Literary Lunches: Mortimer’s First Garden – Sweet Sunflowers

Mortimer's First Garden by Karma Wilson, is a great book to read in the springtime!  Mortimer, a little mouse, learns about the miracle of God’s creation through a little sunflower seed.  He finds out that with a little sunlight, water and a lot of patience something amazing transforms his one seed into many, enough to have some to share with a friend!  My boys and I read this book and then enjoyed these tasty, sweet sunflowers.    



the day I photographed these we threw on some cheerios too
but they are not necessary



Ingredients:
mini bagel
peanut butter
banana
raisins
honey

Directions:

1.       Spread peanut butter on the mini bagel. 

2.       Slice the banana lengthwise and then into coins to create semicircles for the petals that are then arranged around the edge of the bagel (hanging half over the edge).

3.       Fill the center of the circle with raisins.

4.       Top it off with a swirl of sweet honey and enjoy with a cold glass of milk.

Upcycled Sewing: Blue Jean Apron

This is an easy sewing project and a great way to transform an old pair of blue jeans into something new and useful.  My son loves to reuse things so this is right up his alley.  I first made these when I had just started teaching art.  The kids loved wearing them.  The heaviness is great for working with really messy materials.  I made a whole slew of them for my students and hung them on peg racks on the wall of my classroom.  They were both decorative and functional! 

You can make two aprons from one pair of jeans.  The leg becomes the length of the apron and the back pocket becomes the bib.  I’ve tried lots of different things for straps and my favorite is gross grain ribbon.  Once the apron is put together kids can also enjoy turning this blank canvas into personalized apparel by painting their own unique design on the bib if they’d like. 

Materials:
Old pair of blue jeans
A good pair of scissors
thread
1” gross grain ribbon
pins
sewing machine
fabric paints (optional)

Directions:

1.       Cut off one leg of the jeans (as if you were making short cut off shorts.)

2.       Cut the seam between the two back pockets and the seam long the side of the hip for the bib.

3.       Cut along the seam down the pant leg you already cut off.

4.       Trim the panel from the pant leg from the top, raw edge so it is an appropriate length for the person who will be wearing the apron. (The hem that used to fall at the ankle will become the bottom edge of the apron.)

5.       Clean up the edges where the bib and apron will meet so they line up.

6.       Hem the top raw edge of the pant leg by foldint it twice and sew it into place. 

7.       Place the bib in the center of the top of the leg panel with the pant leg overlapping the bib by about an inch.  And sew straight across the layers.

8.       Cut a piece of ribbon to fit around the waist of the person who will be wearing the apron plus some for tying. To determine the length of ribbon for the waist I measure their waist and add 40 inches (20 for each side of the apron).  This leaves plenty of room to tie a bow and room to grow.  Sew this ribbon across the waist covering the seam you made between the bib and the length of the apron.

9.        Cut two ribbons for the top of the apron bib.  I use 26 inches of ribbon at each corner of the top of the bib and tie it to fit so I can loop the apron over my head and it fits nicely.  Then it can be hung when not in use and doesn’t need to be retied each time I wear it.  I cut 20 inches for a child’s apron.  Sew them in place.

10.   Cut the ends of your ribbons at an angle to prevent them from unraveling.

11.   Decorate your bib as you choose to make it uniquely yours!

Photography Walk

My husband and I have given our preschooler our old digital camera.  We came across it while looking for items for a yard sale and since it is over ten years old we decided that instead of selling it for $5, we’d outfit it with a neck strap and hand it over to our preschooler.  It is pretty fun to see pictures he takes from around our house from his point of view.  He takes pictures of things that are important to him and that he finds interesting.





from our flamingo tour



Now that warm spring-like weather has arrived, we’ve been able to break out the sit- and-stand stroller and take the boys for walks in our neighborhood.  One of the fun things to do with my little budding photographer is to go on a photo walk.  Sometimes we decide ahead of time what we are going to look for and take pictures of.  We’ve been on a flamingo tour of the neighborhood.  We’ve watched for flags, pumpkins, shapes, birds, flowers and litter (which we picked up along the way).  Our most recent excursion was to take pictures of signs of spring.  Sometimes we have a certain destination like the post office or library and we have created a game for him to practice counting.  He knows how many pictures he has room for on his card.  We divide that number in two and he pays attention to the number on the screen and tries to pace himself, taking half the photos on the way out to our destination and half on the way home. 





