DIY Light Box

Winters in Wisconsin are long (especially this year) and the days are short.  In my search to find some fun activities that take advantage of our early sunsets, I happened upon light boxes and tables.  But the price tags ranging from $50 to $400 were a bit more than I wanted to pay for something I knew my children would use a few months out of the year, but it gave me an idea.  And so I present to you my $5 DIY Light Box. 

To make this you'll need the following items:

• 1 plastic "frosted" storage tub/bin (or with a "frosted" bottom)
• 1 can of black spray paint
• Strands of white Christmas lights or tap lights

To make this light box I first covered the bottom of my bin (the one I found in my basement had clear sides and a frosted bottom) with paper and taped it neatly.  Next, I spray painted the sides of the bin black and removed the paper and tape.   If you can't find a frosted bin, I've discovered some plastic frosted sheets you could apply to the inside of your plastic box. 

We first tried tap lights inside the box which worked just fine, but I couldn't help but wonder if a strand or two of white Christmas lights would disperse the light a bit better...and so I ventured to our basement yet again and dug two strands out of a box.  I can't say if the Christmas lights provide better light or not, but I do know we stuck with them.  One corner of my bin had a crack which actually works perfectly for this project, allowing the light cord an exit from the bin.

And voilà, my light box was complete. 

The only money I spent on this light box was on some inexpensive toys from a local educational store, but even they probably weren't necessary.  My kids have enjoyed using the light box to trace pictures, they've laid out parquetry blocks to create silhouettes, and they love playing with their water beads on the box which roll around and feel squishy (it's a sensory explosion!). 

Marshmallow Peacocks

My three-year-old daughter, Hazel, has been obsessed with peacocks (the word, the bird, their feathers, their specific shade of blue, etc.) for the past few months.  She has named stuffed animals Peacock, signed her name in blue (instead of her usual favorite of green) inside of Mother's Day cards, and anytime there's been a lull in conversation lately, she's yelled out, "Peacock," and laughed like I used to when watching Seinfeld.  However, nothing prepared me for Mother's Day morning, when she came downstairs and said, "Today is Mother's Day.  Tomorrow is Peacock Day." 

She's fortunate she has a mother who never misses a chance to celebrate...even if the party is for peafowl.  In addition to our regular homeschool day yesterday, we learned all about peacocks.  (FYI: males are peacocks, females are peahens.)  And then, using marshmallows, they created peacock paintings.  Here's how they did it:

1. I had the kids freehand a peacock body shape and then paint over them, filling them in.  
2. We selected a few different shades of turquoise for the feathers and using large marshmallows, they added them to the paper. 
3. I added different colors found on peacock feathers (purple, navy, emerald green, etc.) to their palettes, and the kids took miniature marshallows and added the eyes of the feathers (swirling a couple together looks great).  
4. And lastly, they painted lines to connect the plumage to the peacock's body, and then added beaks, legs and eyes.  

Last night when the kids were getting ready for bed they said, "Tomorrow is Bee Day!" (I have a feeling this is the start of something great!)  Stay tuned for bee-themed art project...

J.Crew Coloring Pages

Yesterday was Mother's Day and I trust you all spent it being doted on by your little ones...although this wasn't quite the scene at my house. My girls were tired and crabby for most of the day and I logged quite a few hours refereeing fights. Not quite what I had planned. So to treat myself, I just printed out these fashionable and frame-worthy coloring pages from J.Crew's Crewcuts.

As I type this, each of my children are gathered around a table and coloring as they chat happily about which colors they're using. August just asked two-year-old Hazel, "What color are you using?" and she said, "Dark pink." As a color-lover myself, I'm thrilled at her being thoughtful about color at such a young age! Now this is a happy memory! (Oh, I spoke too soon...now she's crying that she can't find turquoise.)

These mom and shoe-print pages are available for FREE printing at jcrew.com. They are also available online where your child (or you) can "color" them by clicking and choosing colors right on the screen...although I prefer the old fashioned way.

Kristen's Fairy House

The kids and I watched a magical movie yesterday afternoon, Kristen's Fairy House. It's a documentary-style movie that is only 40 minutes long...and each minute is beautiful, simple, relaxing and inspiring.

This film is a true story that follows a little girl named Kristen and her Aunt Tracy (Kane), a storybook artist, as they take a week-long vacation to an island off of Maine. They build fairy houses, Aunt Tracy sketches, and they simply enjoy the outdoors and all the magic it has to offer.

