Summer Fun Mini Themes: Robots

So, what do robots, Star Wars, magnet science and squirrels have in common? Not a whole lot, but summers here at the Sprout Scouts Playcamp have always been about following the kids' whims and wonders. Particularly as S and Y get older, they have many transient interests and questions about the world around them. Playing about those together is a great way to learn! It's also a great way to honor the playful spirit of summertime--even, and especially this year with the pandemic going on.

This was our first "official" week of Sprout Scouts Playcamp 2020. We kicked off with some new camp shirts (tie dye this year--which proved to be a wise choice after one messy day in the mud, eating pizza and decorating cookies, painting and more...). S has been asking to do a robot theme for a while, so that seemed like a great way to begin. At the last minute, he also mentioned he'd like to play about Star Wars, so why the heck not? I decided to enroll the kids in Jedi Training Camp this week, too! But that's a post for another day...

With these Summer Fun Mini Theme posts, I hope to share some fun activity ideas you can incorporate into your own themed play and learning. You can dedicate an afternoon to a theme, a whole day, a week or even longer. When it comes to play, I let the kids take the lead. If they lose interest, we move on. If they are engrossed, we keep at it. If they want to practice Jedi Training Lightsaber Yoga while wearing an Ironman costume, have at it!

But back to bots... Here's a peek at how we explored early concepts of robotics here this week through play, literacy, art, science and building:

Setup & Materials:
When it comes to mini theme setups, just like anything else here, use what you have! This pandemic has really enforced that for me. While we have (maybe too much) access to Amazon, we've been able to get really creative with using (and re-using) what we have on hand right here at home. I stocked our play shelves before the week began and included a wooden robot toy we have and a game and also some magnets. I decided that magnet science was one of many great science elements that are part and parcel to robotics. Some other supplies we used include:

• magnets/magnet kit
  
• metal loose parts like paper clips, metal craft bits and pieces, washers, nuts, metal picture hanging hooks, magnetic counters...
• recycled cups, containers, boxes, tubes, etc. from our recycling bin
• craft materials like tape, pipe cleaners, stickers, paper/colored paper, glue, zip ties (those are a craft material here), markers/crayons/colored pencils, paint/paint sticks, felt, google eyes
• old, broken toys
• safety goggles
• screw drivers (small ones are great for small hands)
• metal cookie sheets
• 8x10 magnetic sheets with adhesive back (optional)
• playdough, model magic clay

Books:

There are a lot of great books for children about robots--both fiction and non-fiction. If you don't have any or cannot currently access a library, look up some children's books about robots or short videos on YouTube or similar sites. Another fun idea is to read any of your favorite books together but in a robot voice! We read:

• Hello Robots by Joan Holub, illustrated by Chris Dickason
• Boy + Bot by Ame Dykman, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
• Robots, Robots Everywhere by Sue Fleiss, illustrated by Bob Staake

Magical Magnet Science Tricks:

Magnet science is so fascinating! It is really fun for kids to explore magnetism and it's a topic that could produce a stand-alone unit of play and learning. It is important to carefully supervise children with magnets and to keep small parts out of reach (and mouths) of very small ones. C was very interested in what her brothers were playing with this week so I made sure to join her on the floor to support with play and to keep the less suitable materials out of her reach when I couldn't. She also got to play with magnetiles and other toys and materials more independently. There are a lot of great magnet science experiments you can do at home with what you have. We have a magnet kit that had a lot of tools and magnets combined and these can be found fairly inexpensively on Amazon or Walmart. We chose a couple of "tricks" from our kit. One used a magnet wand and a smaller magnet. I asked the boys if they could take the magnet for a walk across our kids' table. They were so intrigued and amused by seeing how a magnet is strong enough to work through a tabletop! You can try the wand in both directions to demonstrate how magnets attract and repel depending on the direction of the poles. We also had a magnet car that could drive across the table or floor when the magnet wand was placed with the repelling pole toward it. We tested out driving it away and bringing it back (by flipping the wand to the attracting pole). If you do not have a magnet car, you can make one by using masking tape to affix a strong bar magnet to the car. But magnet science doesn't even need to be demonstrated in tricks or with kits. You can simply go on a magnetic scavenger hunt around your home to see what is magnetic and what is not. Your refrigerator door is a great place to test this out. A metal cookie sheet will work as well (we have a bunch from the dollar store).

Building a Robot: Transient Art with Loose Parts:

We extended the theme of magnetism and robots by using magnetic boards and small metal loose parts to design. I have seen magnetic boards for sale online, but we just made our own using a couple of dollar store cookie sheets and a magnet sheet with adhesive backing. It's a portable way to explore magnetism and made a lovely work surface as well. I envisioned the boys designing robots and they did for a bit before exploring design in more abstract ways and even just testing out what "sticks" and what does not. Even C was very curious about this activity and I sat with her for some time to explore the bits and pieces (and make sure she didn't eat them).

These same little loose parts were great for creating clay robots with Model Magic clay and for a fun playdough invitation. For those, I added in some pipe cleaners and google eyes as well. Using the same materials for multiple activities saves on time, money and space. It also allows the children to explore them in a variety of ways and venues.

Toy Deconstruction: Yes, you read that right! I first saw this done at a special event at our local library last summer and thought it was brilliant. Once in a while, I introduce it again--and it's worth repeating. We gather a collection of old toys that are broken and on their way to being tossed out, but before they go--I toss in some screw drivers and maybe a couple of pairs of safety goggles because everything is more fun in goggles. This activity does require supervision and support (although S is quite proficient with a screw driver now!). Make sure to remove any batteries or other unsafe parts from toys before tossing them into the mix. S and Y worked on deconstructing toys for 2 days! They would have gone longer with it, but I decided it was time for them to make their final departure to the dump. For those who are concerned that this will teach children to take apart things they should not take apart, my experience has been the opposite. I've found most kids go through a play schema of exploring deconstruction (or what we see as destruction) at some point. Rather than disallowing it and having it happen anyway, I allow it in a directed manner. The boys knew they could use the tools to take apart the toys in the sensory bin. They even help to pick out the ones that are ready to deconstruct. They also know they cannot do this with other toys and household items without asking one of us first. One of my fondest childhood memories is of a large cardboard box housing an old VCR just for deconstructing!

