Friday's Art Smarts: Zacchaeus's Tree

Last Sunday, our kids came home from church with construction paper tree crafts. They had talked about the story of Zacchaeus and how he climbed up into a tree so that he could get a better look at Jesus. 

I think the kids could identify with that. I know I did when I was a kid. Well, who am I kidding? At just over 5 feet, I'm no giant, and I spend quite a bit of time staring at other people's backs when I'm standing in a crowd. As I introduced this week's art project, we talked about Zacchaeus's determination to find out about who Jesus was.

Before I go any further, let me say that I didn't come up with this project by myself. It was actually suggested on the family page the kids bring home from church. After reading through the process, I thought it would be a great way to give the kids some creative freedom with something big. Really big.

This week, we're making Zaccheus's tree.

Materials:

Large pieces of copy paper that can be taped together or large piece of butcher paper (I used white paper)

pencil

paints of your choice (we used tempera)

paint brushes

magazines

glue

scissors

Process:

Since this was such a large scale painting project, I put both kids in adult T-shirts to protect their clothes. Then I sat them down with old magazines and showed them how to tear pages into 4 or 5 sections. They had a great time with this step and would've kept going for a long time. But it doesn't take long to get enough little pieces of paper.

While they tore paper, I drew a rough outline of a tree on several pieces of copy paper that had been taped together. If you have butcher paper (or newsprint, or any other large paper) I would recommend going with that instead. But the copy paper trick works in a pinch.

Then we opened the paints and started painting! I didn't bring out water since the idea was make a rainbow tree - we wanted the colors to mix and blend. And while the kids painted we did some experimenting with making new colors by mixing other colors. I think this was their favorite part.

Notice that they definitely painted outside the lines. It's okay - don't worry about that too much during this step. Just let them have fun with it.

The next step is to glue on the leaves. Guess what the leaves are made out of?

Magazine pages! 

I really had you on the edge of your seat, didn't I?

After your tree is all glued up you'll need to leave it alone for awhile to dry. I carried ours inside and then...

We got wet. You better believe that I was sitting in that little wading pool with them. 

Silas woke up at about this point and joined us.

 Look at those cheeks! Where's his mouth?!

After some hearty outside time, we came inside and ate lunch. Then the kids ran around like wild men and I cut out the tree.

The final step is to glue it onto another large piece of paper. I suppose you could skip this step, but it definitely keeps those little branches and leaves at the top from tearing.

We hung ours on the door that leads out to the play room.

Ta Da! It's a little busy and a lot crazy, but we like it. Not a bad way to review this week's Bible story!

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Manners (and what I bought at Home Depot)

I am working to teach my kids good manners.

I really am.

But in the mean time.... must they comment on how funny a man's hair looks while he's standing right there? He had dreads, for the record. That happened a week ago at Target. I was embarrassed.

Today we went to Home Depot to buy some new pots and plants. Yay! I love Home Depot. I hated it when I was a kid, but today I could spend hours walking around that store and dreaming.

I digress.

I decided our patio needed some color. So off we went, with the promise that the kids could help pick out the pots and plants if they behaved. They did. Sort of.

"You're bigger than my dad!!" (that was Daniel, commenting on the size of the gentleman standing behind us in line.)

"Why can't I look through the crack in the door?" (Natalie. I had just told her to stop that when I noticed she was trying to peer into a stall in the bathroom. It was occupied.)

"Look! He's an employee! How does that apron stay on?" (Daniel again. Okay, this one isn't so bad, but it's another example of talking - no shouting - about someone while they're standing right there.)

By the time we left the store, I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. I'm sure my face was red. I felt hot and frazzled and really just wanted to get outside with my nosy, un-self-aware preschoolers. They aren't bad kids, but, man, do they know how to embarrass me sometimes.

Here's what we ended up getting, by the way. Natalie chose these pink flowers. I threw the card away before I could get their name through. Bummer. I chose those yellow Chrysanthemums in the back. They remind me of fall, and I could use a bit of fall in this 90 degree heat we're having. 

