Get Outside ANYWAY: It's Pouring, It's Raining and We're Not Complaining!

In the three years I have run my outdoor playgroup, I have preached the importance of getting outside ANYWAY. There's no bad weather, the old Scandinavian proverb boasts--there's only inappropriate clothing. And for my own little brood, we are pretty all-weather players. We go out in warm, in cold, in sun, in rain, in wind, dark, you name it, we've played in it (barring dangerously inclement conditions). Puddle jumping is not an activity reserved for "special occasions;" a puddle is already call for a special occasion! Children, like their clothing, can be washed and dried. But when it comes to my outdoor events, I've always cancelled, postponed or relocated indoors for rainy weather because--gasp--what if nobody comes?!

S named this our "Rain Forest"

But yesterday was Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish celebration of the "new year" of the trees. And it was raining. Not even just a little. A lot. No one says, celebrate the trees only if it's sunny! In fact, in the dead of winter here, very rarely is it going to be a "beautiful day in the neighborhood" on Tu B'Shevat. And do you want to know what was happening in Jerusalem yesterday on Tu B'Shevat? SNOW! I had some great activities planned for my playgroup and it would have been very easy to just postpone or cancel--but yesterday I decided to walk my talk. Yesterday I decided the show must go on! And instead of changing the date, I changed the activity and decided that if nobody else came, at least I could stop being afraid of nobody else coming. Spoiler alert: people still came! And we had the whole park to ourselves...well, us and the trees and a lone squirrel.

I have written a slew of articles here on rainy day activities to do indoors, but today I am starting the first in what I hope will be a slew of articles on playing outdoors in the rain. Rain play is so incredibly fun. Instantly, your space is filled with two of children's very favorite loose parts: mud and water! As adults, we can have a lot of rainy day baggage. My best advice on rain play is to travel light, so let's unpack some of those bags today and get you on your way outside ANYWAY.

Fiction: Playing in the rain will make you sick.
Fact: Playing outdoors in the rain or cold will not, in fact make a person sick. Adequate clothing and protection is necessary for comfort. Keeping an eye on younger children who may not be able to communicate if they are cold or uncomfortable as well is important. But children and clothing dry. Healthy habits indoors and outside are the best way to stay healthy. With some planning and preparation, everyone (even you) can be comfortable and have fun--even while you're wet!

New favorite location to read Tap The Magic Tree by Christie Matheson--so great to see older siblings reading to the younger ones and this book is fabulous for that!

Fiction: The children will not like playing in the rain.
Fact: It might be time that I gently hold up a mirror. A mirror to you and a mirror to me. Children often respond to what the adult reflects. What are your feelings about the rain? Now I want you to think of a time you liked the rain. If you are like me and many others, that time was in your youth! If you were berated for jumping in a puddle or getting muddy, your feelings likely changed. If you were around other people who complained about getting wet or rainy days, your feelings likely changed. If you continuously heard and associated rain with "bad weather" or "not a good day to go outside," your feelings likely changed. What if you reflected a different attitude toward rain play? I will honestly say that for me this involved some "faking it till making it" on my part, because like so many others, I have some rainy day baggage. It is true that some children will have hesitance and/or discomfort in rain play for a variety of reasons--physical, sensory, intuited from others, etc.--and with planning, patience, sensitivity and creativity, these can be overcome! (So can yours.)

testing the trajectory of a stick dropped in a puddle

definitely a fan of rain play

Fiction: The parents of the children in my care will not want them to play outside in the rain.
Fact: Some parents may have hesitance and concerns about this. It is important to know your why and to be ready to defend it! For sure, you want to adhere to best practices and also be respectful of the families you work with if you are in a care-giving or teaching role. Engaging parents in preparing for all-weather outdoor play so that the children are set up with everything they need and explaining how your program will work in regard to outdoor play goes a long way in supporting the effort to get outside ANYWAY.