Robot Collage Process Art:

Here's another great "use-what-you-have" art activity. I set out some colored labels, paper and markers. I did not make an "example" or give much direction other than a prompt to "make a robot collage." Y used a sheet of colored cardstock and labels to make his collage. S used a sheet of colored cardstock to draw and then cut out a robot that he added details to with more drawing and some labels. He gave his robot a mask to keep him safe, a sign of the times (and how he is processing that). His collage became a fun paper doll to play with!

Recycled Robot Art: This is an activity I have done in large groups including my classrooms and outdoor playgroup. It's also perfect for home! I saved a few boxes from recent deliveries and brought out our recycling bin full of treasures. In group settings, I would bring additional supplies and materials along and set them out, but in smaller settings and even in my classrooms, I would leave it at that and let the kids choose what to use and how to use it. The boys wanted to make one BIG robot with the larger boxes. They needed a little bit of help with assembly (and some duct tape) but they really did this all on their own. Even C got in on the fun with some tape and stickers she helped to add on her own. S named the robot Ruby and she has become an honorary member of the family! The boys have continued to add on to her and are working today with a couple of smaller boxes to build her a baby. One of my favorite things about process art is the narrative end of it and how children use it as a venue for storytelling. A whole evolving tale has emerged about Ruby and her life. She was unable to talk because she needed new wires. S and Y worked tirelessly sticking pipe cleaners through a crack in her belly box because, as S put it, "they are real wires but they are soft on the outside so she will be comfortable." I have a feeling that when it is time to deconstruct and officially recycle Ruby, I will find an enormous collection of pipe cleaners to add back into our craft stash! Ruby has been invited to join us at the dining room table for dinner. She attended a Zoom playdate yesterday with S and his friend from down the street. She even sneaked up on me in the kitchen this morning when we were making snack (and Y had a little bit to do with that one). Yes, she is made from cardboard, tape and lots of pipecleaners, but Ruby is living her best life...

Build a Robot Felt Board Game:

We incorporated this theme into our weekly "storytime," and this simple DIY game was a real winner for all 3 kids. I used felt to cut up a whole bunch of shapes and robot parts. I used a large die and color coding dot labels but you can use colored paper to make cards, make your own die out of cardstock and color code that or just cut out smaller scraps of the felt you already used as color signs. When it is your turn, you roll the die/pick a color and choose a part. You can decide to build one large robot as a group or to each build individual robots. You can use your felt on a felt board, on a large sheet of felt, right on the ground or a tabletop. If you don't have felt, you can cut your shapes from paper. If you don't want to do all the cutting prep work and you do want to add in an element of drawing/pre-writing practice, play this game with colored markers or crayons and have everyone draw a part of a robot when you call out/roll a color. You can have the artists choose what they draw or also call out a specific part (i.e.: red arm, yellow head, green hand...) and see how many colorful, creative robots emerge!

Well, that's a wrap for this mini theme. There's definitely more you can do with robots and you'll find some posts about them here. Next time I'll tell you all about our intergalactic adventures in Jedi Training Camp, but until then...

Happy Playing!

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More...and Some of the Less Pinterest-Worthy Aspects of the Home Atelier

One of my favorite art themed children's books of all time is Karen Beaumont's I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! It rhythmically and humorously captures the story of a creative budding artist whose canvas happens to be his entire body (literally draining his entire paint supply). It also sparks a great question for aspiring artists: what is your canvas? For many children, it's usually a blank sheet of paper placed horizontally on a tabletop. What if it were vertical instead, on an easel or a wall? What if it were spread on the floor? What if it were hung outside? Or what if it was actual canvas? Or vellum? Or tracing paper? Or card stock? What if it were a different shape? What if it weren't paper at all, but a tray or the floor or the bathtub walls or--gasp--your entire body? Well, I'm not diving into body painting today (although hands and fingers are a frequently used material here), but I am going to delve into some of the messier parts of introducing and having an atelier in your home or classroom space...

My photos here and my account of setting up a home atelier are somewhat Pinterest-worthy, but let me take you on a tour of lessons learned the hard way that might not look as pretty in a photograph...

I spent the better part of a Sunday setting up shop. We happened to be starting dinner (and did I mention I hadn't eaten anything in 6 hours and was starving?) when the boys first came in to see it. They were, of course, immediately interested in diving in. I, however, was half focused on that and half focused on my bowl of stir fry. Not ideal at all. Ideally, I would have devoted my full attention to introducing this space and what we might do with it. I would have moved at a slow and intentional pace and really given this occasion the sense of honor and respect that I wanted to see mirrored in how the boys would interact with it. Instead, I kind of forgot that they couldn't possibly already know that I didn't set out squeeze bottles of paint purely for the albeit enjoyable purpose of squeezing it all out. They couldn't have intuited that I did not mean for watercolors and tempera paints to be used at the same time. (And why not? Why can't they be used at the same time??) They would not have known inherently that I envisioned the beads as part of a design in loose parts and not part of a necklace. (And, again, why not??)

So while I nibbled and simultaneously chased after two eager artists, I tried to keep the calm and nurture the excitement. Y proceeded to squeeze every last drop of white paint onto his pallet, the table, the floor. S moved from painting a rainbow to mixing colors to making necklaces. The boys created a multitude of masterpieces and I hadn't even thought yet about how and where to display them, let alone where to set them to dry. I had four very painty hands and the lights in the bathroom were off, the door was still closed. Rookie mistake. We had a ton of painty brushes but no place to put them until we could wash them. Ok, time to provide one of those recycled plastic sushi trays. And then it was time for bed, we would try again tomorrow. I said to the boys (as much as I did to myself) that we were all new to using the atelier. It was a very special thing to have an artist's studio in our home and it was OK that we did not know everything about it yet; we would learn together.

