Make and Take: Stamped Orchard Landscapes

I recently facilitated a “make and take” craft at a local orchard.  When looking for an idea I start with the theme of the event and look for something that would have a high success rate with a range of ages (in this case: preschoolers through elementary school and maybe a few middle schoolers) .  I also prioritize how messy the craft will be.  I prefer something that they can walk away from the table with.  Something that will go directly into their car and the interior won’t end up smeared with wet paint or glue.  So that limits me some, but the simplicity is really important to how successful the craft is and how the parents will remember it. 
                So this weekend I was at an apple festival.  The most obvious craft: apple printing…but paint is messy, maybe we could use some sort of stamp pad?  But also most kids have done apple printing in preschool or kindergarten.  So I moved on.  Many of the crafts I came across would require collecting massive amounts of soda bottles or cardboard tubes.  Another requirement for my craft is minimal preparation.  If I don’t have to spend hours searching for supplies or cutting out things all the better!  After all for this event I’m planning for 150 kids.

                I had access to crayons and markers (both washable and met my less mess requirement.)  I am going to be on a working farm with 300 acres of orchard trees and veggies growing.  This particular Saturday there will be hay rides, face painting and the corn maze will be open.  Most kids get excited about tractors.  I had a tractor stamp from a birthday party I did for my kids a handful of years ago.  That’s when it came to me: stamped orchard landscapes. 
                When I went to the craft store to buy paper I checked out their stamps and on an end cap I found some Halloween themed rubber stamps.  There was one with a gnarled tree silhouette.  Without leaves it was a spooky tree you’d see in the front lawn of a haunted house but I could imagine adding leaves and apples with crayons and markers and it became a friendly little apple tree.  Sweet!
                

As the kids arrived I had them either stamp a bunch of trees and then add the ground or start with the horizon line and then stamp a row of trees across it.  Then most kids added the tractor or two.  Some drew hay wagons behind the tractor, one was a double decker wagon and the kids on the top could reach out and pick apples during the ride.  Some of the littlest kids went stamp happy, some landscapes turned into patterns resembling wall paper designs.  No two pictures came out exactly alike.  That’s also something I enjoy about doing art with kids, there may be a few starting points but the kids add their creative take on it, I prefer if there is some wiggle room and the project is not completely planned out.
                The craft was successful.  I had 135 kids to test it.  They came in waves of about 16 at the most.  I had two long folding tables with markers and crayons spread on each.  If possible I would recommend having a tree and tractor stamp on each table.  But we managed pretty well by sharing the stamp back and forth between the tables.  It was a great day at the orchard and I may volunteer to take it to my son’s fall classroom party next month.  Hope this gives you some tips for your next classroom party make and take craft. 

Materials:
                            White construction paper (1 per child)

                Washable Markers

                Crayons

                Tree rubber stamp

                Tractor rubber stamp

                Washable stamp pads (I used black, red and green)

                Wet wipes (for cleaning hands and rubber stamps)

Signs of Spring Photo Walk

This morning I wanted to snap some pictures of the fruit blossoms at our local orchard.  Since my youngest creative little heart doesn't have school until the afternoon he had to tag along.  To make it more interesting for him I let him use one of our old digital cameras.  I showed him the basic functions along with some simple rules like don’t touch the lens, always keep the strap around your wrist, and don't look through the viewfinder while you are walking.  Then we headed out to the orchard to find signs of spring!

What started out as a way to keep him occupied (and from getting whiny) ended up putting some other skills to good use.  He was able to read the label on the on/off button and count down the number of pictures he had left.  He learned the terms zoom, focus and point of view.  There was a beautiful clear sunny sky today, but the temperature was unseasonable chilly.  Even though our walk was somewhat short we ended up with some nice photos.  

If you have an old camera or cell phone with a camera feature lying around, put it good use by letting your little creative hearts snap some photos with it. They will be so proud of the pictures they take!

Here's what my creative little heart came up with.