Here are some tips for that planning and preparation, whether it is for your own family or other children in your care:

• Have a dry change of clothes ready in your car, home or classroom. In a classroom, I'd suggest 2 or more. Include yourself here!
• Have dry towels and blankets available in your car, home or classroom.
• Waterproof rain gear can really aid in everyone's comfort. I'd suggest some or all of the following: rain boots/shoes, waterproof pants or suits, raincoats, ponchos, rain hats and/or umbrellas. If you are running a program or working in a school/daycare, it can be helpful to have parents bring/send these in ahead of time to remain on site. In my mobile program, I come with some child sized and adult sized "disposable" rain ponchos just in case. Plastic bags go a long way in a pinch--honestly, some recycled grocery bags over your shoes and a trash bag with a hole cut for a head to go through really will keep someone dry! It's not a fashion contest, folks.
• Areas of "shelter" can be helpful in the rain. Your shelter can be permanent (like a covered deck) or temporary (like a pop up tent or tunnel) or even mobile (like umbrellas or a rain fort!). Trees are great shelter from the elements, so think like an animal, bird or bug, and seek your shelter there!
• Travel light and travel waterproof. If you are mobile like I am or even just headed out to the yard or playground with stuff in tow, for once, plastic is your friend. I use a collapsible wagon to haul my load. For my activities and materials, 2 gallon ziplock bags are great. The activities done outdoors in the rain are also going to be different than usual, as they, too, will need to be waterproof. Paper activities and resources can be laminated. Books or other weather sensitive materials that will be used under covered areas can be stored and carried in plastic bins or bags that seal.

Fiction: There's nothing to do outside in the rain!
Fact: There's a LOT you can do outside in the rain. In fact, if it's your first time exploring rain play, I encourage you not to plan too much. Get to know your environment. Let the children get to know it. This is a whole new world of play and wonder!

For our event yesterday, I wanted to keep the theme tree related. Trees are such amazing sources of shelter in the rain that I decided building and using shelters would be a great take-along. I brought a pop-up tunnel and play tent. I also brought a few dollar store plastic shower curtains, bungee cords and clothes pins. We built a makeshift rain fort using these materials and some very helpful trees. The children helped as well. Older ones liked the designing aspect and connecting materials with bungee cords and clothespins. Younger ones enjoyed handing off supplies as needed. And everyone enjoyed playing, hiding and reading inside!

Y is determined to find everything in our scavenger hunt game...

We also had a fun Parts of a Tree Scavenger Hunt Game I made and brought. To make the game fun and accessible for all ages (pre-readers included) i used photos of leaves, bark, seeds/cones/pods/nuts, twigs and branches, animals and birds who live in/near trees, fruits/berries that grow on trees and roots. I laminated the photos and punched a hole in the corner of each one to store it on a metal ring. The kids ranging in age from 2-tween all had a great time searching for and finding just about everything! We didn't see any fruits or berries at our park and it took a while before S discovered our lone squirrel running for shelter under a tree.

I honestly did not know how my own kids would do in the rain. The boys are almost always game to jump in a puddle, but intentionally going outside and staying outside in the rain is somewhat novel and especially so in the cooler months of the year (although yesterday was quite mild here). I was sure to keep my own attitude and outlook positive. I took it slow and took my time. There was no need to rush and no need to push. And you know what? The only whining was when it was time to leave! (Well, except a few extra whines from Y about sharing the tunnel, wanting help to climb up a bouncy toy on the playground and umbrella frustrations...) And C? She was a pig in mud! Literally at some points!

I'll have more rain play activities for you soon. In the meantime, here's a great resource from The Empowered Educator on encouraging outdoor rain play.  I travel light in the rain, but I definitely still made room for a copy of the free e-book and my laminated poster! Got rain? Get outside ANYWAY! And as always...

An amazing view of roots. Can you spot a stick in Y's favorite letter?

Happy Playing!