Day two, I set out an invitation with our book and essential question. I set out a variety of "canvases" and our paints and brushes. This time, we moved a bit more slowly and with a bit more intention, but this time it was S who became enamored with squeezing out the paints into his tray and Y who wondered how it would look and feel to squeeze them right onto some glossy finish photo paper. I had such a gut reaction to say "no" and such an urge to get to "yes." I wanted to honor their curiosity and process. I wanted to convey respect that mixing colors was as much a part of art as painting with them. I wanted not to have to buy stock in Crayola or sell a kidney on the black market in order to maintain my paint supply. Where should I draw--or paint--the line between wonder and wastefulness?

I reached out to a teacher friend of mine who runs an atelier in her preschool. She is an artist as well and extremely talented and creative. We brainstormed ideas and she reminded me of some core atelier materials I had not remembered to include:

• Adequate time: Children need enough time to explore and engage and remain engaged with art. If they are rushed, their creative process cannot expand and it may not emerge at all. We would need to tweak the "open access" policy a bit to accommodate times when we really can engage and to be "closed" when we cannot. A large sheet or tablecloth draped over the shelves could work to visually close it off. I also  like using laminated signs and velcro for this purpose. I have used this method for a while to "close" our art shelves on Shabbos or holidays. I can use it as well to close some or all of the shelves at other times as needed. 
• Adequate attention: Time's kissing cousin is attention; mine was divided on the first occasion we used our atelier. In that sense, I missed an opportunity to really lay a foundation and groundwork for this space, but fear not! It's not a one shot deal! We will definitely be able to backtrack and establish a stage for this performance.
• The complete lesson: Just because you are not engaging in directed art does not mean the children do not need directions. I wanted so much for this to be their space and process that I neglected to set any boundaries at all and this was not helpful to their creative process. It actually probably inhibits it. Now we do take the time before beginning to talk and plan. It's OK if our plans change as we go and it's OK to experiment and revise. In addition to plans for preparation, giving over the complete lesson also includes establishing the skills to retrieve materials, transport them, where to use them, how to use them, how to clean them and where to put them away. I find that I nearly always leave a gap in some area or another and the children are the ones who show me where that is. It might be that I neglected to include a wet wash cloth for intermittent cleaning of hands or spills. It might be the lack of a space to set completed work to dry. It might be a very simple fix, but it can be helpful to perhaps jot these things down (unless you have an amazing memory) so that you will remember them in the future.
• Tricks and Tips: Along the way, you'll pick up tips and tricks. Some will be through trial and error. Some will be from the young artists themselves! Some will come from the creative recesses of your mind and others still will come from seeking the counsel of other atelieristas and artists. Regarding the squeeze bottle situation, my brilliant friend had several brilliant ideas. Perhaps we could add a bit of flour to thicken the paint and slow the process down. Perhaps we might draw a line on the outside of each bottle to designate a minimum point for how much paint could be used in a day or week. I proposed the idea of perhaps using a small jar and squeeze bottles to create a space where it was ok to squeeze and mix colors of paint that could then be stored and used. And then, the very next day as I sat down to continue a masterclass I am taking on process art and the atelier model, another teacher shared her trick of storing paints in empty soap bottles with pumps. The children are instructed to use two pumps at a time and can get more as needed. There you have it! For every challenge in the atelier there are infinite solutions! I ended up buying some empty pump bottles in bulk off Amazon and re-stocking our paint supply in those. And if you're looking for a tip on how to clean out the nozzles of those painty squeeze bottles: a tiny botttle brush used for baby bottle nipples or a straw brush work quite well!
  

• The Products of the Process: Having an atelier will undoubtedly increase your supply of art projects. I do want to give each creation the honor and respect it deserves. I usually ask the children what they would like to do with their work when they feel it's completed. Sometimes they want to hang it up. Other times they want to give it to someone special. They sometimes want to use it to make something else or store it in our "scrap paper" drawer for future use with collage. We are fortunate that although our space here is limited, we have a lot of magnetic surfaces to hang artwork and I love metal clip magnets for this purpose. The kids can hang and access their own work. We do hang and display some work on our walls and still other work is displayed on a garland with clothespins that hangs above their table. One area we are short on in our home is free horizontal surfaces to set things out to dry. Bakers racks stacked on top of one another can help with this challenge as well. And what to do with the overflow of projects over time? Do you save every single creation? Toss them when no one is looking? I like to select some very special ones, take photos of others and upcycle others into new artwork. Sometimes we give work away to a grandparent and sometimes we cut it into pieces for collage or to create greeting card sets as gifts or even to make bookmarks or labels. You might even use a blank journal or sketch book to store small pieces of artwork or photos of larger ones so young artists can maintain a timeline of their experience and growth in the atelier.
• Using Resources and Literature for Inspiration: While I love for the children to independently create using their own ideas and imagination, I also like to incorporate provocations and invitations to inspire them. Using children's literature, especially some of the great choices out there on the topic of art and artists, can be a great starting place. Pinterest, Instagram and similar sites offer a lot of tried and true ideas from others. Incorporating art books and works of art from "real" artists and even photographs and coffee table books with animals, nature and other items of interest to your children at the time can also offer inspiration and a starting place for those who may be overwhelmed by Blank Canvas Syndrome. Sometimes these items may just be set up or set out in our space and at other times I may introduce a more formal activity with them, as I did with I Ain't Gonna Paint No More.

We will likely come across a variety of triumphs and challenges in our home atelier as we continue to expand on it and tweak it. An atelier is never a stagnant space. It is always evolving just like the young designers in it. I look forward to sharing these with you along the way and until then...

Happy Playing!