When we return home we watch a slide show on our computer of the photos he took and choose the best ones.  We then upload these to Facebook where we can share them with friends and family, especially his grandparents who have an interest in photography and are probably his biggest fans.  We sometimes do some more counting as we figure out how many photos were taken in a certain category.  For example, we add up the total number of flamingos in our neighborhood, how many flags were American flags, or the total of each shape he found.

 Our photography walks are a fun way to get some fresh air and exercise while taking in our surroundings, teaching my little one a creative way to be more observant of the world around him.  Dust off that obsolete camera in your closet or keep a lookout for a cheap one that has been tossed aside.  It may turn out to be very valuable to your creative little heart.



Our Fall foliage walk

Signs of Spring walk

Pumpkins

some fantastic fungus caught his eye on this walk

I know I am biased, but I have to admit some of his photos are pretty impressive!



Flower Pounding: celebrate springtime with a bang!

My preschooler was thrilled that today is the first day of spring!  The weather was actually more summer-like, but we’re not complaining!  My guy has been picking me “wild flowers” out of the lawn a lot during the past week.  When I suggested that we make a card to cheer up a friend he thought we should pick flowers and attach them to the card.  I explained that the flowers probably wouldn’t hold up well in the mail, but it reminded me of the perfect spring art project!

Flower pounding is the process of layering colorful petals and leaves on paper and then pounding them to release their pigments onto the paper.  We started by exploring our yard for blooms.  We picked some flowers, clover, and blades of grass (being careful to pick plants that are not poisonous).  Then we found a sturdy surface to work on.  Next, we placed some single blooms or petals onto a sheet of heavy paper like cardstock or watercolor paper and covered them with a sheet of paper towel or waxed paper.  (The paper towel or waxed paper  keeps the petals from sticking to your hammer or mallet.)  Carefully, we pounded the flowers to release their color onto the paper.  Watch those fingers!  If the waxed paper slides around a lot you can secure it with scotch tape (or painters tape which would be easier to peel off).  After filling the paper with pigment I gave him a pen and some butterfly stamps that he used to embellish his picture.  When he wants to stamp with multiple colors we use this trick: quickly color the rubber stamp with washable marker and then stamp immediately before it has a chance to dry.  You can get colorful images without turning all your stamp pads into mud!

Flower Pounding was a huge success at our house.  My son loved the process!  I hope you give it a try with your little creative hearts as a way to celebrate the beginning of this new season! 

Truffula Tree Pencils

This week my son’s preschool is celebrating Dr. Suess’ Birthday.  My husband and I are big fans of Dr. Suess so I pulled a bunch of our books off the shelf and read them to our boys.  Many of these tales are familiar to them.  The Lorax, while a favorite of my husband, was not one that we had read to the boys much… yet.  Our oldest really liked it.  In fact, we’ve read it at least twice every day since it came down off the shelf last week!   A friend of mine made truffula tree pencils for her students and I immediately asked how she made them.  Some of hers were made with wool roving which I happened to have on hand from when my son and I made felted bead earrings for teachers at his school around Christmas time.  I was a little leery of gluing loose pieces of roving onto a pencil that I was handing to my preschooler so I took a few minutes to do a little wet felting of the wool first.  It’s relatively quick and easy, two requirements for doing crafts with preschoolers!  I was pleased with the outcome and my son loves tickling his cheek with the soft truffula tuft.  Hopefully when my son practices writing with his Truffula Tree Pencil he will be reminded of the tale of the Lorax and conserve paper!