A Peek Inside Our Playroom: Mid-winter Updates

There are only 59 days left until Spring, but who's counting? This time of year, right around Tu B'Shevat (which begins tonight, into tomorrow), I start to feel a wee bit antsy. I waver between re-reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series and seed catalogs. This year, I combined the two and read The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books by historian and master gardener, Marta McDowell. The somewhat unpredictable winter climate of Virginia has us in and out, out and in. When we are out, we are happily playing in our play garden, picking up and collecting sticks, whipping up delicacies in our mud kitchen or watching the birds enjoy our seed. And when we are in, I want to hunker down and handcraft.

This time of year truly beckons me to craft and create, whether it's painting wooden peg dolls, needle-felting, making melt and pour beeswax candles or lotion bars, knitting, sewing or embroidery. I also long to be surrounded by greenery and plant life. In reality, I am surrounded by little children and not much is green and lively out there. So I bring a bit of green indoors and the children get busy handcrafting as well--in their own way!

Our Birdwatching Basket has meandered to our
Nature Table, along with some toy birds, nests and a
favorite collection of succulents for them to nest in!

I've written a bit before on handcrafts with children. I used to reserve my time while the kids napped or slept for working on projects (and often I still do), but the kids are very curious about what I do. They also want to help and try it out! Neither of the boys are quite ready for knitting or sewing by hand, but there are things they can do now and like to do. S is probably ready to learn finger knitting this year and work more independently with embroidery and both boys really like stringing buttons and beads onto pipe cleaners and working with yarn and fabric in their own creative ways. These are fabulously useful loose parts to include in an art center! So with some updates to our shared space and play area, we are all ready to go when the weather outside or early sunset dictate that our time be spent indoors.

little hands are encouraged to please touch these plants and the boys have a great time hiding little birds among the foliage

Our sensory table is simple and a bit of a Tu B'Shevat/recycling themed extension: dried beans and items from our recycling bin are combined with a couple of scoops for pouring, transferring, building, constructing and more...

Our art and writing center are stocked and ready for the boys to access their favorite activities along with some new ones...

S is really into writing these days and, little brother Y loves to follow suit! They both especially love using the pencil sharpener--this is quite handy for me, since I have a lot of pencils I need sharpened. S also loves cutting papers from our scrap paper bin. For a long time, he stored these in the tiny trash can and threw them away, but a couple of weeks ago, Y started digging through it for pieces to glue to a collage. I added in a small scraps box they can use for "pretty" scraps that can be used once more and now everyone is happy, even the trees!

I always keep these small drawers stocked with some coloring materials and small papers, cards and bookmarks. I change out the coloring supplies every so often to keep it exciting. S and Y LOVE tape. S was so happy when we got a tape dispenser last year, and it's definitely been a more economical way to keep up with both boys' tape habits than the small rolls. I love keeping recycled sushi trays available for paint, small loose parts/collage parts (great for portion control) and transferring a smaller amount of crayons, markers or other materials to a table or work space.

Our writing drawers change out with our themes (currently one drawer has pet/vet themed materials to go with our dramatic play center and the other one has winter themed materials). The bottom drawer has become home to glue sticks, larger scissors or other types of tape, hole punches, pencil grips and other necessary odds and ends.

Both boys love using pipe cleaners and buttons. Stringing buttons on pipe cleaners and otherwise bending, twisting and manipulating the wire or using buttons for sorting, sewing, etc. are great fine motor building activities. Each of the boys can use the materials in their own way and at their own level.

Our embroidery basket has a couple of hoops fit with burlap (great for early sewers) and a tin with blunt size 13 tapestry needles, a few colors of embroidery thread and a tape measure. This is more geared toward S's ability level right now, but Y can use the materials with my help as well.

Ah, those scraps of leftover yarn that are too small for even a one-skein project. In different colors and textures, the boys love to touch and unravel it and pretend to knit using large, blunt wooden knitting needles. They can probably also begin to help me unravel and wind my own skeins of yarn at this point!