Play With Your Food: Our Family's Return to the Dinner Table

I will admit it. I have had it up to here with my resident particular eater. Not because I don't fully resonate with it--I was a notorious "picky" eater growing up and so was my husband. And not because I have concerns for his nutritional intake overall. My resident particular eater is the epitome of one of my own favorite childhood storybook characters, Francis in Bread and Jam for Francis. He will settle on one or a few foods for his meals and eat them daily until he grows sick of them. And that is where my feelings came in--empathy for the struggle he must feel when his relationship with yogurt for lunch every single day goes sour or his once beloved cheese toast loses its appeal. It's not anything particularly sensory related. It is somewhat of a control desire. And it probably also is somewhat related to anxiety over trying new foods, although he is not averse to trying other new things in life. Nonetheless, I want to meet his needs around food--both nutritional and emotional. So I decided to make some changes here and start playing with our food.

And by changes, I don't mean a complete diet overhaul. Heck, even I couldn't stomach that. And by playing with our food, I don't necessarily mean tossing mashed potatoes across the room. But in this house, we view food as fuel for energy and healthy growth and we also view food as enjoyment. In order to maintain both, it is important to us that we don't battle at the table and that we are kind and gentle with our own nutrition and with each other's. And then there is my darling son, S. He won't eat a hot dog. He won't eat a chicken nugget. He won't eat any meat right now at all, actually. He will eat a raw basil leaf. He will drink kombucha with seeds floating in it. He does not love chocolate. He does love lollipops. He enjoys helping in the kitchen and cooking and baking together. That does not mean he will eat or even try what we make. He loves to garden and grow our own food. He does not want to try any tomatoes this year. He does want to try a spinach leaf.

A while ago, when my husband was working later and the boys were melting down each evening waiting for him to get home, I instituted a separate dinner for them. Yes, I am a short order cook. Most of our dinners catered to S's particular tastes and Y, who's quite a bit more diverse in his nutritional approach, would eat what I made. That being said, the two or three meals that are favorites of S are not favorites of Y. He would end up eating a second dinner with the grownups! And I kind of missed the cue that we'd outgrown this method working for us until I asked my sister for some advice. In fact, the boys, although they are hungry in the afternoon when they wake up from nap, were not really needing to gobble up dinner so early. And with school beginning next month, our schedule will be running toward a later meal anyway. Moreover, when my husband does get home now, the boys would love to have both of our attention and connect, but we are busy eating our dinner. It was time to reinstate family dinner here and not just on Shabbos or holidays!

It will likely be an adjustment for all and we are not rigidly adhering to it if there is a day we need some family members to eat earlier or we grab our lunch boxes and picnic at the park. But bringing back the family dinner has helped us to reconnect at the end of the day and there's something at the table for everyone even if it's not one person's favorite every night. I'm not overwhelming anyone with all new recipes, in fact, my husband does almost all of the cooking here right now. [Last time I did all the cooking, I went into labor with C, so I think I'll enjoy this break for a while...] We are setting the table with one [more or less] cohesive meal. There is guaranteed to be something that everyone likes; it is not going to be the same food every single night.

And I recognize that for my little S, that is a huge shift in his feeling of being in control over his meals--exactly the feeling he is trying to assert. So I mitigate that with some playfulness and fun as he and the rest of us join on our journey back to the family table. Among his favorite dinnertime activities so far was an evening of playing with our food and making edible art!

Inspired by the cookbook Salad People by Mollie Katzen (a great cookbook author for kids), I set a platter of cut fruits, veggies, dried fruit, cheese and a bowl of pasta. The boys both had fun designing and eating their way through dinner. S created his own unique combinations of things to try and although I would not necessarily praise them for protein content, the bigger picture was getting him eager to engage with a variety of foods and feeling that he still had comfort and control in that. So did he eat any cheese that night? Nope. Did he eat a sandwich of kiwi on a multigrain rice cake. Yes. And Y was utterly thrilled to have more options at the table, particularly some of his favorites like hummus, cheese and noodles. 

And the fun was not over yet. After we cleared the table, the boys discovered it was still set--for art, Hevre Tullet style, per his book Doodle Cook. You can check out some of our other activities inspired by Hevre Tullet here and here.

We whipped up a batch of Colorful Shape Pasta that's still hanging on the wall across from the dining room table! There are a lot of approaches to family and child nutrition. There are a lot of ways to view food. Is it just fuel? Is it enjoyment? Is it both? I am clear in my own experience with eating and nutrition that I want that to be something my children explore and develop within healthy boundaries at their own pace.

Certainly there are foods that are more nutritionally dense than others. And there are foods that more enjoyable to us than others. We do not say no to sweets and treats here but we do have boundaries around them. We offer desserts on Shabbos and holidays and special occasions and once in a while for no reason at all. And still, there are tears here about treats. In seeing a nutritionist respond to this subject, she shared the one plate approach where everything, dessert included, is set on the same plate at the same time. Out of curiosity, I tried this one afternoon at lunchtime...

S loves to come up with recipe ideas and one day he came up with the idea to make pretzels and put icing on them to "glue" them together into shapes. He was so surprised when I said we could do that after dinner and a little disappointed when he ran out of his portion of icing. The next day at lunch, I heated up a few leftover soft pretzels we'd baked the night before. I put lunch and a pretzel and a small spoonful of icing on each of the boys' plates. S ate his yogurt and all of his pretzel and icing. He came into the kitchen and saw a pretzel still on a plate with some icing on top. He asked what it was. I told him it was my pretzel that I had not eaten yet.
"Oh," he said. "Can I have another pita with cheese?"
I was actually quite shocked he didn't cry and ask for another pretzel and icing!

And while I am not going to shift into providing and offering sweets and treats with every meal, I am reminded that children have a natural intuition with food and nutrition. We do have some strict boundaries around foods in this house when it comes to kashrut or to food allergies/sensitivities. We do set boundaries around appropriate portions and times for eating. But I don't label foods as "good" or "bad." We do talk about foods that are healthier and "give more energy" or help build strong muscles and bones, etc.