Supplies:

Wool roving dyed in bright colors
Old Towel
Bubble wrap
Spray bottle with warm soapy water (a little soap goes a long way)
Waxed paper
Rolling pin
Glue or a hot glue gun
Yellow #2 Pencils
Black Fine Point Permanent Marker

Directions:1. Spread an old towel on your work surface. Place the bubble wrap with the bubbles facing up on top of the towel.  Separate the fibers of wool roving and fluff them.  If you are not familiar with working with wool roving, grab the piece of wool with your hands a few inches apart.  If you pull and the fibers don’t easily pull apart, your hands are too close together.  Lay the wool fibers directly on the bubble wrap. Layer the fibers until you have a nice thick layer that is about 6 inches long on the side where the ends of the fibers are lined up.  You can put a few fibers along the edge running them perpendicular to the other fibers to make your felted portion stronger.

2. Place a piece of waxed paper over the fibers leaving only the ends exposed (an inch or less).

3. Spray the exposed fibers until they are just damp.  Gently fold the bubble wrap over the wool fibers and wax paper.  Roll over the ends of the fibers with the rolling pin for about 30 seconds, rolling in different directions.  The bubbles in the bubble wrap act as little fingers massaging the wool fibers.  The warm water and friction from the bubble wrap make microscopic barbs on the wool fibers link together and tangle to create felt.

4. Peel back the bubble wrap the fibers should not look fluffy anymore.  

5. Fold the hairy ends over onto the rest of the wool and pat them, spraying if necessary so they stick.  Put the bubble wrap back over the fibers and roll the same as before for 30 seconds.  Peel back the bubble wrap.  Remove the wax paper flip the wool fibers over.  Cover the dry section with the waxed paper.  Spray the felted edge if needed, place the bubble wrap over the fibers and roll with rolling pin for 30 seconds. 

6. Allow the wool to dry (overnight) or use a hair dryer to speed this step along.  Separate the fibers into sections and twist them (similar to twirling your hair).

7. Glue the pencil to the wet felted edge of the wool.  I chose to glue these for my son using a hot glue gun (after he was tucked into bed for the night).  Roll the pencil along that edge adding more glue as necessary.  If using white craft glue I probably would clip a clothes pin while it dried to keep it tightly in place.

8.  Allow to cool or dry.

9.  Sculpt your truffula tuft by spinning the pencil between your fingers and swirling the ends to achieve a shape and texture like the illustrations in Dr. Suess’ book. 

10. Using the permanent marker, sketch zig zag stripes around the pencil to simulate the bark in the drawings and allow the marker to dry.

Creativity on the Move: Yoga Flash Cards for Kids

My father introduced me to yoga when I was a first grader.  Starting full day school was stressful for me and falling asleep on school nights did not come easily.  So my dad taught me some tried and true yoga poses and relaxation exercises that we practiced each evening.  I continued to do yoga and twenty years later I found yoga to be a tremendous help during my pregnancies.  Shiva Rea’s Prenatal Yoga DVD made its way onto our living room TV almost every day, right up until each of my boy’s births. 



Mommy takes a moment in this restful pose
while getting a, suprisingly nice, toy car massage



Now as a mom of two busy little boys I struggle to find time and space to practice yoga.  As a morning person, I would love to start my day with a salute to the sun as it peaks over the horizon.  Unfortunately, sleepless nights with a hungry newborn or teething toddler have prevented me from waking up before I absolutely have to.  On the rare occasion that I do wake up before the boys, our squeaky staircase nearly always gives me away, waking my guys up and keeping me from sneaking down to the living room to catch a half hour of uninterrupted quiet.  Evenings are tough too.  Between the boy’s bedtime routines, doing the dishes and catching up on anything else that I want to get done while the kids are asleep, I have used up the last scraps of the day.  A yoga teacher (and mother of four) suggested that I had to figure out a way to include the kids to fit my practice in.  Riiiiiight.  She must know what she’s talking about, she has two times as many children as I do, but including them seemed impossible!  If my youngest wasn’t driving toy cars and trucks along my spine while I was curled into child’s pose, my preschooler was literally burrowing under my mat or using my block as a drum set. 