The Fabric Basket gets used in a variety of ways--from becoming a blanket or outfit for a small doll to a costume piece for one of the boys or "dirty laundry to be washed" or even a rag for cleaning or wrap for a gift or parcel of food. It's also a great way to use the bits of fabric I have leftover from projects or favorite pieces of old clothes, blankets or other textiles we couldn't completely part with once they got too worn out to use or donate.

I do have visions of Spring and starting seeds and basking in the warm sun. But there's no use in simply waiting and watching. There is plenty to do in the meantime! In fact, surrounded by a bit of the outdoors brought in and my family, I can really come to enjoy the slower, gentler pace of winter. .There is a a beautiful rhythm of knitting needles clanking, thread pulling up and through and back down and through, and even the front door opening and closing as we go in and out, out and in, all the while happily playing!

A bit of "out" brought in for winter along with some forced amaryllis bulbs--some faring better than others...

DIY Recycled Art Blank Books

I love using Tu b'Shevat as an opportunity to teach children about ways to recycle. We keep a scrap paper bin in our Art Center and over time it collects the boys' old art work, magazines or catalogs, bits of papers from cutting projects, old greeting cards, gift wrap, foil, tissue paper, and more. The boys love our scrap bin! S uses scraps for gluing, cutting, hole-punching, taping, folding and more. Y, who is ever ready to color, write or draw, frequently pulls out a paper to do that with or will take small scraps from our tiny little trash can and ask for help to glue or tape them on a larger one. Throughout the house, we also hang and display the boys' artwork whether it is a directed project, process art or something S brings home from school. Every so often, we need to clear out the display to make room for updates and when we do that, art work gets put in one of a few places: the, um, round file receptacle in the kitchen, a grandparent, the scrap bin or, perhaps for very some very special items, a folder on our bookshelf.

As of late, S has been very interested in illustrating books. On a recent trip, he filled each page of a tiny notebook I gave him with illustrations that portrayed a story he was able to dictate to me. He was so proud to "write a whole book!" I love supporting my little writer and nothing feels more valuable than preserving your story in the format of a book. I'm not sure the notebook industry (or my wallet) can keep up with his current pace and while I certainly don't feel that his artwork and writing are wasteful uses of notebooks, I do want to encourage a mentality of sustainability here. As we learn about the many gifts we receive from trees, I decided to gift my boys each with their very own recycled art blank books using papers from our scrap bin and some oil and watercolor paintings they did over Chanukah that were still hanging on our family museum wall. These will be the perfect take-along for our trip up north to visit my family. The boys can color, write, draw and doodle or even tape in pictures and small mementos.

To make your own recycled art blank books, just select a piece of art you like for the cover. I chose something done on thicker watercolor paper as it is a bit sturdier. It can be standard size or any size! For the rest of the pages, you can use blank paper, lined paper, graph paper, colored paper and/or more recycled art. Even if there is already a bit of writing or drawing or some stickers on a few pages, it's fun to be surprised as the pages turn!

Any combination of papers will do and, personally, I think the diversity of it all makes it more fun. You'll want to cut your pages to the same size if they are not already in that form. From there, once everything is folding down the center and lined up like a book, I used a blunt needle to poke two holes in the margin, about an inch or two from the bottom on either side. Using embroidery floss, yarn, string or thread in your color of choice, run a cord through the two holes and tie a double knot or bow to secure it. Now the boys can write and illustrate as many books as they please--scrap paper and recycled artwork are resources that are in abundance in this household! These would also make a lovely gift for friends or family.

We may not be saving too many trees here with two busy artists and authors--but we are certainly using and appreciating their wares to the fullest this Tu B'Shevat.

Happy Playing!

Our Storytelling Tree: A Collaborative Mixed Medium Process Art Project Perfect for Tu B'Shevat!

Storytelling, small worlds and dramatic play are a pretty big deal here, and I especially love involving the family in creating some of our own props. We also had so much fun on our last multi-medium process art experience over the winter break that even though school is back in session for S, I wanted to include more activities like this in our afternoon routines together.