The world is full of don'ts and while we've all heard it at one point or another, today I'm taking the don't right out of don't play with your food. If separate dinners work for you; do it. If serving one meal and one table at one time works for you; do it. If making a poodle or a choo choo train or a kiwi sandwich on a multigrain rice cake works for you, do it. And if coloring on your placemat sounds like a great way to spend time at the dinner table, do that, too!

Bon Appetit and Happy Playing!

Beyond the Author: Hevre Tullet, Part II

If you recently read our post taking you Beyond the Book: An Author Study with Hevre Tullet, , you know we're on a real process art kick here this summer. While in previous years I was organized and planned out specific themes for the Sprout Scouts Playcamp and even did a whole unit on Art and Artists in the Garden, this year it has felt most comfortable to follow my kids' lead. They've had a lot of fun so far and one of the best parts of exploring artist, author and illustrator, Hevre Tullet is that the grown ups have had fun, too!

I've touched upon the value in process art with children before. Process art targets a variety of developmental skills and milestones while nurturing and honoring children's creativity and inherent artistic abilities at their own level. I am not an all-or-nothing type of gal, so we also do project based artwork here, which has value in its own right. I particularly love Hevre Tullet's combined use of art and literature to promote an environment for children to explore both in a playful and aesthetically beautiful way while gaining skills in literacy, writing, art and play. What I did not initially take into account as we began exploring his work is how much I was gaining through it as well!

"Press Here!"

"Let's Play!"

"Have Fun!' with the book Mix It Up

Yes, today, I am inviting the adults to join in! This is our play time and our opportunity to rediscover process art. I would never classify myself as someone who is artistic, but why? What is it that defines a person as artistic or not? And when does that switch go off? I do remember creating artwork as a child, uninhibited and filled with joy and wonder. And while every child grows to different interests and preferences, I do wonder what outside factors emerge to nurture certain concepts of self and quell others. I remember putting on my own art show at home once and displaying my works on the wall with (eh em) school glue (oops)... I had ample access to art supplies and craft materials and a mother who really nurtured the idea of process art and encouraged us to work with these items at our own discretion. But somewhere along the line, children do gain the concept that art should represent something and look a certain way. From there, I think many decide whether or not this is a strength or a challenge. I maintained interest in crafts and hobbies of that sort, but more open ended type artwork was a bit intimidating.

And along comes an artist like Hevre Tullet who can splash paint on a page, make squiggles and lines and doodles and dots come to life and get everyone engaged and playing and creating. And all of a sudden, I was taken back to the same child-like joy I had when I was 5 years old! Even my husband got in on the fun! And in setting out stations this week to invite the whole family to join together in art, I noticed some wonderful things that were happening:

When he finished painting on paper, Y explored painting
on the vase that was holding our paintbrushes! I was
almost sad to wash it off--maybe glass will be a "canvas"
in our future....

• We were all on the same page and in the same playing field: Many times when adults and children work together on art, there's a pretty clear division between who is 2 months old and watching from a swing, who is 2, who is 5 and who the adults are (T and I will keep those numbers to ourselves for now). But when there's one giant sheet of paper and the only instructions are to "Have Fun!" or "Mix it Up!" or "Jump on a Trampoline!" we're all on the same level. Well, to be fair, C is still just watching from the swing and smiling and cooing. But there's no pressure for a child to create something in the same way an adult can. There's not even pressure for a 2 year old to create something in the same way a 5 year old can. 
• Inhibitions Go Out the Window: I actually loathe when children ask me to draw something. Not  because I worry so much that it will create an unattainable standard for their smaller, younger hands (although this is a concern), but more because I do not think I am particularly adept at drawing. When I dipped into our art explorations this week, I felt no hesitance at all. I had just as much joy at squiggling and doodling and dabbing and dotting as anyone else!

  

  S ran to the table on the morning of this art invitation.
  He started off slowly and a bit tentatively mixing it up. He
  dabbled into some red, and then a bit of yellow. "Look!
  I made orange!" and then he got all in and mixed it up
  across the entirety of the page! It was time for some more paper...

• Connecting through Dots: art was a great way for us to join together as a family and connect. It wasn't forced, it wasn't suitable more for one age than another. It wasn't on a schedule and there was no agenda. The paper was simply set out with the materials to use on it. It would remain there as long as we wanted. We could come all together, one at a time, go as needed, return as desired. If we needed another sheet of paper, we got one. If we felt all done, we set it to dry and in the end we'd hang our work in the Family Museum Wall. Sometimes the art told a story. Sometimes it made a sound or a song. Sometimes it was silent. Imagine connecting as a family in this way and then imagine it in a classroom or in a community at large.
• Art in Motion: this is not your sit at the table or stand at the easel type of art or reading for that matter. Hevre Tullet's books and work get everyone moving from those tiny fine motor muscles to the larger gross motor ones. As my boys use their fingers to trace the lines along the pages of his stories or press dots or rub circles, they are practicing the same tracking skills that will help them to read and write. 
• Art and Inclusion: Navigating shared paper and space with art is helping us all to develop important social skills, critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. Rather than art being a solo activity, it is an opportunity to be inclusive and work together. 

Somehow, the "dirty" paint tray is so beautiful to me! We used a dollar tree
plastic silver serving tray. The mirror quality adds such a unique
element when mixing and exploring paint colors. Painting on mirrors indoors
and outside is a great way to add a unique element to process art...

I've been creating my own art invitations and provocations this week using pages from Tullet's books Press Here, Mix It Up!, Let's Play! and Say Zoop! Choosing materials and seeing what happens with them is part of the fun for me (and my own creative process). However, for those who would prefer a bit of direction with this, there are some great ideas on Pinterest. Hevre Tullet also has an incredible blog, and if you are not fluent in French, you can view it translated into English. I also highly recommend his book Art Workshops for Children. I recently purchased a copy and am so eager to bring this as an addition to my nature-based playgroup when I host an Art In the Park session next month. I can't wait to see art in action with a mixed age group of children and adults. The art activities in the book can be adapted to individuals, small groups (family setting/siblings/a few friends), larger groups of similar age or larger groups of mixed ages and even adults.