Aunt Tracy says that being an artist isn't about learning to draw, it's about learning how to see. I love that lesson for my children! And I love that they immediately started sketching fairy house plans for when the snow melts. It's going to be a magical summer!

Kristen's Fairy House is $13.49 at amazon.com and ships FREE with any $25 order. Why not add some of Tracy Kane's fairy-inspired books to go with it?! There's Fairy Houses, Fairy Boat, and Fairy Flight...all sure to make your little one view the world as a more magical place than they did day before!

DIY Crayons

I've been trying to do some fall cleaning the past few weeks and have been getting creative with putting it off. This project is one such way. I noticed my kid's crayons were mostly broken so we made them into new, multi-colored crayons with the help of a mini muffin tin I never use and the oven. Here's how:

1. Remove all of the wrappers from crayons (my kids loved doing this part) and break them into small pieces.
2. Preheat your over to 200 degrees.
   
3. Place your crayon bits into a muffin tin or other heat-proof mold. Fun candy molds in different shapes would be great!
4. Place the tray into the oven and watch the crayons melt and swirl together. The whole process takes about 10-15 minutes.
   
5. Remove them from the oven and let them cool until completely hard. I put ours in the fridge because the kids were excited to use them...they cooled in about 45 minutes.
6. Draw to your heart's content.

One improvement I'd make next time I try melting crayons would be to sort them into different colors...put the red and orange together, the yellow and green, the blue and purple, and so on. Just an idea.

What Do We Plant?

Part of today's homeschool lesson included reading the poem What Do We Plant? by Henry Abbey. I was distracted while reading this to August and Martha because their eyes were searching up, out the window and deep in thought. I could picture the picture of each tree and object they imagined in their heads...as the ship and house and flag staff were constructed.

Poetry and the arts and all forms of creative expression have always been a big focus in my family...my children were all rhyming as soon as they could talk. They write song lyrics, poems and stories on a daily basis...and I LOVE that! I believe it provides them with an outlet to deal with feelings and thoughts...and I hope it makes them more sensitive to others.

Here's the poem in it's entirety if you'd like to read it to your children:

What Do We Plant?

What do we plant when we plant the tree?
We plant the ship which will cross the sea.
We plant the mast to carry the sails;
We plant the planks to withstand the gales -
The keel, the keelson, the beam, the knee;
We plant the ship when we plant the tree.

What do we plant when we plant the tree?
We plant the houses for you and me.
We plant the rafters, the shingles, the floors,
We plant the studding, the lath, the doors,
The beams and siding, all parts that be;
We plant the house when we plant the tree.

What do we plant when we plant the tree?
A thousand things that we daily see;
We plant the spire that out-towers the crag,
We plant the staff for our country's flag.
We plant the shade, from the hot sun free;
We plant all these when we plant the tree.

- Henry Abbey

Picasso Head

Hazel has been a bit crabby all day today and turned in early for the night leaving August and Martha alone with Mr. Mugga and me. We split up for some quality one-on-one time while it rained cats and dogs outside. In our time together, Martha and I discovered Picasso Head.

This free site allows you to click and drage Picassoesque images to the black board to create your own masterpiece. You can flip them, rotate them, change their size and even their color. When you're finished, you can save them by a random name or email them as an e-painting!

We had a great time picking our eyes, ears, noses and hair and talking about what expression we saw and if our fantasy people resembled anyone we knew. It was a great time using our imaginations and laughing together.

Visit picassohead.com to create your own work of art with your mini Picasso!

LEGO Magazine

My children (and my husband and I) LOVE anything Lego, as many of you already know. For years August has been receiving the Lego Magazine and spending countless hours studying the designs and doing the activities. Martha just started receiving her very own copy and is quickly following in her big brother's footsteps...and I couldn't be more pleased!

Lego is currently offering a free 2-year subscription to Lego Magazine...and I thought I'd share it with you to use with the little Lego lover in your life.

To sign up, click here to visit lego.com. Then, click on PLAY at the top of the page. Next, click on LEGO CLUB on the right side...and then LEGO MAGAZINE. Then, to start the quick sign-up process, you click on US or UK and Ireland at the bottom of the page. Enter your and your child's information and you're all set! Enjoy!

Lego for Muji

I nearly hyperventilated yesterday when I happened quite by accident on information that lead to me know Lego and Muji teamed up to make Lego paper crafts. My children, my husband, and myself all love Legos. My children, my husband, and myself all love paper crafts. These kits couldn't be more perfect for us! And I'm sure my family is not alone in our adoration for these hobbies.