Making vs Buying Valentines

Ah, it’s time for Valentine ’s Day parties in the elementary school again.  Getting my kindergartener to get Valentines ready for his classmates made me think about what it was like a few short years ago when my oldest had to do it.  Getting my oldest son to write his name 24 times when he was in kindergarten was grueling.  Seriously painful.  He hated it.  It took us days.  I tried to make it more fun for him by letting him pick out any store bought kit he wanted.  He ended up with a popular cartoon character that boasted free temporary tattoos.  I rationed them out over several days so he only had to do a few at a time.  In the end I was able to appreciate how his handwriting improved and how it had gotten easier.  (He was just glad they were done and that he got to keep the extra tattoos.)  Last year he was into rainbow loom bracelets so he made them for the whole class and I taught him how to use publisher to layout a card to go with them.  There are so many cute ideas out there on Pinterest, but I resisted the urge to take over and follow the latest trend this year.  I really want the valentines to be their own, something that they are excited to give their friends and classmates. I left it totally open to them.  

One child chose to buy his valentines, the other was super excited to make his.  My husband and I overheard them talking about their valentines.  Each child thought that what they were doing was better.  That’s when my husband brilliantly interjected that they should use “I statements”.  For example, instead of saying: “Making your own valentines is better than buying them!”  Try saying: “I enjoy making my own valentines because I like to draw.”  Or instead of saying: “My valentines are cooler.” Say: “I think my friends are going to like getting the valentines I picked out for them.”  It worked amazingly well! 

Working on fine motor and organizational skills here!

Saturday each boy set up a spot to work on their valentines.  My youngest stuck with it and made a unique card for each member of his class.  I did lay some ground rules.  He chose colored construction paper which I cut in half on the paper cutter so each card was the same size.  He then could cut, glue and draw to his heart’s content as long as each one had his name and his classmates name on it.  It was great for his cutting skills, I was pretty impressed with the hearts he was cutting out by himself by the end!  He also kept track of who he made valentines for and crossed them off his list as he went.  It was pretty exciting to see these organizational skills come together!

My oldest resisted the task of completing the valentines so early in the week at first, but once he got started he said it was actually fun to do.  (And I don’t have to worry about him staying up late the night before while he completes them last minute.)  He went to the store with his dad and chose a cute kit with a scratch off heart that concealed the message on the card. He carefully taped a penny to each one so that his classmates could scratch off the heart on their card right away.

In the end both kids were excited to give away their valentines and I hope learned valuable organizational and people skills in the process.  Using “I” language instantly changed their attitude, making positive statements that expressed their opinions instead of nasty comparisons that put others down.  I think more adults should put this into practice.  What do you think?

Dynamic Frames: review of Lil' Davinci Art Gallery

I’ve been on a quest to find an easy attractive way to display my kid’s artwork.  I’ve used a clothes line and clothes pins, which was cute in their toy room, but it didn’t give the clean look I wanted.  I tried putting up traditional frames and changing their artwork in them as they came home from school, but messing with traditional frames and glass was so cumbersome that I never ended up changing the artwork.  Last year I took a tour of Hershey Medical Center with the coordinator of artistic improvement.  Part of her job is to enhance the environment in the hospital.  She does this by painting murals and hanging artwork.  In some of the patient rooms they had built frames that they could easily switch out the artwork.  They even had a collection of art prints and patients were able to look through the collection on an ipad and choose the picture that would hang at the foot of their bed.  They got to choose what they looked at during their hospital stay!  She painted ceiling tiles with whimsical outdoor themes in the children’s hospital to give bed ridden young patients something to look at.  In one hallway she showed me some frames from Dynamic Frames that were hinged on one side.  They swing open allowing you to press in a new piece of art and store old pieces.  It was so easy and the spring loaded mechanism kept the image pressed neatly to the mat and glass.  It was neat, clean and easy. Plus it can hold up to 50 pieces of art!  It was the solution I had been looking for in my home!  I asked for a set of these last Christmas and love them!  They were easy to hang and can be hung horizontally or vertically.  Adding new artwork literally takes seconds and doesn't require any tools.   I wish I had these in the school office when I was an art teacher.  It would be an ideal way to change out seasonal art throughout the year at a school or office!