I don't have a goal with our exploration of art this summer other than to follow my kids' interest and perhaps also preserve this time of wonderment, competence and confidence in art. Perhaps I also want to reignite this in myself as well! There are mornings when everyone runs to the table right away and morning when the paper is still mostly white by 11:00, but the invitation is there. It's on the bookshelves: read me! It's on the kids' table: paint me! It's on their art supply shelves: create! It's stowed away in my diaper bag for outside of the library or at the park: let's doodle! It's a continued reminder that art is everywhere around us and within us and all it needs is a space to know it is valuable and beautiful in its own right. That it is a process and an action, not a product or destination. That it never needs to be finished but it is complete in its current state. That it is lovely in all shapes and shades and sizes and colors. In fact, art is not so different than we are!

Happy Playing!

Beyond the Book: An Author Study with Hevre Tullet

S has been a longtime lover of literacy but somewhat reluctant with writing/drawing...until the end of his preschool year. It was then that he announced one morning, "Mommy, I am an artist! I like art!" Having been a reluctant reader myself who loved writing and art, I know how to be sneaky and thanks to amazing authors and illustrators like Hevre Tullet, it's possible to nurture and encourage all three of these areas in early readers (and adults). S and Y both love the books Press Here and Mix It Up and Tullet is an artist, children's author and illustrator behind several volumes of amazing works of art in literacy and graphics alike. Here are just a few of my favorite things about his work:

• His books are interactive, engaging children to get hands on (literally) with each page. The more ways in which early readers can engage with literacy, the more they will grow to love it.
• His books demonstrate the ability of visual design and illustrations to tell a story--a valuable asset to pre-readers who are still in the illustration/dictation phase of writing and reading.
• His books also demonstrate the ability of art to "tell a story," a valuable asset to budding artists!
• His illustrations and artwork show that art at all levels and all styles has value. Scribbles, circles, bright colors and simple shapes are beautiful, aesthetically pleasing and are just as much "real art" as representational art. This is particularly important for children to know, especially those drawn toward perfectionism and hesitance to write and draw.

Among S's birthday gifts this year was a very special one from his aunt, uncle and cousins, Hevre Tullet's book Doodle Cook. It is a recipe guide for playful "culinary" creations of doodles, scribbles, shapes and designs all served delightfully on plates depicted on each page. Young readers and artists are encouraged to abandon everything they know about the rules of not scribbling and not drawing or writing in books! Independent readers can follow the recipes and early/pre-readers can follow directions given the support of an older reader or adult. I have to say, I was just as excited to use the book as the kids! And since I have way too many commitment issues to allow myself or anyone else to color right in the book now, I decided to print off some place setting templates for us to use alongside it. You could also draw your own plates or even use white paper plates. We tested out our first "recipe" behind one of our local libraries this week--a Quick Circle Salad--and it was scrumptious!

It sparked an interest in more books by Hevre Tullet and luckily, we were in the very best place for that interest. So back into the library we went and checked out a few other additions to our own personal collection. Back at home, Y brought me our copy of Press Here. This kid loves buttons. All buttons. Your buttons. My buttons. So I set out a quick and simple Morning Work activity for the boys to create their own process art in the style of Press Here using dot stickers and do-a-dot markers in primary colors and a few black markers in varying tip sizes. I also set out a sheet of white paper for each of the boys. 

Y was the first to take interest in the setup. He was quite interested in the stickers and still needs a little help to get them "started" before he independently peels them off and sticks them down. He was very intentional in where he spaced each one, overlapping in some areas, not in others. And he was so incredibly amazed to see that his picture resembled one of the pages in Tullet's book! He felt so proud and confident. "Look! It's just like the book!" he shouted gleefully, again and again. 

Well, all of that excitement sparked S's interest. He began with the black markers (it's seriously his favorite "color" when it comes to artwork). I mentioned that it reminded me of the part in Press Here where the lights are turned off. S then used his artwork to dictate and tell a story. He placed four yellow dot stickers on the black page and brought it over for me to press each one. Then he flipped his paper around to the white side, added more dots for me to press and, with those, the lights went back off and the paper flipped again! We hung their work in our "Family Museum," the wall ascending our staircase.

I often believe that a great deal of S's hesitance with art and handwriting stems from his expectations that both must look a certain way. He's expressed that he doesn't like to write his name because his letters are still "big" and mine are "small." He used to ask me to draw representational art for him. Children are surrounded by adult print and representational art all day. They hear adults tell them not to "scribble" and to "do their best work." And then comes Hevre Tullet, an artist and author and illustrator who fills his pages with handwritten text in all sizes and colors and illustrations comprised of colorful scribbles, blobs and simple shapes. And his books? They're amazing! They're fun, they're funny, they are worth reading again and again and again. They are truly a gift to any lover of children's literacy and art, but the greatest gift of all is beyond the books--it is the sense of confidence and wonderment gifted to his young readers, budding artists and aspiring authors/illustrators. Here is someone who put their play to work!

Happy Playing!

Beyond the Book: "Fairy Houses" by Tracy Kane

S is a longtime participant of Story Stretchers here and pairing fun and creative activities with literacy in our home and on the go has truly, I believe, ignited his love for reading. He often makes his own Story Stretcher activities and, of late, has requested that I plan for more of these. One of my very favorite things to do is take our Story Stretchers outside or on the road, and even better if we can do both!

Tracy Kane's first book, Fairy Houses has inspired a tiny world of wonder for children and adults alike. Fairy gardens cropped up around the nation and even internationally, forcing us all to crouch down, become small again and look more closely at the wondrous world around us. It sparked a simultaneous reverence for nature and fantasy. And woven in between these two worlds and beautiful illustrations on each page is the story of Kristen, a little girl on a family vacation, who creates her own tiny world of wonder in the woods.