The after nap hours during the week are often a little hectic. Everyone's energy is low. It's the end of the day. This time of year, it gets dark out quite early. We've been away from each other at work and school and everyone is eager to share this limited time together, but the pace can feel a bit rushed for big afternoon activities or outings. Engaging in art together is one way we are able to slow down the pace a bit, tune in to each other and be creative as a family. Even better if what we're doing isn't a project that is intended to be completed in one sitting. When I found this wooden tree sculpture on super sale post holiday season at our craft supply shop, I knew it was the perfect foundation for a collaborative art experience. I didn't exactly know yet what we would do to it, but it was going to make the perfect storytelling tree for our home and perhaps, in drier seasons, even our playgarden!

A few tips before you begin, should you decide to undertake this project or something similar:

• Choose a work space that will accommodate all of your family members comfortably. Our dining room table is the best option for us in terms of having enough space, being a good height for me and the boys alike (Y uses a high chair, S can sit or stand). 
• Cover your work space; this will get messy! I finally dedicated an old bedsheet to this purpose after throwing away the last of our super cheap shower curtains last month. It was on its way to the donation pile, but now its making its final stop in a new venue.
• Cover your artists if you wish. I have an apron I wear for messy art. S is willing to don an old t-shirt of mine over his clothes and Y loves his "sah-mock," a vinyl long sleeved child's smock. When our paints are washable, I give the option to cover up or just take precaution and push up sleeves.
• I try to have all of our materials gathered together and readily accessible at our work space. Sometimes when my plans are a bit more spur of the moment and spontaneous (as you will see), that means I take the risk of darting upstairs in the middle of a painting project knowing I could come down to a colorful surprise... 
• Include wet wash cloths in that list of materials! These will be handy for hands that are averse to being sticky or painty mid-project.
• Let loose and let go. This is a big one for me. Especially with a collaborative art project, know that everyone is going to have their own vision and ideas. It helps to slow down. To breathe deeply and take your time. To put on some soothing background music if you wish. Make sure you have a space of time and location that can accommodate this. It is as much about the experience as it is about the end results. 
• Clean up can be daunting, but I like to tackle it right away when we're done for the day. It's easiest to wash trays, bottles and brushes before everything has dried and caked on. What I've found to be true is that having spent a chunk of quality and intentional time with the boys beforehand, they are more willing to busy themselves for ten minutes without being (too) underfoot while I wash up dishes and hang up smocks. They can also help carry in materials or even wash them given some rags and soapy water in their sensory table or at the sink. I generally opt to do this part myself for the purpose of saving time and sanity at that point. If transitioning from messy art together to the clean up process and routines that follow is challenging, I highly recommend having a transitional activity set up for afterward--even if that's an ice pop or favorite TV show. Yes, you read that right.

On Day 1 I set out recycled sushi trays of acrylic paints in green, teal, white, black and brown. Some laminated paint sample cards helped us to visualize shades and hues of our colors. I also got out our textured roller sponge brushes. These are a favorite brush for both my boys--even S, who is not such a painting fan in and of itself loves to paint with these. I think I found them at Five and Below several years ago and we really can't get enough of them here!

I have to say that even after that first day, the tree looked so incredibly lovely with the colors blended as they were and the unique textures and designs left by the roller brushes that it almost seemed a shame to change it at all. But on Day 2, I had squeeze bottles filled with green, white and black washable tempera paints and empty ice cube trays plus a selection of thin paint brushes ready to go. With our shades and hues of green laminated paint sample cards out and ready for viewing, the boys (especially S) got busy squeezing and mixing colors. S made sections of white and green, black and green, and even black, white and green. Squeezing and mixing the colors definitely took precedent over anything else for him and he was not as interested in painting with them using our brushes. Y, on the other hand, loved dotting and dabbing and doodling with the paintbrushes and was eager to use up S's abundant supply.