I've had the aloe plant for awhile now, and he seems pretty happy in the back yard. Daniel chose those little red flowers, since red is his favorite color (along with orange). I threw the card away before I got the name of those, too. Sigh.

The whole family, all together. :) I've got a couple extra teeny tiny pots for something...not sure what yet. They're pretty small. That big plant on the far right is a tough one. I've tried killing it several times because it was in the way. I know, terrible, especially because it makes awesome, deep purple flowers. I just transplanted it to this giant pot the other day to give it a permanent home. Now I hope that I haven't killed it. I think he'll make it. He's a fighter.

Another view, with our bird bath in the back there.

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Living in the Tension

Yesterday was hard. I came face to face for the first time in a while with the reality that I have absolutely no idea how to live in the tension. 

There is a part of me, not insignificant, that wants to completely disconnect from society. To go all granola and homestead and homeschool and do earthy things like make my own deodorant. 

And there's an equally significant part of me that wants a new floor. And to remodel our kitchen, take out a few walls, and create the kind of oasis that I see plastered all over the internet. 

Why? 

Here's the deal: motives. 

Why do I want to disconnect? I know why. It's because I think, somehow, it'll be easier. Easier to follow God, easier to keep my eyes on what they're supposed to be on, easier to be an island with no distractions. Nothing to pull me away. 

Sounds awfully holy, doesn't it? 

I think it's a lie. And it's a cop out. Instead of facing the hard stuff and choosing God, I just want to run away. That's not choosing God.

Why do I want wood floors? On the surface, because I think they look nice. Underneath, because I want other people to think my house looks nice. Enviable, even. 

Sometimes it's scary what I find inside of myself. 

The answer isn't swinging between one extreme or the other. 

God hasn't called me to live out in the boonies. He's put me right here in Jax Beach. He's called us to live in community with one another, to help each other forward, to serve each other. He's called us to go through life's ups and downs, and He continues to call us to choose Him in the face of temptation. 

And spending all of my energy thinking about flooring is a waste. A waste of time and a waste of my gifts. And it's neglectful. Because if I spend all of my energy on something so temporary, then I'm neglecting the eternal stuff. You know, the stuff that matters. 

The answer is to live somewhere in between. Staying connected, staying grounded. Building my life on a solid foundation, not being carried away by the whims of the internet. One quiet time at a time. 

The answer is God Himself. I won't discover how to live in the tension through a self-help book. It is only with God. This whole thing, life, only works with God. 

Knowing the answer is the easy part. Now to live it.

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Friday's Art Smarts: Texture Blocks

Okay, so I was planning on making stained glass art with the kids this week, much like the number line project I completed a few days ago.

But the reality of that project is that there are so many tedious and/or grown-up steps (ironing comes to mind) that it seemed like I would be doing the project for them. Not cool. I might try something like that with them down the line, but for today I wanted something that was more geared toward their level.

In trying to come up with an idea for this week, I was flipping through this little book called "20 Sensational Art and Writing Projects" (scholastic). I picked this book up years ago when I was teaching 4th grade and it's fantabulous - absolutely full of great ideas for integrating art with writing. It's definitely geared toward 2nd-4th grade, but many of the projects can be brought down to a preschool level.

One of the projects I found suggested teaching about texture in art through crayon rubbing and then using the patterns that are created as springboards for story ideas. Although I loved the entire idea, I knew that my kids would lose interest in a project that lengthy. 

But! Crayon rubbing doesn't take too long and brings some immediate satisfaction. So I seriously modified this project for my kiddos, and this is what we did.

Materials:

crayons

various household items with lots of texture: baskets, shoes (for the soles), fabric, lace, slotted spoons, etc.

copy paper

cardstock

scissors or paper cutter

glue

Process:

The first thing I did was introduce the kids to the word texture. We talked about what it means and then we looked around the house to find examples of texture. We have a super knobby rug in our living room and that was the first thing I pointed out, and they - with great enthusiasm I might add - rolled around on it to feel the texture. Then we felt the sliding glass door behind it and noted that it was smooth and that it didn't have any texture. The kids immediately caught on and began running around like wild men trying to find things that had texture vs. things that were smooth. 