We love small world and fairy play in our own yard and garden, but we also are fortunate enough to live nearby some great outdoor spaces and places. A visit to our local botanical garden center was the perfect venue for us to get outside and read! Anytime I'm taking a Story Stretcher on the road, I carry it with a grain of salt--knowing that my kids may be interested in the activities or may be more interested in other aspects of our location. Our botanical gardens is a paradise for kids of all ages (and their grownups, too), so I was not entirely sure how the boys would respond. I never take it personally if they have no desire to stop and read or do a take-along activity. It's just as easy to tow it back home as it is to take it with us in the first place. I also keep it short and simple when I bring a Story Stretcher on the go. Here are a few tried a true trips for traveling beyond the book, both literally and figuratively:

• Keep it light: don't pack a ton of materials or activities you may or may not use. Keep in mind you'll be shlepping it around!
• Keep it short: this may not be the time for a long and detailed book and activities.
• Keep it familiar: this is a GREAT time to bring out a book you've already read and know well. A new location can add new life and interest to an old favorite. It's also OK to not read the book at all and just verbally correlate it with the activity.
• Multitask: reading a book when there's a playground nearby may not be your kids' first choice. Reading a book while they're stopped and snacking might very well be right up their alley and spark an interest in an activity to follow. FYI, this is a great tip for home as well.

So, I packed along our book, and some tiny drawstring canvas pouches I DIYed into necklaces for the boys. I stuffed a few of our tiny fairies and gnomes into each pouch and when we got to the gardens, I pulled them out of my backpack. The boys were thrilled! Right away, each of them got very busy holding one fairy, wearing the other two in their pouches and showing them around as we walked toward the children's garden.

And while I did not give a whole lot of verbal direction or input, I did play along with them as they explored the spaces around them. Some of the time they enjoyed exploring from their own size perspective (as you can see with Y who is pleased whenever there is a broom in every room). And some of the time, they crouched down low to explore and create worlds from a smaller size perspective, that of their fairies and gnomes.

It is from this crouched position that a worm is found on the sidewalk and then a shadow is discovered. It is from this perspective that the outdoors that is so often a means to get to a destination becomes a destination. S and Y are not the fastest pair to travel with in these instances because the notice so much and stop so often. I calculate time for that in our trips when I can; these are qualities I want to nurture and not discourage. There are times we do need to get from A to B before noon and in those instances, I ask for "all hands on deck" to get the boys to join me in pushing C's stroller. However, on days we can manage to stop and smell the roses or look for worms or pick up rocks and sticks of all shapes and sizes, I am just as pleased as they are. It slows me down as well, and goodness knows I need that.

And as I stand, stopped in the amazement that these kids who can't see to pick up the toy they dropped right in front of their two little feet can somehow find a dragonfly on the sidewalk with his wings folded together, I am brought back to my own little world of slow and steady observation. I, too, can find a tiny weed poking through the crack in the sidewalk or a bumblebee basking in the pollen of a purple coneflower. And I am grateful to Tracy Kane for weaving a little bit of magic into the pages of her books so that children and adults alike could have their own sense of wonder in nature sparked again or even for the very first time.

As we stopped to snack and read, so did the fairies and gnomes. S found a large chunk of wood that looked like a perfect slide to him and his fairies. Y contributed a couple of tree circle tables and some bark chips for snacking. I found a loose weed on the ground that fit just inside a small hole on the second table and made for a lovely picnic umbrella. And when it was time to get up and play and walk some more, the fairies and gnomes returned to their pouches and the journey continued. But S stopped by a fountain to stop and look some more. "Mommy, a frog!" he shouted and I thought he was looking toward the other fountain nearby, one that has four sculptures of frogs spitting water into the pond. S has even remarked that this is not very nice of the frogs because spitting is a "not good choice," but on this day, he was not talking about those frogs, he was talking about this one:

Somehow, he managed to peek inside of one of many plants like this one, surrounded by dozens of other plants and flowers and people and fountains and excitement of all kinds. Somehow, he stopped and looked in just the right place to see this little green tree frog, crouched deep at the base of a leaf in exactly the same color as his skin, staring just as observantly back up at us from his own little world of wonder. And I wonder, if it were not for the whimsy and magic and possibility of fairies just maybe coming around when we are gone, would we have overlooked our little amphibious friend?

Happy Playing!

Peter Rabbit Garden Party

I am pretty big on birthdays here but not so much of a party person. It seems like as soon as I throw in the pressure of a birthday party to creating themed activities, all of my creativity flies out of the window! But one thing we did implement here as of Y's first birthday just over a year ago is the family only party. It seemed silly at first to have a party with just the four of us, but it was so much fun, S wanted one, too and we've kept it going.

Y turned two this year! His English birthday fell on the same day as Purim, right after the first day of Spring. His Jewish birthday was over Shabbat, so this past Sunday we had his family party at home with a Peter Rabbit Garden theme. Y has loved playing and planting in our garden and both of the boys love Beatrix Potter books right now. S may have been a bit more cognizant of birthday celebrations at nearly 5 than Y is at just 2 (and in related news, he's already told me he wants a Peter Rabbit Garden Party for his birthday this summer, too). To combat my party panic induced lack of inspiration, I perused the internet for ideas--but in the end, I selected a very simple menu and activities list. We kept it short and sweet and tailored to the tastes and interests of everyone here (especially the birthday boy!) because going overboard and showing up exhausted to the party was just not an option for me this year. (I kind of overdid it last year with the boys' carnival themed parties.) And you know what? Everyone had a great time! There were just the right number of activities. It was not overwhelming, it moved at a reasonable pace and Y (and S for that matter) were still talking about it this morning!

