Wordless Wednesday- Mesmerized

Sunshine tugged me through exhibits at the Kimbell Art Museum until she was arrested. Mesmerized by the largest painting she’s ever seen.

The oil paint glowed only to reflect the delight in her eyes.

Wordless Wednesday

Love is Art

My husband thought we only had one small, pantry type closet full of art and craft supplies. I had him fooled. There were stashes in the garage, in my closet, and even in the bottom drawer of his dresser.

I try to toss some of it, but possibilities grab my thoughts and won’t let go. I think of all that I could create for my family. And I think of all that we can create together.

My friend Julie sent me this quote months ago, but I find it echoing in my heart during our slow good-bye to our home.

I tell you, the more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people. -Vincent van Gogh

Even if boxes of possibilities aren’t lugged to Idaho, my art will continue.

Paper, Glue, and Scissors Craft

This is a guest post from Connie Smith of Six in the Northwest.

As a home educator I try to attempt one type of creative activity each day, especially for my 7yo who is still exploring the world. At this age they can still be quite occupied with the process of ‘doing’ as opposed to the project’s final outcome…something I had to learn to be content with. Therefore, open ended projects can be more satisfying at this age. But that doesn’t mean we don’t attempt something that has a final purpose as in this project we did together today.

Supplies are simple. You can use whatever you have on hand:

• two sheets of paper
• glue or glue stick
• scissors
• pen or pencil

Take the sheet of paper that you wish the name to end up on and fold it in half lengthwise.

Placing the fold at the bottom, lightly trace or have your child write their name. Cursive provides a more interesting final project but printing will work. I have an example of each method here. Should you have a name with a trailing letter, just bump it above the line as we did here with the final ‘y’. Unfortunately my pencil marks do not show up well in these photos.

The next step is to create dimension from the letters by tracing along the outside of the letter to create a block-style writing. There is no need to be exact here and the side with the pencil marks will be glued down in the end.

Using scissors cut around the outside of the letters being sure to leave a continuous fold of paper along the bottom. This is more difficult if you are using printed letters. Just keep a small strip of paper intact between the individual letters. If you are using cursive letters, you may cut out the interior of hollow letters as well. Anything goes here.

Unfold the paper and lay it face down with the pencil marks underneath. It will look absolutely fascinating, and I guarantee your kids will ooh and ahh. Using a glue stick or glue, adhere it to the second piece of paper and then it can be embellished with glitter, stickers, markers, or even turned into a totem pole or alien as my 7yo decided to do.

Older children will enjoy this as well as they can appreciate the symmetry and the final flow of the project. It is definitely unique depending on each child’s name and their style of writing. Enjoy for awhile on your refrig and then mail off to relatives who will in turn enjoy this unique paper, glue and scissor craft.

Connie is a wife, mother of four, homeschooler, hobby farmer, and gardener who loves it all. I’ve enjoyed reading about her life on the farm and implementing the frugal tips she shares at her new blog Six in the Northwest. Please stop by and welcome her to the homeschool internet community.

Colored Pencils in Homeschooling

Today’s post is from Maddie Kertay. This preview of her upcoming book The Crafty Homeschooler (available Fall 2009) adds another dimension to my enjoyment of colored pencils. Visit her blog, Homeschool Confidential, for tips to enhance your homeschool.

While nice beeswax crayons are great for the 5 and under set as soon as some serious homeschooling is going on I suggest colored pencils. But before you run out to the dollar store let me take a bit of time to convince you to shell out a bit more money for a better quality pencil that in the end will make your homeschooling arts, maps and miscellaneous drawings better and brighter.

photo credit: Shahrokh Dabiri

Like most things colored pencils come in a range of prices and while you don’t need a set made (and priced) for a commercial artist you cannot go wrong with a basic set of Prisma Color pencils. There are more expensive brands but this one is many rungs up the ladder from what you will find marketed for children without making you kack over from the cost. Thick creamy leads with good color and smooth application are the key points of this brand.

As to care of your pencils, the people at Prisma Color advise:

When first getting your colored pencil set, it is best to sharpen all of your pencils and from then on, keep them sharpened. Since the “leads” are colored pigment in a wax base, care should be taken and one should not use excessive pressure or “force” when sharpening. Some members of the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA) suggest keeping your pencils extremely sharp. Using an electric sharpener quite frequently shaves off only a bit of wood each time (as compared to letting the pencil get extremely dull and then grinding it down about a half an inch).

photo credit: guillermopdc

Another suggestion is to use an electric sharpener initially and then afterward, sharpen your pencil manually with a hand-held sharpener. Cosmetic sharpeners (the kind used for pencil eyeliner, for example) can also be effective. If you decide to use a hand sharpener, it is less stressful on the pencil to hold it vertically in the hand sharpener. Please note that the more common method of holding it horizontally with a natural wrist action causes stress on the colored core and thinner wood near the top.

If your pencil splinters when sharpening, evaluate the force you are using, how you are holding the pencil when sharpening and check that you are using a sharp sharpener. If a particular pencil is breaking, you may want to try a larger opening sharpener, which can be a little gentler.  Also make sure that your child is not using the pencils to bang out a drum solo on this desk top since even light tapping of colored pencils can shatter the inner lead.

I grew up with a father who was a commercial artist and access to many wonderful art products that were suppose to be “hands-off” and yet my dad turned a happy blind eye to my fooling around with his very precious artists markers and drawing tools in pursuit of my own artistic muse. All of those years paid off in cultivating my personal love of arts and crafts that carries over to my life has a homeschooling mom and consultant. I approach most subjects that I teach my children by looking at how we can expand our learning with cool, quality projects that highlight the subject we are talking about. This adds a tactile experience to learning that can be lacking for children who need more than just words on a page for facts to stick in their heads. I stress the need to be flexible in homeschooling as well as art and think the quality of the products you use make a direct difference in the outcome of the project.

More Simple Ideas for Storing Memories

After reviewing Kelli Crowe’s video about scrapbooking children’s art, I started thinking of other ways to store memories. Any system I choose needs to be fast, simple, and concise.

Here are a few ideas my brain churned out.

1. Scan your children’s art and compile it into a photo book.

I have used Picaboo and Walmart to make gift books for family.

Both companies produced beautiful results. Picaboo uses free software and has lots of options for backgrounds and layouts. Walmart’s books are less expensive, but options are restricted.

2. Purchase a plastic file box for each child.

Keep only what will fit in the box. Let children choose their favorites. Use colorful file folders and slip in photos and souvenirs too. As they grow, their box will become even more of a treasure. And one they can take with them wherever they go.

3. Keep a blog and turn it into a book.

I did a quick test of Blurb and Blog2Print. Neither worked for me, but I want to try again. Have you used a service like this successfully? (If so, please let me know in the comments.) A good place to start a blog is Homeschool Journal.

4. Take pictures and slip them into a photo album.

2-up albums are easy to use. Cut scrapbook paper to fit the pockets and intersperse notes or handwriting samples among the photographs.

5. Use creative containers.

Slip old suitcases underneath a bed or stack them in the corner. Decorative boxes can add color and interest. Think outside the filing cabinet.

What are your ideas? Anna-Marie shared hers in the post Art Preservation Made Easy and Fun. Please write a post of your own or leave a comment. I’d enjoy hearing what creative things you are doing (or plan to do).