet's work and my own interpretation. Along with that, each boy's station was set with a pallet of tempura paints in red, yellow, blue, green, white and black and some Q-tips for painting with. Although this work was not done with the technique of Pointillism, I love the use of Q-tips for painting with little hands of all ages and levels. 

Speaking of little hands, these boys got really hands on (and elbow deep) with their painting! And that was great! We keep wipes and rags nearby and particularly S, who is rather averse to getting painty, was quite enthralled with the sensation that morning so we went with it. I encouraged them to fill the canvas with color, but let them explore the means by which they did so independently.

Mixing colors, getting dirty, trying different strokes and techniques were all encouraged! There are many right ways to fill a canvas and even white space was allowed. I am often hesitant to set out my own "example" of a piece of art as I don't want to sway the process of process art. I do on occasion provide one and one reason that I do make these exceptions is that I also don't like to talk a lot during process art experiences. I find that when we truly work from a "blank canvas" state, I lean toward explaining more and I'd rather explain less. Certainly, process art in its own right requires no explanations or samples. In its truest form, it is wholly a child-led experience from the selection of materials to how they are used to what is created. In these "hybrid" versions of art experience in which I aim to invite the children to create something in a particular theme or style, I like to use objects to channel that lens. This may be an actual work of art or a still life object/collection of objects and/or my own example.

On the second installment (which we actually did that afternoon), we glued on our pre-cut cardstock Japanese bridge. I did this in advance so the glue would be dry and the boys could get right to painting. I have also seen versions of this painting replicated with children using masking tape for the bridge and the children paint over the tape. When the tape is removed, a resist remains in which the space shaped like the bridge is left white. This would be another lovely way to explore this work (you would incorporate that in the first day rather than at this point).

This time, still working loosely within the technique of pointillism, I decided to create some clothespin brushes with pompoms in two sizes, one smaller and one larger. Simply pinching a pompom or cotton ball between the clothespins will make your paintbrush. They are great for dabbing, dotting, or schmearing and streaking! I especially love the small size of these brushes for developing hands. Shorter utensils are infinitely easier for little hands to control (think golf sized pencils, etc.).

Y, as usual, went at it with gusto. He dabbed and dotted his bridge and even the canvas around it. I loved the effect of layering new paint on the dried paint! Particularly with tempura paints as opposed to their more permanent and bold acrylic or oil counterparts, using many layers goes a long way toward brightening the results. S, ever the minimalist, added one dab to a corner of his bridge!

After their work had dried, I added a layer of Mod Podge to seal the paint and the cardstock collage. The canvas was now ready for our final installment, stickers, fabric, sequins and rhinestones.

On my own version, I only added some flower stickers, but by the time the boys were ready for this step, I thought, why not add in a few other options and some glue--especially for my younger artist who can't yet peel his own stickers off, but can paint glue just about everywhere and stick stuff on it!

My sister was truly a Francophile growing up, and I remember her carrying around a toy doll that looked like Linnea from Christina Bjork's book Linnea in Monet's Garden. Years later, she would spend a semester abroad in France and became fluent in French! This book, now translated by Joan Sandin with its incredible illustrations by Lena Anderson, is one of my favorite ones in our collection. It tells the story of a young girl visiting Paris and seeing many of the infamous sights of Monet's paintings and life in her travels. It is quite wordy for the preschool years, but S enjoyed some time on my lap picking and choosing parts to hear read aloud and for days afterward, he carried that book everywhere we went. I'm not sure if it was the illustrations that drew him in or knowing how much his aunt liked it as little girl. We even took it along with us in the car on our way to the local botanical gardens here where we visited a real Japanese garden and even saw a similar bridge.

 I hope that both boys were as pleased with the results of their work as I am! All three of our paintings now hang on display. S's is pictured on the left and Y's on the right. Y had some help from his Mommy maneuvering some of the stickers, fabric and loose parts, and S placed and positioned the bicycle sticker after he decided it didn't belong on his own painting but did belong on his brother's.

Although this is a wrap-up of our Art & Artist's theme in this series, we will surely be revisiting artists inspired by gardens and nature throughout our summer at Sprout Scouts Playcamp. This week, we are busy with butterflies, bees and other bugs and insects. Art is an integral part of all that we do here, and we have even been integrating some travel art activities and messy art activities outdoors. We'll be back soon to tell you all about it and more!  Until then...

Happy Playing!

Art & Artists in the Garden: Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Pierre-Auguste Renoir has always been one of my favorite Impressionists! Impressionism is one of my favorite artistic techniques to introduce to children. The idea that art need not be an exact representation of what the artist sees, but rather an impression of the vision or even the feeling behind it is a beautiful way to empower young artists toward creativity without the restrictions of perfectionism. Pointillism, or the technique of creating impressionistic paintings through the use of many patterned dots, was a style that derived from Impressionists like Renoir. Although he was not known himself for this technique, I took my own artistic license in introducing it to my boys as we
explored his famous painting "A Girl with a Watering Can."

We used canvas this time and I love using canvas with children. If you can hold out for flash sales on multi-packs at your art supply store, this is a great medium to have on hand. Eager artists will love the opportunity to work on such a "grown up" surface and even those less prone to art projects and activities tend to be drawn to them when "real materials" are provided as opposed to the standard paper and crayons. I love stretched canvas already on frames because they are sturdy and ready to hang and display. I also provided a plastic pallet (available from art supply stores, Dollar Tree or online) with red, yellow, blue, green, black and white tempura paints. Acrylic paints would definitely give a bolder color, but I opted for something more washable since I had this set out at breakfast time.