Balancing in tree pose

Then I took a mommy and me yoga class, taught by a friend of mine.  The class incorporated an element of storytelling.  How creative and cool is that?!  After considering this concept I came up with a project idea for my kids and me that combined visual art, storytelling and movement.  We made a deck of flashcards with illustrations of animals, places, people, and miscellaneous things on one side and a written explanation and stick figure diagram on the opposite side.  Many yoga poses mimic things from the natural world and various exercises from other physical practices like aerobics and pilates can remind you of verbs and nouns that can be used in storytelling. 

Making the cards stretched my kid’s imaginations.  Drawing and coloring strengthens fine motor skills and muscles used for writing.  We labeled the pictures which gave my preschooler some practice writing.  Then we spread the finished cards out on the floor, pick out pictures and place them in a long line in the order we wanted the story to go.  During our time of storytelling we are building vocabulary and communication skills.  We exercise our bodies by acting out the story.  It may not be the yoga practice I used to have or one I was striving for, but it got us moving and stretching.

  The nature of the flashcards helps us to make up a new story each time we use them which keeps it fun and helps us to flex our imaginations to!  Try making your own set of yoga storytelling flashcards.  Get creative and get moving with your little ones!

Supplies:

·         Index Cards

·         Favorite Art Supplies: markers, crayons, letter stamps & ink pads, magazines, scissors, glue, pencils,

·         a rubber band or manila envelope (to hold the deck of flash cards all together)

Directions:

1. Make the cards illustrating the poses and exercises. 

·         draw the picture and have your child color it in

·         search for free coloring pages online and print them to fit your index cards or print them on cardstock that can be cut to size and have your child color them in

·         cut out pictures from magazines and glue them on with a glue stick

2. Label the picture: if your child is able and in the mood, verbally tell him or her what letters to write. 
If not, try one of these alternative options:

·         write the word on a scrap paper or type them on a computer screen and have your child copy the letters

·         write the letters lightly in pencil and have your child trace them with brightly colored markers

·         write the letters with dashed lines to create a dot-to-dot type image that your child can connect with markers

·         type the labels in an easy to read font, print them out and have your child glue them to the card

·         use letter stamps and help your child find each letter and stamp it on the card (even though they aren’t practicing their writing skills this helps with letter recognition and strengthens their fine motor skills)

3. Draw the stick figure demonstrating the exercise on the opposite side of the card and write a brief description of what to do.

Here are a few examples of yoga poses and aerobic exercises you can use to get started:

1.       Tree pose: balance on one leg with the sole of your other foot resting at your knee

2.       Mountain pose: stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart (under your hips) put your palms together in front of your chest

3.       Volcano: start in mountain pose and move your hands upward and then as they stretch towards the ceiling open your arms, rotate your palms outward and sweep them down to your sides and then back to the starting position. All while making volcanic noises of course!

4.       Lion: start seated in a cross legged position lean forward onto hands and knees and roar while sticking out your tongue.

5.       Cow: Kneel on all fours with your knees under your hips and hands under your shoulders.  Start with your spine flat like a table top as you exhale relax your spine stretching your tummy towards the floor gently and say, “moo” for sure!

6.       Cat: Kneel on all fours with your knees under your hips and hands under shoulders.  Inhale and tip the hip bones towards the ceiling while drawing the shoulders back and down away from your ears. Exhale and tuck the chin while pulling your belly towards your spine. Round the back and feel a stretch down your spine.  And don’t forget to meow!

7.       Cobra: lie on your stomach, gently lift your head and upper body and hiss

8.       Surfer (aka: warrior): stand on a yoga mat or towel and with your feet spread out wide point one foot toward the front of the mat (pretend it’s your surf board) hold your arms out straight and try to keep balance while to pretend to ride the waves!