So, if your children (or you) are interested, you'll be bummed to learn these are a bit hard to find. They're available from Muji's website (link here)...and you can translate it to English to purchase. Or, there are a few sets popping up on eBay and Etsy.

Personally, I think we'll purchase the puncher and then make our own shapes and designs since imagination runs a-plenty for my kidos. My husband already suggested paint chips for the paper (I love that idea!), and I thought of going to a scrapbooking store for templates on shapes and things.

I can see us glittering them, making Christmas ornaments, banners, and much, much more. I'm thrilled the world has gotten so small!

Painted Sticks

You may have noticed Paint rocks and sticks on my family's summer bucket list a few days ago. The photo here inspired the sticks portion. I saw this recently as a submission to threadless.com by ginetteginette and thought it was a perfect summer day activity.

Could be done indoors on a rainy day or outdoors on a breezy warm one. Either way, you'll have some beautiful artwork your kids will be proud to have on display!

My Robot Friend

I had my son August watch My Robot Friend's video for the acoustic song Waiting yesterday morning. As a self-proclaimed future movie director, he was interested in the process required to make such a video.

But I post it here, not only because it's a beautiful song and relaxing video to watch, but because I think it's magical even for those children not looking to create cinematic masterpieces in the future. I think this video is a great example of what beauty can be created with a lowly pencil and piece of paper.

After watching the video August immediately grabbed a sheet of cardstock and some scissors and made an airplane by cutting out the parts...even slits to insert the wings, tail fins, and nose into. I had no idea he had thought that through. Share this video with your children...who knows what they'll learn and make!

Summer Ideas

My son's last day of kindergarten was yesterday so summer has officially begun. First thing this morning, my two oldest children, August and Martha, were arguing. Over nothing. And they just wouldn't stay away from each other and call a truce. And so my wheels started turning and I knew I had to come up with a solution. We needed to switch gears

I took out a piece of paper and some markers and they stopped fighting to watch me. I started writing fancy, curly letters on the top which really got my daughter's attention...and my son read the title aloud, "Summer Play." They were officially intrigued.

We spent the next 30 minutes coming up with a summer Bucket List, if you will. So far we know our summer will consist of the following:

• Have a picnic
• Go out for ice cream
• Fly kites
• Go to the pool
• Camp outside in a tent
• Go to the beach
• Pick blueberries
• Take photos with a huge group of balloons
  
• Go to Menominee Park in Oshkosh
  
• Take a vacation
• Ride Lake Express to Michigan
• Catch fireflies (and set them free)
• Set off fireworks
• Take a family walk
• Go mini-golfing
  
• Visit a driving range
  
• Go to Bay Beach
• Go fishing
• Paint rocks and sticks
  
• Make tie-dye shirts

Next time your children are bickering...I suggest making your Summer Play list! Our day has been smooth sailing ever since. (*Although it's only 9:21 a.m. as I write this.)

What will be on your family's summer list? Share your ideas in the comment section!

* - It's now 9:33 a.m. and my son is already telling his sisters, "Leave me alone." At least there was 12 minutes of peace.

Mini Monets

My friend from high school, Annette, is a talented artist who is sharing her love of creativity with the next generation through her Mini Monets classes, located in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. In the classes, children and adults are encouraged to create projects together...spending quality time and making precious keepsakes...and memories.

But these are not your usual projects...you will go beyond the traditional paper and paint and use canvases and other quality materials to add some sophistication.

If you live in southeastern Wisconsin, you'll want to check out the offered classes...and there happen to be two this weekend that sound wonderful...including a special Mother's Day Event!

Saturday, May 1 at 12:00 p.m., there is a class painting with textural objects such as Matchbox cars, corn on the cob, string, etc. Then, the painted canvas will be transformed into an umbrella or flower to be displayed.

Sunday, May 2 at 3:00 p.m., dads are encouraged to bring their little ones in to create a special keepsake for mom...something she is guaranteed to always treasure!

Both classes are $20 a child and all materials and a light snack are included. To register, contact Annette at aburckart[at]yahoo.com. And visit minimonets.weebly.com to check out photos of past projects, to stay up-to-date on upcoming events, and to get information on hosting your child's birthday party in the art space!

Earth Day Papier-Mâché

Yesterday the kids and I worked on our papier-mâché skills in preparation for the Earth Day craft I had planned. I blew up round balloons, cut strips paper, and whipped up a batch of paste. And then we got to work on making our globes.