Lastly, I set out a print of the original work. S got such a kick out a painting depicting a girl about his own age doing something he likes to do, watering the garden! I decided that using photos of the boys would be a wonderful way to capture that feeling on canvas.




I set one pallet on a recycled sushi tray and a few Q-tips. I wanted to invite and encourage mixing colors. I did not provide a sample this time, though I did discuss and demonstrate using the Q-tip for "dotting" and S immediately noted that you can also make lines and swirls and whirls! Y enjoyed using his fingertips for dotting as well.
Neither boy "filled the page" in the end and that was OK. I aim to not fear white space anymore than I fear a space that is covered from corner to corner! The final step once the paint had dried was to glue on a photo of each boy in his "garden" background. I painted a layer of Mod Podge overtop to seal everything in place. You could intentionally photograph your children holding a watering can if you wish or even add a picture of one. We left it simply "as is" and proudly displayed the results in our family gallery.

I love these little pallets (from Dollar Tree) because they store beautifully in a ziplock sandwich bag. No paint goes to waste and you can rinse and reuse once you get to that point!

We'll be back soon! Happy Playing!

Art & Artists in the Garden: Pablo Picasso

I honestly do not remember a whole lot about the decor in my childhood homes growing up. I do remember a few particularly unique needle-points handmade by my grandmothers and I also remember a poster print of Pablo Picasso's "Bouquet of Peace."

The artist originally did this piece in watercolor and it was later printed as a color lithograph. As a child, it's childlike simplicity really appealed to me. This was a wonderful piece to invite my own children to study Picasso as we simultaneously began to enjoy vases full of blooms and foliage cut from our own garden!

I wanted to include mixed mediums in our study. Since the piece depicts a set of hands, I also wanted it to be truly hands on. We used white card stock, a rainbow pallet of washable ink, a couple of shades of green marker and black tempura paint.

I prepped each paper in advance with green lines for stems. This is a step that older children can do independently and even Y can master a marker in his own right. If you want to keep it genuinely a process art experience, leave out this step altogether. I did set out a tray of dark and light green markers so the boys could add foliage and other details and accents. I set this out at the same time as the ink pad, but left the painted hand-print as a final step. You can also set out the ink and markers separately if you prefer. I did make a sample version of this (hey, a Momma's gotta have fun, too, right?) but I really encouraged the boys to use the materials as they wished. Fingers, thumbs, even whole hands in the ink pad were a-OK!

And on that note, here's my little shpiel about messy art. Y is a hands on and hands in artist right now. S is a bit more reserved with certain textures and materials, though given time and space and reassurance (and access to wipes or a wet washcloth), he will go elbow deep! Messy art is GREAT! It is good and healthy for children to experience textures and sensations associated with art and play. It can be overwhelming for the adults involved (particularly if you are sensitive to getting dirty or particularly cautious about messes in your home). Children sometimes intuit our adult anxieties over this and many children have aversions or reservations about messy play and art with or without adult input involved. As children grow, their feelings about these sensory experiences may change. A child who loved to fingerpaint at the age of 2 may be hesitant by the age of 4 and vice versa. Here are a few things to consider:

• Check in with yourself and your own level of messy art anxiety. If doing a messy project indoors is too overwhelming, take it outside. Summer is a great time to get messy, get out the hose and spray clean! I'm actually in the process of plotting and planning messy art afternoons outdoors for us at least once a week if I can. Alternatively, use a cheap shower curtain or vinyl tablecloth to contain the space in which you do messy art. And breathe! Talk yourself through it if need be so you can model the language about messes being OK and people and things being washable. 
• Prepare for the worst and expect the best! A little bit of mindful preparation can go a long way. Having a large space prepared with a drop cloth as previously mentioned can help. Having wipes or wet rags already set out so that messy hands don't need to reach far for them is also helpful. Smocks or cover ups for the children and for you can reduce stains on clothing. Dressing for messy art might also mean choosing something to wear that can withstand a few splotches of paint or ink. And think ahead! Where will children need to go to wash their hands when they are done? If your hands are also covered in paint, you might want to first wash your own, and then assist others. If a step stool is needed or assistance with the faucet, you'll want your own hands to be available for the task. I like to have children "hold their own hands" together as they walk to the sink so they don't accidentally paint the whole world within their path. Another thing to consider is where you will place wet artwork to dry. It is helpful to have an out of reach space already prepared and covered to contain finished work until it is ready to be displayed.

• Take your time. Don't do a messy project when you're short on time. You'll likely also be short on patience and there's nothing worse than feeling rushed. Allow time for children to dive in or slowly dip one toe (or finger) in at a time. Allow time for clean up and a smooth transition. And have something planned, perhaps even in another space, for when the activity is done so that you have the time and space to handle any residual mess.

I love that each of my boys had their own way to express themselves through the ink, markers and paint. S even dictated a little bit about his process and asked me to write it down on a sticky note:

"I am making green leaves. This is not a stem, it's a whole branch that fell down!" Y loved making dots with the markers and dragging his ink covered fingers across the stems. This is such a sweet little keepsake and would make an adorable gift or greeting card for loved ones. For now, our "Bouquets of Peace" are displayed in the family gallery and we will be back with a beautiful rendition of Renoir's "A Girl With A Watering Can" in our next post. Until then...

Happy Playing!