Seeing how much joy both boys had in squeezing the paint right from the bottle made me think that it might be fun to squeeze it right on the tree. Our tempera paints are rather thin, though, so to thicken it a bit, I added a generous squirt of glue to each bottle (and an equally generous squirt of green paint to the black and white bottles) before letting them loose at the tree!

Unsurprisingly this resulted in some painty puddles! And then, in my typical If You Give a Mouse a Cookie fashion, I had a spark of inspiration. Combs would be a super fun way to spread and scrape the paint around. I'd like to say that I have a set of inexpensive plastic combs just for such occasions. Yes, I'd like to say that, but I can't--because I actually just have an inexpensive set of 3 combs total. For all of us. Myself included. So please don't judge the shades and hues of green you may or may not see in our hairdos over the weeks to come--I think I washed all the paint out. Y actually was so amused to see his comb at the table that he immediately grabbed it up, painty bristles and all and proceeded to comb his own hair! Oh dear...

Yes, this is truly the joy and excitement of art together here. Having little to no plan but infinite amounts of spontaneous ideas and inspiration. I took one last squeeze to the tree before setting it to dry and washing out our bottles, brushes, trays and, um, combs.





S was eagerly recalling the day we used glue to paint and pour on small loose parts on our Frozen Mixed Medium Paintings when I first introduced this project, so I promised him our final step would include copious amounts of glue, glitter, baubles and bits. Day 3, our final day of painting brought us a tray of beads, glass gems, wooden letter tiles and rhinestones along with a couple of jars of clear gel glue mixed with two shades of green glitter and some wooden craft sticks for stirring, scooping, drizzling and scraping. Once our tree was bedazzled and be-dried, I took it out front to apply a coat of spray acrylic finish for added protection against the elements and we were done! But for this storytelling tree, that is not a means to an end, but rather its beginning. It shall be part and parcel to many a day of action and imagination here. And until then...

ta da!

Happy Playing!

Tu B'Shevat Loose Parts in Play

Ok, so you have all of your tree and Tu B'Shevat themed loose parts out and ready, but now what? Today I will take you through a few fun and simple ways our loose parts have come into play here this week! Some were entirely child-led while others were invitations or provocations I set up for the boys. Feel free to use these ideas in your own home or classroom and I always love seeing the way others are using loose parts in play and learning as well.

Both of the boys have taken a liking to our STEAM Cart drawers
and S especially loves the scrap wood drawer for building houses. He has created several intricate designs and adds in various peg dolls when he's done building. We've so far not created any permanent structures with the scrap wood and one of the ways I offered to support S in preserving his houses was to take photos of buildings he particularly likes and create a building journal together. I love the template provided in Pocket of Preschool's All About Building bundle but you can also make your own journal or blueprints book using graph paper, a photo album, a notebook or stapling together scrap paper. This is a great way to give value to your young builders' process, to incorporate writing and literacy, and to encourage planning, critical thinking and problem solving! It has also helped S to feel more secure in building his structures in shared play spaces (where Y can also get to them) and not to whisk away his materials to a solo location. Y is working on not knocking over structures without asking and S is working on sharing our many resources in common play areas.

Y has really enjoyed designing and tinkering with our tree loose parts collection. He loves getting a mirror tray to design on or even just transferring small parts in and out of the wooden bowls. He knows now how to carry a bowl with two hands to the table and also how to return them to the shelf when he's done. S even likes to use the snowflakes and flowers to add to the "tree" in the back of the shelf! While both of the boys have come up with great ways to use our loose parts on their own, I also set up a few simple table time activities for them over the week.