After a few minutes of that, we looked at some examples of paintings that had noticeable texture. They each found their favorites. 

Then we walked out to the school room where the project was set up and waiting for them. The first thing I did was show them how to make a crayon rubbing using the side of a crayon. It didn't take long for them to get the idea and want to try it out for themselves. 

Natalie went to town with all the objects I had brought out to use...

...and found a few objects of her own that she wanted to try.

Daniel mainly stuck with a couple objects and one color - his favorite color, orange. 

After they finished experimenting with making textures from crayon rubbing, I took each of their pictures and cut them into little squares. This goes super fast if you have a paper cutter.

Then I gave them each a blank piece of cardstock and told them to look through their squares and find the ones that had the most interesting patterns, the ones they liked the best. Daniel actually had to go through his and sort out the pieces that had color vs. the completely blank squares because he didn't fill his first paper in with crayon rubbings.

Then I told them to fit their squares (blocks) together like a puzzle, making a larger picture that pleased them. In retrospect, this was a lot like our hexagon project, the only difference being that they created the special paper themselves. 

At first I told them that they had to make each square touch.

But Daniel didn't care for that idea, so I gave him the freedom to put his squares together however he wanted.

Here are their complete pieces:

Daddy's City

Daniel, 3 years

Fairy Mom

Natalie, 4 years

I really love how this project turned out! I think the finished pieces are cool, but even better than that, the kids had fun. Which is a lot more than I can say for last week's project. 

When an art project is age appropriate everyone has a better time. The kids were able to complete this piece almost all by themselves (I only cut the squares for them), which allowed them to focus on the creative process instead of all that they weren't able to do. Win-win, right?

Right.

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Two Secrets to Help You Get the Job Done

Let's be honest. Not many people are thrilled by the prospect of Monday and all that it means. Monday means work. Monday means drudgery. Monday means repetition and day in/day out and watching the clock.

Well, it can mean those things.

If I'm being totally transparent, then what you need to know about me is that I don't really like working. It's just not that fun. But I love the satisfaction I get from finishing a job.

When I started reading about command centers and family binders a couple years ago, I rolled my eyes at them. Pshaw. Family command center. Who needs one of those?

Turns out, this girl. I love lists. I love checking things off. I love having a place to put things and I love knowing where to look to retrieve those things. So, what did I do? I made myself a bonafide family command center, complete with family binder. Nerdy? Maybe. Helpful? You bet.

This little hutch is tucked in an out of the way corner of my kitchen. It holds vases, my favorite coffee mugs, extra plates, fruit colander, and various bowls and nik naks. And, on the very bottom shelf is - you guessed it - the Family Command Center. And some potatoes.

That thin binder on the left holds a bunch of owner's manuals. But that thick binder. That is what I want to talk to you about today.

That binder is holding my life together.

Okay, that's a little dramatic. But seriously (it's holding my life together).

Inside that binder is one little list in particular that I use every single day. It's called Daily Chores*, and on it I've included all the little chores that I feel are important to complete every day.

After we finish breakfast in the morning, I take it out and check off "breakfast." Then I get started right away with morning dishes and a load of laundry. I send the kids off to do their morning chores and check those off when they're complete. Since I love checking things off, I even included things like my own morning shower.

The First Secret

Okay, you want to know the first secret? It's not that the list I've created is terribly special. And I haven't discovered some crazy new technique that helps me get the job done. The secret, for me anyway, is sticking to a routine. Figuring out how to order my morning and doing it the same way. Every. single. day.

The time of day doesn't matter as much - it's the routine that's important for me. In the past, after breakfast, I've sort of gotten up and wondered what we were going to do next. Today, after breakfast, I pull out that binder, check off my first chore, and get started with the next one. And then the next one. It's a beautiful thing.

The Second Secret

Getting started right away is important for me. So important that I'm calling it the second secret. Don't wait until nap time to get started with daily chores. I used to do that. And I'd never be able to finish everything during nap and run out of time after nap...which made me feel incredibly stressed out all the time. Start right after breakfast - just dive in and knock out as many as you can.

