happy birthday, dr. seuss...annnd....we're back!

well, hello there! apparently i'm on the nine-month plan, as it's been nearly that long since i've actually published a post. there've been a couple of puny little posts hanging out in my "drafts" box, but i never got back to them. oopsie. actually, i've been trying to sort out all this blog stuff in my head all this time, but that's a post for another day.

so why today? well because it's dr. seuss' birthday, and we had a darn fine time at doodlebugs, that's why. pure genius that man was, i tell you, and if he's not an inspiration to share your craziness with the world, i don't know what is. so here we go.

i set up three seussish stations for the kiddos to explore, all inspired by various seuss stories. first up, fish bowls inspired by the cat in the hat and one fish two fish red fish blue fish. a fish bowl outline, permanent markers, and water colors. there were all kinds of cool creations swimming around in those bowls!

next up? crazy creatures inspired by there's a wocket in my pocket and if i ran the zoo and pretty much every other dr. seuss book there is.

this little one just decided to go ahead and write her own book. yes!

and finally? OOBLECK! this was definitely a favorite, especially with the younger littles. we liked it much better than the king did in bartholomew and the oobleck.

even the kids themselves were works of art (aren't they always?) today. some came dressed in formal seuss attire: stripes, colors, wigs, polka dots, crazy hair, and any other wild combination they could think of.

this lasted all of five minutes before he spied his "robin" suit, which he preferred. hmmm...seuss and batman? whatever, right?

it's deja vu all over again

these boys love to draw, there's no doubt about that. and they love to draw the same things over and over and over again. even when it's the same subject, the images do change over time, usually becoming more detailed, so that's fun to watch. sometimes, though, i think i'm going crazy when i look down and see a picture that looks exactly the same as it did some months ago, even though i'm sure i stashed (or possibly trashed...i know, GASP!) it away in a very safe spot...ahem. today was one of those days. leif made another of his football players, and even he remarked that it looked exactly like the old one (above). then, of course, he wanted me to find that old one, so he could make the comparison himself. i could probably do that with a little digging, but i can find these pictures more quickly.

at least today's round was a little easier on the nerves than that last time. these are just some of the rejects that caused us all a little...um...distress. the numbers, the hands, the face...they all hand to be just so. one of the challenges of drawing from a model, i suppose. but he cannot be deterred.

last time, eric and sam joined in the fun, too. eric's guy is in the middle...the tape used to correct a few small cutting boo boos quickly became "bandages" from a rough game. the guy on the right is a cast-off happily decorated by sam.

i think i'll leave it at that...wouldn't want to relive the trauma that befell us all when good 'ol number 16 became drenched by a spill....oy!

doodlebugs 2.18.11, this and that

what do you get when you put oil pastels, tempera paint, juice lids*, glue, and the "treasure box" in front of little artists? ...all kinds of cool creations!

*for these, i used the lids from frozen cans of juice with holes punched in them. i strung them with fishing line before the kids started working to ensure the holes weren't blocked by their little collages. to punch the holes, i used a crop-o-dile...a super cool, super strong crafty wonder.

my brother, my canvas

you know, sometimes artists need a break from their usual work surfaces. sometimes, your little brother happily agrees to be decorated, especially when star wars is the theme. and so, here we see eric covered in a variety of characters, from han solo (forehead) to general grievous, obi wan kenobi (both on the belly) and others unidentifiable by mama (arm, leg & cheeks).

and there you have it. body art by leif. any other volunteers?

pool balls and butterflies

we are all really enjoying eric's art around here these days. his figures have such a unique expression to them. i snapped these one day after the big boys had played on a pool table. eric's drawings that afternoon incorporated the pool balls (made with a circle stamp we have) into the pictures. he even wrote some numbers on the sides, with a little guidance from leif. not sure how the butterflies figured into the story...i'll ask him and get back to 'ya. i think that might even be tinkerbell down there on the bottom of that second shot...hmmm....there may be quite a story here.

drawing, drawing, everywhere

so, i guess it's a little like training a puppy. how does it go? put the paper where you want them to pee, right? well, anyway, sam's drawing enthusiasm spread throughout the kitchen the other night, so i was obliged to follow with paper. wouldn't want to dampen his creativity, now would we?

still life

one of our junior botanists in training recently decided he needed to draw his prized bouquet so it would "be like a picture and [he could] save it forever". i was busily going about my own work, so i wasn't paying much attention to his. when he finally shared, i was awestruck with his creation. moments like these make me
a) so tickled i just sparkle inside
b) really wish i could share them with my dad
c) so glad i have a camera at my fingertips and
d) feel sheer wonder at the things these kiddos come up with.