Words with Friends

A few months ago, one of my boys took an extra long time brushing his teeth.

After he was in bed, I found this in the bathroom:

Yep, his name spelled out, in hair thinga majigies, combs, tooth brushes.

Creative spirit!

He started something, y'all, and my friends and family joined in!

My dear friend Suzanne's hubby did this from his office, in Little Rock, AR:

And she responded with this one, from her home:

Then I found some Joy, while hiking.

It is usually where I find the most joy--

outside, with my kids, in the warmth and fresh air.

Another friend, Ann-Marie, sent this from her office in Rockford, Illinois:

(I totally thought that was toilet paper on her desk, at first glance!)

And, below....

behold, my dishes.

Oh, and another from Suzanne. Isn't this sweet? :D

Boys' Art Class

In my Boys' Art Class, on Tuesday, we worked on Modigliani Self-Portraits in Chalk pastel!

First, with our black paper in hand, we created creases to help with the proportions that Modigliani is so well-known for.

 The boys were great about following directions, and listening to the very brief description of Modigliani's art.

 After sketching out their self-portraits, they colored them in entirely, and started adding the details.

We talked about blending pastels, and how to use fingers to smooth the color around.

Modigliani also typically left his portraits with a "blank" stare (think- no eyeballs), but only two of my students wanted to leave their self-portraits like that, which is okay. It IS a bit creepy looking.

Next, they outlined their entire portrait in black pastel.

I love that this sweet little dude even copied the pattern on his shirt!

In our remaining time, we molded volcanoes out of the air-dry modeling clay I had mixed up before class.

By our next class, they will be dry and ready to paint!

Enjoy art every day, folks!

It's all around you, in everything you see!

Jello Playdough in Art

The best thing about jello playdough? It smells aaaamazing!

Your whole house will smell marvelously yummy while you cook this.

I hadn't intended to make more playdough so soon, but our art lesson with professional artist John Lasater required play dough in primary colors. And, wouldn't you know it, Wal-Mart had only blue and yellow. Being in this little town, with no Target or other means to search for red playdough, we decided to make our own! 

Below, my amazing Jello Playdough Chef.

He poured, he mixed, and he was the first to try out the goods. 

~Jello Playdough~

 •1 cup of flour

•2 Tbs salt

•2 Tbs cream of tarter

•1 cup water

•2 Tbs oil - (I used canola oil, but I'm sure any edible oil would work!)

•1 3oz. pack of Jello in the color of your choice (the off-brand will work fine)

I doubled this recipe, for our group.

First, mix all your ingredients in a pan or pot.

Mix in your jello and watch it turn a bright color! This is the strawberry flavor.

After it's mixed, turn the heat to medium-high and stir constantly. Works those arm muscles!

It will start smelling great. It will also start slowly thickening and clumping together, after about 2 minutes. It's done in about 6-7 minutes. Just make sure there aren't wet areas, and it's in a ball.

Let cool. If it seems a bit sticky, add a touch more flour. It should be smooth and pliable.

Store in an airtight container or plastic bag, and it should last quite a long time.

It was a hit with the little artists!

A huge thanks to our guest speaker, John, for the lesson he shared about values, hues, and color mixing!

Our homeschool group has so many wonderful opportunities and so much support!!!

I love watching kids take such joy in art!

When I grow up (ha) I'm going to be an elementary art teacher!! --

....wait, I already get to do that!

I live such a great life! :D

Homemade Dye-free Playdough Recipes

Just mix 1/2 cup white glue and 1 cup corn starch!

 This is the consistency of modeling clay, not play dough.

It is thicker, a bit tougher, and a bit stickier.

My kids love it!

Next, we decided to make some play dough, for a softer consistency.

 This is the BEST recipe I've found!

It is soft and pliable, not at all sticky, perfect for shaping just about anything.

Love it! For both recipes, store the dough in an airtight container, when not in use.

Enjoy!

Art Class~ Birch Trees

First, I had my little pupils paint "grass" along the bottom of their sketchbooks. We talked about using strokes to paint, rather than jamming the brushes down on the paper. Acrylics dry fast, so we mixed in some water, painted our grass and blew it dry.

 Next, we used watercolors to add sunsets to our backgrounds.

While our sunsets dried, we used another sheet of paper to start on the birch trees. 

That there, folks, is my expired wageworks healthcare card.

See? It's still good for somethin'.

The kids took a short break while we waited for everything to thoroughly dry.

Next, we cut out our birch trees and pasted them on our backgrounds.

 Look at their beautiful results!!

I'm so proud of my talented little students!

 Some of their birch trees didn't reach entirely across, and kids wanted to add leaves to the top.

So we fingerpainted!

(Simply because fingerpaint is fun and an easy way to add foliage!)

Color Wheel Bouquet

Teaching this little art class has become such a great source of joy. I love art!~~ it just makes me happy. And I love the enthusiasm of children doing art!

For our last session, we used this Color Wheel Bouquet lesson from Deep Space Sparkle.

Remember-- an artful mess is half the fun!

My precious little pupils, taking as much joy in art as I do...

 Colorful masterpieces!!

Little Artists and Art!

Look at my precious, eager little art students!

I love working with kids. They believe in themselves. They appreciate their talent. They try hard, encourage each other, and put their own unique spin on everything they do.

“Every child is an artist,

the problem is staying an artist when you grow up”

– Pablo Picasso

I found I could say things with color and shapes

that I couldn't say any other way -

things I had no words for.

--Georgia O'Keeffe

I love that my children pursue art on their own,

in the car, while I read aloud, or just during "Quiet Time" in their rooms.

Here are some of their most recent pictures: