I like reading other people’s blogs and sometimes I discover “new” art projects that remind me of what we did growing up.  Tried and true art projects that seemed to have slipped my mind (like many things do!)  After reading about this leaf project on Simple Kids I decided to give it a go with the kids.  We have no shortage of leaves to work with!  They enjoyed it, especially the running around outside and hunting for “soft” (not dry, crinkly) leaves.  Lex excitedly taped the final results to the window and I tried to get them to pose for a picture, but this is the best I got.  At least he’s smiling :)  (The butterfly in the middle is an old project that Lex won’t let me take down.)

Want some text with all these photos?  I’m just having fun with Picasa :)  The other two posts (below) don’t require much detail, but I’ll give you the story on this one.  Lex saw a cotton ball sheep project in a Stonyfield Farm flyer he got last weekend and was eager to try it.  Over the course of a few days he read the instructions, found all of the supplies he needed and gathered them on the table.  The one thing he couldn’t find was the glue (which was buried in the pile of rubble I call the dining room counter!) otherwise he would have done the project all on his own.  Yesterday I found the glue for him (and gathered supplies for Eve’s sheep) and we sat down to make sheep :)  Like the results?  I like that Lex finds craft project he’s interested in doing and does them!  Not everything interests him, but when he finds something he likes he gets it done.

I have been feeling crafty lately so yesterday I took Eve to JoAnn Fabrics (the only craft store around, that I know of!) to buy some more supplies. We are well stocked on crayons and coloring books, but I thought it was about time to venture out a bit. We got paints, a big pack of funny paint brushes, a few Thanksgiving projects, pipe cleaners, mini pompom balls, and… that’s all I can remember at the moment. This morning we got out the paints to make egg-carton caterpillars and turtles. The kids LOVED it! Lex kept saying over and over how happy he is that we bought paints (and not finger paints because he doesn’t like finger paints). This afternoon we will get out the googly eyes and pipe cleaners to finish the animals.  I’ll post pics of the finished products because I know you all are dying to see them!

Soon we will do a popsicle stick project too. Any suggestions? We’ve had a bunch of them in the art drawer for awhile and Lex keeps asking if we can do something with them. My next project is going to be to organize the art drawer!! It’s horribly messy. Oh, also, any good suggestions for a piggy bank project? The paper-maché ones we made awhile ago are getting soft and not going to last much longer. The kids love them though, so I thought it would be fun to make new piggy banks.

After many long days of naked (unpainted)
piggies, we finally got some paint and painted them. Lex was
happy enough to do the painting, but his driving force was the
end goal – cut a hole in the top so we can put money in it.
Funny kid. The painting process went well. I did the prep, they
did the painting (mostly) and Alan did the photography. It went
well until Alan left and Eve announced she needed to pee! Ack!!
I washed real quick and was happy that our potty is super
cleanable :) Then we let them dry for a loooonng day or two and
finally cut the hole in the top. Lex was super excited and Eve
promptly put a colored pencil in her piggy bank. So her current
savings is about $.37 and a red colored pencil :)

The other day Lex was reading a Highlights
magazine and suddenly jumped up and started rummaging through a
kitchen drawer. I finally got his attention and he told me he
was looking for a balloon. Of course, what was I thinking?!
Upon requesting further clarification he showed me his magazine
and pointed to the “Paper Mache Pig Bank” craft project and
said “We need a balloon so I can make a piggy bank.” I’m
constantly floored by his reading and comprehension and
independence! The other day he dug up some scissors and started
cutting up a page in a book! When I stopped him and asked why,
he pointed to the “cut here” line and, of course, was just
following instructions. Crazy! So, anyway, we made paper mache
piggy banks :) I need to buy some paint to finish the project,
but we had a good time making them. Lex didn’t really like the
flour/water part of the job. He more enjoyed the “throwing
around the balloon with egg carton parts taped to it” part. :)
The next day we made construction paper Valentines Day cards
with glue and Jello powder. I guess we were all feeling a bit
crafty.