The best thing about a Peter Rabbit Garden themed party is how seamlessly it fits into our family life right now. (I may have slightly selfishly suggested it strongly...) And the ideas here can easily be implemented into your own garden themed party, lesson plans and/or family activities.

The Menu:

Purim. Birthdays. So MANY treats. And with just weeks before Pesach, there are a lot of foods that are on the move list here as it is. When it comes to family birthday dinners, we want to include the birthday star's favorite foods. Y loves a lot of foods (basically every food he's ever tasted) and especially loves meat, corn on the cob and hummus. What can I say? We decided on hot dogs and french fries for the main dinner fare, of course, with a side of corn on the cob. And no party is complete without cake and ice cream--so we shlepped some really good ice cream home from our last family trip to Baltimore and Tatty made an ice cream cake. We also bought cupcakes. Oh well, so much for the lighter fare after all these weeks of endless treats. But we started it off with a quaint little theme related snack course of veggie sticks seemingly right out of Mr. McGregor's garden, homemade dill dip and some "garden fruit smoothies." 



I often go all out of paper goods and decorations for parties. It's a lot of waste. On the other hand, with a lot of dishes being used, it does make it a bit easier when you can just wrap up the disposable tablecloth at the end and toss it all. I tried to fall somewhere in the middle this time. We used our regular tablecloth and cover (it happens to have such a lovely floral print that it fits right in). We bought some floral and rabbit themed paper plates and napkins (I think these were intended for another upcoming holiday and not my son's birthday party, but it works!), and Y really liked a set of sparkly plastic silverware he saw at the store when we were picking out the plates. I stashed that inside an empty planting pot--it was adorable! We also set out our "Veggie Patch" and "Garden Fruit Smoothies" in advance (we already had plastic cups and straws) and it was time for the party to begin!


The Activities:

I will admit that I worried I didn't have enough activities for the boys. I don't know why. It's crazy to think that two boys need ten different party activities or that given the opportunity, they can't also come up with ten more once the main ones are done or in between waiting for one to be finished before starting the next. So I really only had a couple of hands on activities planned plus face/hand/arm painting. We already had a set of face paint crayons from last year and with my limited artistic abilities, I figured we could have some fun with bunny noses and whiskers, and a few simple drawings of favorite vegetables and fruits. I may or may not have been seen sitting on my front stoop yesterday with a pink nose and black whiskers across my cheeks. S wanted strawberries drawn on each of his hands and a carrot on each arm. Y followed suit. Everyone had a bath last night!

Peter Rabbit Mini Gardens: I saw this idea in Sharon Lovejoy's fabulous book on gardening with children, Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots. We upcycled a very old pair of rainboots of mine. I put my husband and boys up to the task of pounding drainage holes in the soles while I ran errands in the morning. I hear they had a lot of fun with this part. Y had accompanied me to the garden nursery last week to pick out a parsley and chamomile plant. We also had some radish seeds and short and sweet carrot seeds for planting. I prepped each boot with potting soil leaving just enough space at the top to sow seeds and stick in one of the plants before having each boy scoop a bit more potting soil over the top and sides. Y chose a little of each type of seed and the parsley plant. S picked just carrot seeds and the chamomile, which he says he would like to try as some tea like Peter Rabbit the next time he has a tummy ache. I have idea if the carrots and radishes will grow successfully beneath the herb plants, but the boots are so whimsical out there in our front garden and this was the perfect way to give them one last shot at life now that they were no longer suitable for my feet. (I did however trick my husband and tell him I'd changed my mind and wanted to wear them again after all!)

Veggie Printed Reusable Farmers Market Bags
I knew I wanted to do some veggie print painting and I also had a couple of bunny shaped cookie cutters for Peter Rabbit stamping. Initially I thought we'd just make some paintings on paper with tempera paints--but how cute would it be to make a set of reusable Farmers Market/snack pouches? I love these canvas pouches for packing up snacks on the go or bringing to the market for produce. So I swapped in the fabric paints we had on hand and set out the ends/tops of the veggies I'd prepped for our snack along with the bunny cookie cutters and each of the boys decorated one.

I love that the project is something we can actually use as opposed to just a picture to hang up. Everyone was amazed at the flower shapes that the celery bottom and bell pepper tops made! And no one tried to eat fabric paint covered veggie scraps--phew!

The Goody "Bag:" I think the Goody Bag eventually became my favorite part of all birthday parties growing up. It was always exciting to wait for the party--whether it was your own or a friend's. It was always fun to be at the party and eat the treats and play the games, but it was also always a little sad when it was over--except when you got a goody bag on the way out! In a way, it kept the party going just a little longer. Many times goody bags are loaded with candies and cheap toys. Those are fun and traditional (and there are some of those things in here as well), but rather than go all out on a lot of this kind of thing, I kept it simple and took a creative spin. Instead of the classic bag approach, each boy got a large plastic planter from the dollar store along with a small (but "real") gardening trowel and fork. They will each get to decide what to plant and grow in these pots--this will be their very own garden to tend to. I will definitely help them as needed, but they get to be in charge of their personal "plot" this season. And because no goody "bag" or bucket is complete without some toys and treats, we also added some "cotton tails" (cotton candy) and "magic beans" (jelly beans) inside of these little bunny bags. They also each got some bunny shaped crayons (it sure is handy having your Peter Rabbit themed birthday fall near a holiday with a bunny theme), a jar of playdough, a jar of sparkly slime and a carrot shaped bubble necklace. They got to take it outside to play in our garden and set off some firecrackers leftover from S's last birthday with their Tatty while Mommy did a bit of clean up and sitting down!

Everyone came in covered in chocolate, sweat, face paint, mud and smiles. A birthday party success! And of course, an obligatory shot of Y going into the cake face first because there are many ways to eat a birthday cake but there is only one right way!

So whether you snag some of these ideas for your own garden or gardening theme, or even your own garden party, I hope you have some good, messy, Peter Rabbit style mischievous fun. We'll be back soon and until then...


Happy Birthday, Y and Happy Playing!