Toward the end of the morning, our days become less structured. Some days we might go to a park or the beach. Some days we might run a few errands or visit friends. Some days we might stay home and play in the yard or pool. And after school starts in a couple of weeks, I'll have to modify our routine to include school stuff. The point is, we're able to play during the middle of the day because we've already taken care of so many chores.

*I'm making this list, as well as a Weekly Chores list, available for free download. If you're looking for a place to start, I would encourage you to print them out and use them for as long as you want. But since every home is different, every chores list will vary somewhat. Use my list as a springboard and then modify it as you see the need arise. 

These lists began as a compilation of various lists that I've seen over the years, but have been changed to fit our family. 

Daily Chores list

Weekly Chores list

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Stained Glass Number Line!

Back to school!

Crazy town, right? I cannot believe that we're into August already. Where did the summer go? Where is 2013 going? And didn't we just do fall?

Apparently, we're about to do it again.

This year, I'm sending my oldest off to "school". And by school, I mean preschool at one of our local churches. She is so super excited about it.

Last year I did some homeschool stuff with her. Not much, really, and we were pretty relaxed about it, but I truly believe that she is way ready for pre-k this year because of that head start. And I'd like to do the same thing for Daniel.

Since I plan working with Daniel, I wanted to get our room ready. The room that we use for school is really just our play room, but the activities are a little more organized (when the room isn't a wreck) and I've got shelves and cabinets which house my curriculum books (both current books and books that I've saved from my years as a teacher), art and craft supplies, and other odds and ends that we use during the year.

One of the things that the room was sorely missing last year that I wanted to remedy this year was a basic number line, something that Daniel will be able to look up and reference when we're working on number recognition.

There are plenty of these available for purchase. But I have beef with most of them. They're not always cheap, for one. And secondly, most of them are too cutesy for my taste. I wanted something functional and easy on the eyes. Oh, and free. Free works.

The other major problem I have is that our room was built as a sunroom, which means that there are a lot of windows. I love windows, don't get me wrong. But it does make things difficult when I have so much to hang. Wall space is at a premium. Basically, I wanted something that I could hang in the window.

So I made it myself! (surprised?) It was easy, it was quick, and it gave me some ammunition for our next Friday's Art Smarts, which, let's all hope, will be more successful than last week. ;)

Here we go.

Materials:

1. old crayons

2. manual pencil sharpener

3. ice cube tray (or other tray with several compartments)

4. wax paper

5. parchment paper

6. iron

7. cardstock or old file folder

8. pencil

9. scissors

10. hole punch

11. thread or string (I used waxed string)

This is a great way to use up all your old, ratty crayons. I don't know about your house, but we have a ridiculously huge crayon collection. I don't know where they've all come from, but they came, and we have them, and now we have to figure out how to use them.

Pick out a few in the colors you'd like to use and sharpen them with the sharpener. Make sure you catch all the shavings in the ice cube tray to keep the colors separate.

For this project, one crayon filled two cubes with shavings, which means I only used seven crayons.

Not gonna lie. It's tedious sharpening all those crayons to bits. And it makes your fingers hurt. But it's worth it in the end.

On your ironing board, lay down a large piece of parchment paper. On top of that, lay out a large piece of wax paper.

On top of the wax paper, scatter your shavings in a way that pleases you.

Cover your shavings with a second piece of wax paper. On the very top, lay out a final piece of parchment paper.

The wax paper is what you're fusing together. The parchment paper keeps the wax paper from sticking to the both the ironing board and your iron as it melts. Read: it's very important.

Set your iron on a low setting; mine was set on "silk." Make sure you've turned off the steam.

Start ironing over the parchment paper, moving fairly fast. Don't let the iron sit in any one spot for more than a couple seconds. You'll find that the crayon shavings melt right away and begin to merge.

The whole process should take no longer than a minute.

Let the wax dry. I left mine alone for about 20 minutes.