Note: Do be careful when the frame on a vertically hung art cabinet is open all the way the weight of it can tip the whole thing off it's hanger.

Family Tree Photo Gallery

I’ve had this idea for a while: to create a family photo gallery on top of a silhouette of a tree.  First I collected all the photos that I wanted to use.  I found black frames for them with white mats.  The frames vary in size and design.  Some hold two or three photos.  Some were plain and smooth while others have a slight tapering angle to them or grooves that add some dimension and interest. 

I started by cutting out pieces of white butcher paper to match the sized frames I had.  I stuck them on the wall with blue painter’s tape that could be easily removed and repositioned on the wall without removing any paint.  I started with one large photo that would serve as a focal point, an anchor with all the other photos and elements radiating from that one.  I established a few lines within the layout to keep the photos looking organized.  I wanted an asymmetrical layout without it looking haphazard.  I thought about taking similarly sized photos and placing them on opposite sides of my imaginary horizontal and vertical lines that I’d created. 

Once my design was finalized and I had all the templates taped on the wall I used a pencil to outline the silhouette of the tree.  Then I removed the templates and painted the silhouette using paint that was one shade darker than my wall color and one finish shinier.  I was able to make my silhouette using a sample size from the paint counter.  It was a little tricky to paint because one shade darker matches the wall color when wet.  I felt like I was using invisible paint!  I painted along the pencil line, covering the pencil as I went.  As it dried it darkened a bit revealing the subtle look I was going for.

The next day, when the tree was dry I marked where the hanger needed to be for each frame and taped the paper templates back on the wall.  I hammered the picture hangers right through the paper template and then ripped the paper from the nail/hanger. 

I’m very pleased with the results and hope you can use these tips to make a personalized family photo gallery in your home!

Man in the Yellow Hat Costume Tutorial and Free Pattern

When my boys were really little they were not fond of dressing up for Halloween in costumes that felt a lot different from regular clothing.  Anything that was too tight, too puffy or had a mask was out.  I had fun finding ways to transform regular clothing and hooded sweatshirts into costumes.  They felt comfortable in this costume which consisted of a regular button down shirt and pants with a soft comfy hat and of course their favorite monkey character!

Materials for hat and tie:

• 1/3 of a yard Yellow Felt (72” wide off the bolt)
• a square of Black Felt 
• 1 1/3  yards of Fusible Midweight Interfacing (at least 12” wide)  (this will give the hat some body to help keep it’s shape so look for something not too flimsy but not too thick)
• I” wide black gross grain ribbon (23 ½ inches long) or 1” strip of black felt
• yellow thread
• black thread
• ¼” wide elastic (14 inches long)
• Glue gun

To Make Hat:

Download Pattern Here

1. Attach fusible interfacing to one side of the yellow felt according to manufacturer’s directions.
2. From the felt with attached interfacing, cut three panels of yellow felt for the dome of the hat. (pictured to the right)
3. Cut 2 circles of yellow felt with a diameter of 12”.  Place circles together with interfacing together and sew the outer edge of the circle to create the brim of the hat. 
4. Put two of the three panels  together with right sides together and sew the seam from the point at the top to the bottom corner.  
5. Match up the point on the third panel to the point on the other two panels (again right sides together and sew the seams on either side then turn right side out to create the dome of the hat. 
6. To attach the dome of the hat to the brim of the hat, cut 6 ½” slits through the center of the circle leaving a 2 ½” brim.  
7. Trim to leave 1” tabs in the inside of the hat brim.
8. Set up the dome of the hat and gently slide the brim down from the top of the dome.  The tabs should all be sticking up against the dome.  Hand stitch or glue the tabs to the dome of the hat.
9. Cover the tabs with black ribbon or a strip of black felt.  

Download Pattern Here

To Make the Necktie:

1. Cut two yellow pieces from the necktie template.  
2. Place ¼” elastic in the top of the tie and pin in place.  Be sure there is an ample amount of elastic inside the yellow tie (about an inch on each side).  
3. Cut black accent circles.  Place the black circles on the yellow tie and sew in place.

Clean vs. Creativity Conundrum

I was recently commiserating with another mom about the perils of keeping the house clean with little ones.  It seems like an endless struggle.  Getting our kids to clean up after themselves seems impossible!  My cousin who has her own interior design business posted an article from house beautiful about “9 habits of people who never have to clean their house”.  (Obviously no children live in the house pictured here!)

How to Never Clean Your House  click to read full list of tips
from House Beautiful Magazine

They seem common sense enough and complaining that I can’t handle one of these seems ridiculous.  Put clothes in clothes hamper, cut down on clutter, file paperwork immediately upon opening the mail.  But in the midst of day to day survival the hours seem to slip by without much success on training my family to accomplish these tips and everything else on our plate.  

I know some parents institute rules that only one toy can be taken out at a time and that everything must be cleaned up before moving onto the next thing.  I find it to be more complex than that.  Certainly holding a child responsible for the care of their belongings is an important life skill.  And having a clutter-free, clean house is good for my family’s well-being.  But there are times that my child is so engrossed in something that he spent time building and is playing out a complex pretend scenario that is also important for his emotional and creative development.   

So my challenge: how can I balance the cultivation of creativity and extended uninterrupted playtime while also nurturing healthy cleaning habits?

One evening I got so fed up with cleaning up after my kids at every night (and the younger one had dumped an obscene number of toys on the playroom floor) that I simply locked the door and put a sign up that said “Danger” I told the boys that the room had so much on the floor that it was dangerous to walk in there and it wouldn’t be opened until they were ready to clean it up.

 Another day I tried handing my son, then in first grade, his digital camera and asking him to take a picture of the kitchen, entryway, trash can, bathroom, beds in his room shared by his little brother and the toy room.  Then we went room my room cleaning up each space and taking “after” pictures.  I then created a lift the flap poster that is still on our fridge.  This wasn’t a magical fix to our cleaning habits, but it did start the conversation and I notice my sons flip the pictures when they walk passed the fridge where it’s hanging. 

Flash cards allow kids to choose a task to keep their focus
and let them feel like they have control over cleaning up.

I’ve found that flash cards and a timer work pretty well.  Each card has a task like “pick up all the trash” or “put all the Legos in the box” and a picture that illustrates it so my preschooler who doesn’t read yet can understand it.  The cards are laid face down and my kids choose one task at a time, this gives them the feeling of control over what job they get.  Then we turn on a timer for three minutes or so and try to see who can finish their task first.  This method has worked quite well. 

I’ve also found that if I choose our clean up sessions wisely they are met with less resistance.  If I try to get my 4 year old to clean up in the middle of an elaborate pretend scenario it’s not going to be as successful than if I wait until a natural break in his playtime or a natural change in our routine for example before a meal time or when we move from outdoor play to indoor.   I give my kids the option to get special permission to keep toys out for extended times, like if they’ve built an elaborate fort or set up a play restaurant for example.  But it’s up to me to discern when it’s truly worth extended time and when it’s just a mess that they don’t want to clean up.

The latest thing that I’m continuing to work on with my kids and myself is to have everything cleaned up at least once a week.  This way I can make one sweep through the whole house to dust and vacuum without first having to put everyone’s belongings away.  This cuts down my cleaning time tremendously and keeps my basic housecleaning possible!  I also learned that I could wipe down the bathroom fixtures while the kids played in the tub.  That gets the bathroom cleaned at least on bath nights which is, no joke, a huge accomplishment for a family with two little boys!

How do you train your little creative hearts to clean up after themselves while also allowing them to engage in extended creative playtime?  Share your tried and true methods, because every care giver could use another trick up their sleeve!  And perhaps someday we can actually instill in ourselves and our kiddos the “nine habits of people who never have to clean their house”!