9.       Bicycle: lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent.  Bring your knees up so your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and peddle your feet like you are on a bicycle.

10.   Swimming: lie on your stomach with legs straight and together.  Keeping your shoulders away from your ears as you stretch your arms straight overhead. Pull your abs in so you feel your belly button pull up away from the floor and while looking at the floor so as not to crease your neck, extend your arms and legs so they lift off the floor alternate right arm/left leg, then left arm/right leg, pumping them up and down in small pulses as if you are swimming.

Make a few at a time so it doesn’t become overwhelming.  This is an ongoing project; you can always add more cards to the deck!  It’s more about the process than the product! 

If you choose to do collage and are cutting and pasting elements of your cards (like magazine pictures and or printed words) keep them together in a big manila envelope so you can keep track of all the pieces between crafting sessions. 

Older children might benefit from talking about different parts of a story.  Talk about setting, characters, plot, conflict and resolution if you like.  You can even color code your cards to remind children which ones are nouns and which ones are verbs.

Remember this is a time to teach your child about how yoga helps your body be strong and calm, you can blow off steam and energy but also breathe and relax.  It’s also about paying attention to your body and how it feels.  Skip anything that doesn’t feel good. 

Preschool Craft Time = STRESS! 10 Tips and Tricks for Crafting Success

a "works in progress box"
filled with kid friendly washable art supplies

When I do a craft with my kids we really get into it.  However, we like to be crafty and I have art teaching experience.  After hearing groans from other moms who were frustrated with the task of making valentines with their little ones I thought of some tips that might be helpful.

10 Tips & Tricks

to ease your stress when making cards with your kids (or any craft for that matter!)

1.       Lean into your child’s strengths and interests.  For example, if they love to cut things out let them go at it, if not pre-cut the hearts for them and let them glue the hearts onto their valentines.  If stamping is their thing, go for it and skip the cutting and gluing altogether!

2.       Lean into your strengths and interests.  If getting messy with art supplies makes your heart beat a little faster because of stress rather than excitement, opt for supplies that you are comfortable with.  There are lots of options available that are less messy.  For example, stickers and crayons.  If your child has their heart set on glitter and paint look for tubes of glitter glue rather than loose glitter that you’ll be vacuuming up for months, and paint brushes with liquid watercolors in the handle.

3.       Be sure it’s washable!  Unless it says it’s washable on the package it may not be.  Opt for the tried and true brands and be sure you pick up the products clearly marked as “washable”!

4.       Keep it simple. If your child gets bored making every card the same set out their favorite art materials and jump in.  But if that would overwhelm your child (and you for that matter!),  design a card that has clear easy steps for completing. 

5.       Set limits ahead of time for example say, “Here are some stickers.  Choose three for each card.”  This will prevent your sicker budget from going through the roof and keep your child’s cards from weighing five pounds when you are done.  Plus they get to practice their counting skills!

6.       Don’t make all the cards at once.  Pay attention to your child’s mood and when they get antsy it’s time to put the project up for a while.

7.       Keep a box on hand for easy clean up, then when you and your child are in the mood all your materials are ready to go!

8.       Use technology to help.  If making cards by hand is not your thing, try scanning your child’s favorite painting or drawing into your computer and print the cards.  Then all they have to do is sign them!

9.       You are the facilitator.  Yes, teach them how much glue is appropriate and remind them to keep the markers on the paper, but when they place a sticker or heart crookedly resist the urge to fix it!  Your job is to keep paint off your carpet and marker off your kitchen table.  It is their card after all, not yours.

10.   Remember to breathe!  If you are stressed your child will feel it.  Try to stay upbeat and help them have a positive experience.  Save your war stories of preschool crafting for your spouse or phone a sympathetic friend after bedtime.

You probably already practice some of these strategies in your house.  Maybe you have a few tricks of your own that you can share.  What do you do to keep crafting time with your preschooler successful?  I’d love to hear from you!  Don’t despair; keep crafting with your little creative hearts!