First, we placed our balloons in bowls to hold them in place. Then we dipped our strips of paper into the paste (recipes below), ran them through our fingers to remove the excess paste, and placed them on our balloons...over and over again.

Be careful not to do too many layers because then the drying process will take forever! 2-3 layers at a time is perfect...and you can do this a couple of times if you want yours really strong. Because we don't receive the newpaper, we used newsprint ads that came in the mail and pages from a phone book we no longer need from a city we lived in long ago.

Once we were done with our 2-3 layers of printed paper, we did one coat of plain white copy paper so that the painting process would go smoothly the next day...no print to cover with a base coat. Then, I placed the paper mached balloons on drinking glasses and left them to dry, turning them before I went to sleep so that the bottoms would dry too.

Do no try to speed up the drying process by placing them in front of a heating vent or your balloon will expand and your paper mache will crack open...I've learned this from experience.

Once they are fully dry, we popped the balloons and pulled them out. Then we painted our balls a light blue base and then darker blue for water and green and brown for land. We have a globe collection so our children looked at them for inspiration, but printing maps would be another great option. We followed up with a geography lesson because the kids were interested in learning where their ancestors came from and where I had all traveled.

The options of paper maching even just a balloon are endless! Hot air balloons will be our next project complete with hanging baskets, but masks, pumpkins, Easter eggs, soccer balls, baseballs, apples, and more are all great projects! What a great and green way to reuse paper and for your children to expand their imaginations!

Paste Recipes:

Option 1: 3/4 white glue to 1/4 water (or if using a good thick glue, like Elmers, you can do 1/2 and 1/2).

Option 2, the cooking method: 1 part flour to 5 parts water... boil about 3 minutes and let cool. This is my favorite...it's the cheapest and is nice and smooth.

Option 3: 1 part flour to 1 part water. Stir together.


The photo above is from the blog Drew Cogbill wrote when he was working on his thesis for Parson's. I thought it was lovely and inspiring and better than any photos I took while we worked on our globes.

Buddha Board

Last month a friend and I took our oldest daughters out to eat and to the ballet. It was a wonderful double date full of good food, a beautiful performance, and an introduction to Buddha Board. Since that day, I have purchased a handful of Buddha Board products...including the three mini boards that have become a staple in my everyday bag.

Buddha Board makes eco-friendly water painting surface boards that my children (and I) love! When we are out for coffee or at a restaurant, I simply get a small glass of water, pull out the boards and my children go to town painting with the enclosed brush on the magical board. As the water makes contact with the board the painting shows up...and it fades as it dries. To give you an idea of how long it takes for the painting to disappear, my children usually complete at least three paintings in one sitting.

In addition to the Mini Buddha Boards I carry with me on a daily basis, there are two other models as well...the Laptop Buddha Board (also called Water Wizard) which is a larger version of the fliptop mini board and the Original Buddha Board, a stand-alone permanent board. These two are great at-home options!

Although I have discussed my children's love of this painting medium, I should also mention that the act of painting and watching it disappear is quite relaxing for adults too. I'm hooked myself...and I've already given my brother a board as a gift since he fell in love using my son's board while him and I were out for a glass of wine one night.

Visit buddhaboard.com to learn more about their family of products. They are also available to purchase directly from Buddha Board or on Amazon.com where some models ship free! And keep in mind all of the summer birthday parties approaching...the Mini Buddha Boards come in a gift packaging that is perfect for giving!

The Copper Ewe

I am on a first name basis with not only my postal carrier, but the UPS and FedEx delivery men as well due to them delivering packages to my home almost daily. Very rarely am I disappointed when I open a package. And even less often is my breath taken away when I unfold the top of a box and reveal it's contents...as happened today.

Because today my package from The Copper Ewe arrived!

The Copper Ewe is run by a talented artist named Roisin who I've had the pleasure of exchanging emails with over the last week. She is as lovely as her work....which is quite a feat in itself! I mean, just look at the intricate beauty of each letter above!

So when I opened my package, I first spied my daughter Hazel's name in the natural twig letters and then August's name in silver...each beautiful in their own unique way and each fitting their personalities. And then I saw the jewelry...an intricate silver bird nest with three little eggs inside and then the initial pendent for Martha. We both put our necklaces on at once!

Since this afternoon when the art arrived, my mind has been racing with more uses for the twig letters and people I can gift with The Copper Ewe jewelry. I could picture the twig letters spelling out FAMILY over a wall of photographs, LOVE over a bed, EAT in my kitchen, and SISTERS in my girls' shared room. And the meaningful necklaces and rings Roisin creates are perfect for modern mothers as they are subtle in their representation of children.