While your wax is drying, draw out your number stencils on an old file folder or piece of cardstock. I made my numbers five inches tall and free-handed them, with the aid of a ruler.

Cut them out and trace them onto the wax paper. I used a pencil to trace them out.

Finally, cut those numbers out and - ta da! You've got some beautiful numbers ready to string.

I punched two holes in the top of each number and threaded my waxed string through. Then I hung them!

I love how colorful they are and I love, love how they look with the sun shining through them.

This is one of those standard crafts from my childhood that I'm so glad I resurrected. I can't wait to do a similar activity with my kids later this week. I think (I hope!) they'll have some fun with it!

I know a lot of you are getting your own homes ready for school this year (or classrooms!), and I'd love to hear it if you've used or modified this idea in any way. And send me a link if you blog about it!!

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Friday's Art Smarts: Exploring Abstract Art (Kind of a fail)

Okay, I'm trying to be positive here, but in all honesty, today's project was not kind of a fail. It totally flopped. Even Nat Nat said toward the end, "Maybe we can do a better project next time, Mom."

Uh, yeah.

But in the interest of being transparent, I'm going to post it anyway and (maybe?) give you some tips to avoid utter failure yourself.

I actually found this idea over at Edu Art 4 kids. When I read it, I was all like, "Yes! This is an awesome idea - we're going to do this this week!" And, if you hop over to her blog, you'll see a fabulous tutorial with step-by-step directions.

I thought I followed those directions...but my kids were not cooperating. Don't you hate it when they don't cooperate? ;)

Materials:

Large piece of art paper

miscellaneous traceable objects

pencil

Sharpie marker

crayons

You can see in the picture above that I chickened out at the last minute and grabbed a box of crayons for the kids. I just wasn't feeling the inevitable mess that would result from breaking out those paint markers. So we took the easy, no mess route.

Step 1. Sit down in front of a computer and click through various images of abstract art. This went fairly smoothly for us, though I wish I had pulled a few aside ahead of time to view. In hindsight, a little advance planning for this project would have gone a long way.

I wanted the kids to practice using repetition in art. The idea was to choose one of the objects and trace it over and over again on their paper, creating a large design out of a single (or a couple) different shapes. I encouraged the kids to overlap the shapes, to trace on top of shapes that they had already drawn.

Fairly simple idea, right? Wrong.

I thought they understood the idea repetition. But, as it turns out, preschoolers have exactly zero interest in tracing one object over and over again. I think they viewed it as a challenge. Once they completed tracing the large spoon, for example, they wanted to try something new.

Oh, and you can forget about overlapping. Each object had to have its own space. Overlapping the shapes made no sense to them. Why would you do that?

So. What did we end up with? Each child chose four or five different objects and traced each one once. In its own little space on the paper.

And they got so discouraged because, well, tracing takes a lot coordination. I knew it would be difficult. But it was actually way beyond their skill level, especially for Daniel.

Sigh. Live and learn.

After they traced with a pencil, I went over their drawings with a black Sharpie (staying very faithful to their lines). And this is what we ended up with:

Then it was time to color it in. My vision for this project was to sort of do a color block idea - coloring each enclosed space a different color. Of course, that would have worked a little better if they had overlapped shapes.

But it was around this point that I gave up and just opened our giant box of crayons and turned them loose.

I'm pretty sure the coloring was Natalie's favorite part.

(By the way, play dough scissors make a pretty unappealing stencil. haha. Probably should skip those if you do this with your kids.)

And Daniel...well, he had to be persuaded to even scribble a little. He was so over it. You see they're wearing bathing suits. That's because I had told them that after this project we were going to get in the pool. He was already thinking about goggles and pool noodles at this point.

Well. We did end up finishing this little project...

Daniel. age 3

Natalie, age 4

...but we won't be attempting anything like this any time soon. Art should be fun. And when you try projects that are way above an artist's skill level, it just results in frustration and the desire to quit. 

Oh, and plan. It always helps to carefully think out a project before you begin, something I didn't do today. I just went for it. And sometimes that works, but often it doesn't. 

Well, there you go! Learn from our mistakes...I know I will :)

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