 Incorporating playdough or clay with loose parts can add a sensory component and all kinds of unique new design opportunities. What gravity may have previously prevented is now possible with a temporary medium to connect loose parts in novel ways. To set up a simple playdough invitation, you can use a sectioned tray along with some of your loose parts and some favorite clay or playdough tools. We used our current batch of homemade playdough, but you can use store bought or use clay or kinetic sand or whatever type of dough you like best. This activity is just right to stand on its own or you can incorporate a themed playdough mat for added inspiration. I love the free printable tree playdough mat from Picklebums.
It made a great backdrop for our playdough invitation and was just as much fun to use with loose parts and no dough! Y especially enjoyed it this way and returned to the table repeatedly throughout the morning to play.

The dead of winter may not be a time that many of us outside of the framework of Tu B'Shevat think about trees, but it is a time that many tree related products are on super sale at craft stores. That's where I found a couple of unfinished wooden tree decorations on major discount (not to mention the tree shaped cookie cutters you saw in our playdough invitation for 10 cents a piece). We have used one wooden tree for a collaborate process art project that I will post on shortly and the other, intended for hanging small pictures on looked like the perfect tree shaped weaving loom! I already have visions of it in our play garden holding bits of strings, ribbons and materials for bird nests in the Spring, but for now, it is a great indoor activity for weaving ribbons and working those tiny little fine motor muscles pinching miniature clothes pins.

 My favorite thing, perhaps, about using loose parts with my boys is that so often I am inspired by their play. It is a lot less of me setting up activities from my own ideas or ideas I see elsewhere and a lot more of me supporting activities that they create from their own ideas. Join us next time for a great family collaborative process art project for Tu b'Shevat and until then...

Happy Playing!

Tu B'Shevat Tissue Paper Tree Art

If you think that you shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree, you should see the beautiful results of this surprisingly simple Tu b'Shevat art activity! I saw the idea first on the Pinterested Parent. I tried it out myself before introducing it to the boys and decided it would make a perfect project for Rosh Chodesh Shevat, welcoming the new Jewish month of Shevat. The finished work truly looks like it took hours of labor and love, but really this project is easy to prepare and complete in just minutes--a huge plus if your artists (young or old) have a shorter attention span.

You will need:

• thick white paper-I used watercolor paper as it is more conducive to soaking up both water and the color, but card stock worked well, too
• color bleed tissue paper -- regular tissue paper will not necessarily work here, so you do need to get specifically the type that is labeled as color bleeding tissue. It is available in most craft supply stores and, of course, on Amazon. 
• black permanent marker
• spray bottle with water

Before you begin you (or your artists) will want to draw a black tree trunk with branches in the center of your page (or wherever you wish to place it--you could even draw multiple trees). I cut a few strips of tissue paper down to small rectangles. Little artists can help with this as well. You'll want to make sure everyone's hands are dry because any amount of moisture will cause the colors to bleed! 

I like to wet the paper beforehand and had the boys do the same. Y was especially excited to discover he can work a spray bottle now and wash his own glasses. This should come in handy...

Next, lay your tissue paper squares down as you like them. They can be scrunched, flat, layered... When everyone felt they had their tissue paper squares in the position they wanted, we sprayed more water over top. S is rather an overzealous sprayer with a spray bottle--a quality that often washes his project colors away, but comes in rather handy with this one. The more water, the more the colors will spread and mix. It's pretty impossible to go wrong here, and I like that in an art project!

Next, it's time to get everyone away from the wet and colorful artwork and let the situation dry for a bit. Once everything is dry, you can easily remove the tissue paper squares and dispose of them (although they are still so pretty, even with the colors mixed now that I kind of wanted to save them and use it for collage...)

Your artwork will be revealed on the paper and is ready to send on display or as a greeting in the mail or to gift to a friend or family member. 

I think they all came out so great, don't you? Color bleed tissue paper art is a great medium for working with artists of all ages. One friend of mine contacted me for directions to do this with a group of children and senior citizens she runs--what a great idea! You could tailor the colors of your trees to be seasonally specific or use the same concept to draw and add color to another subject of art. We will be back with a really fun collaborative process art project for Tu b'Shevat in the days to come. Until then...

Happy Playing!