Another favorite product of mine that I plan on purchasing in the very near future for my fairy lover Martha is the Faerie Kits! These amazing kits come partially assembled and are to be completed by the recipient. I can imagine the hours of fun Martha and our family will have creating an intimate wonderland.

The Copper Ewe has products available at Chasing Fireflies and Viva Terra...two of my favorite online retailers. However, if you're like me, if you have the opportunity to purchase directly from an artisan, you jump at it! And here is that opportunity because all of these great items I've mentioned, and more, are available on Roisin's website located at copperewe.com. Although I do understand if you want to add a few twig letters into an order with one of the before-mentioned webshops!

2010 Winter Olympics Crafts

The 2010 Winter Olympics begin tonight in Vancouver, Canada. My children and I are excited to watch the opening games and all of the upcoming events over the next couple of weeks! I have a lot of art projects and activities planned along the way as well to educate them about the history and meaning behind the games.

If you'd like to have your children join in all of the excitement surrounding the Olympics, here are a few of my favorite activities my family will be working on...and some other resources to get you started finding some additional activities.

• The Vancouver 2010 Olympics site has some great games, a video and an online store where you can purchase mascot products. Aren't these little guys adorable?!
• Craft Jr. has some templates for children to make the Vancouver mascots as well as links to some Olympics word searches and other activity pages.
  
• Here is a how-to for chenille hockey sticks (apparently they're not pipe cleaners any more...they're now called chenilles).
• I found a great 3-D ski jump project (one of my favorite winter Olympics events). I'm excited to make this one.
• Here is a cute ski project that would be good for younger children.
• For older children, these salt dough ice skates are adorable!
• Here is a site with a lot of printable Olympics activities.
  
• And of course there are many different ways to make the rings. Here is a paper plate version as well as a tissue paper one. I think we're going to do the tissue paper version.

I hope you enjoy everything the Olympics have to offer these next 16 days and that you take the time to explain to your children why they are important, how they make the entire world stop in peace and some friendly competition. And that some day, if they work hard, they too could find themselves wearing gold!

Eco-Friendly Dollhouse

I'm heading to Chicago next weekend and in preparation for my visit to The Land of Nod store, I thought I'd visit their site to get my wish list together. When looking at their sale items I saw the most amazing deal on an eco-friendly dollhouse and thought I'd share.

The You're a Natural Dollhouse is very gender-neutral. It's perfect for Earth-friendly families as it has a wind turbine, solar cell panel, a barrel for collecting rain and recycle bins. In addition it has a working shade canopy that can be pulled down to prevent or allow wind and sunlight from coming through. And all furniture (living room, kitchen, bathroom, children's bedroom and master bedroom) is included!

The house is made from replenishable rubberwood while all furniture and accessories are made from recycled materials. Can't get more eco-friendly than that!

Visit landofnod.com to see this amazing dollhouse that is marked down from $229.00 to only $114.00!

Shrinky Dinks

My children and I made Shrinky Dinks this afternoon. As one friend said when I mentioned them, "Holy blast from the past, Batman."

Sharing childhood activities I remember with my children is always a special thing...especially when my children enjoy them too. And Shrinky Dinks did not disappoint! We made a few rings, key chains, pieces to stand in the little holders, and Valentine hearts to give as gifts.

Of course the best part of the activity was watching them bend and shrink in the oven. My children were giddy!

Amazon, as expected, has many great set that are affordable and ship free depending on the order price. Check out amazon.com to see all of the offerings!

Paper Snowflakes

My children and I have been crafting up a storm...due to the winter storms hitting the Midwest. My little town is a real live snowglobe. It's quite beautiful and makes for cozy crafting.

Today, suitably, we started work on snowflakes. We've been cutting them all off the top of our heads using only our imaginations but tonight, after putting the kids to bed, I thought, "I bet there are some great patterns online to reference." And sure enough...I found some great ones! I think tomorrow we'll try some of these patterns and see how they turn out.

Here are some of the child-friendly ones:

• PaperSnowflakes.com
• KinderArt.com
• HighHopes.com
• Marcels-Kid-Crafts.com
• NoelNoelNoel.com
  

And if you want to help your children master the use of a computer mouse and work on their hand/eye coordination while sticking with the snowflake theme, you can have them visit the Make A Flake site where they can create some virtual flakes.