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?

doodlebugs 1.14.11, salty trails & watercolors

this was a really fun discovery & process oriented activity, from Mary Ann Kohl, found here. we used white glue to make designs, then sprinkled salt over the design (we had a large baking pan over which we sprinkled, to catch and reuse the salt).

the set-up provided plenty of opportunities to practice other skills, like writing and pouring, too.

we primarily used droppers to dispense the liquid watercolor, which allowed for neat distribution along the salt.

we had brushes available, too, and that gave a different effect, especially if the kids scrubbed their image, like jean mentioned.

the kids really enjoyed watching the color travel along their glue/salt paths...it was fascinating watching the color move and mix with other colors. the salt is a cool tactile element, too. this one's a keeper!

doodlebugs 11.5.10, open format

today we went with a new plan to shake things up a little, to give kiddos even more choice and creative freedom, and to maximize time actually engaged in creating art. it was magic to behold! i set up three stations, and as soon as kids arrived, they were invited to get started at the spot of their choice (instead of gathering for an opening story).

one station included mini "canvases" (paperboard from boxes in the recycling with white paper glued on top...leftover from a previous project), glue, and the ever-popular box 'o treasures (all the fun, random bits left over from previous activities).

another station offered permanent markers (probably the #1 most requested material by my munchkins) and water colors.

the last station included tempera paint (could offer these every time and everyone would be happy as a clam) and large white construction paper.

it was fascinating to watch which activities children chose first, how they approached the materials with little to no direction given by adults, and how they decided how long to spend at a various spot.

looking to move on, i do believe...

and inevitably, materials started moving from one spot to another (with some help, of course). and that was what i loved best. the freedom the kids felt to switch things up, pick & choose, and create new combinations. love that.

here is an interesting progression from eric. after watching a little creation by my sister (pictured above, third from the left), he was inspired to create a series of his own. instead of heart cheeks, he opted for little guys with light sabers. he also tried his hand at some new shapes for eyes and mouths. pretty cool, eh?

three cheers for creative freedom! rah, rah, rah!!! (and thanks for enduring all the pictures...i just can't help myself!)

doodlebugs 10.15.10, leaf rubbing resists

when gorgeous leaves are this abundant, you just have to do art with them, right? today we did crayon leaf resists with watercolor. i didn't get to the library to find a book, so we really stretched a literature connection with chicka chicka boom boom. letters fall from trees and so do leaves! tada! i told you it was a stretch. anyway, the kids had a good time, and their work, as always, is lovely to behold.

eric, sam, and i experimented a little with different types of paper before group. we finally settled on this construction paper because it was thin enough to get a good crayon rubbing, yet thick enough to handle the watercolor. we cut it into strips (6"x18") just for a little variety and to make it somewhat banner-like.

here, eric's incorporating his leaves onto a tree.

the tree theme continued at group where he drew "chipmunks" frolicking about on his leaves.

here, he said, "see? the chipmunk is rainbow and the acorn is rainbow, too...isn't that funny?" now go get yourself some leaves before they're all icky and make some leafy art of your own to smile about.

doodlebugs 9.17.10, liquid watercolors

ooo-weee! so excited to finally be playing with these awesome liquid watercolors and droppers. i first saw these used by jean with her little munchkins and added them to our list of things to try. we had so much fun squeezing out those wonderful liquid drops of color. there were literally moments of paint flowing right off the edge of the table, but everything cleaned up really well. when we practiced at home, the boys were enthralled by how the paint ran across the paper in lines and played with picking up the page and turning it to watch the paint change direction. lots of "roads" were made. they also noticed what happened when colors ran together, creating new hues and paths. at group, it was interesting to watch the varying comfort levels with this medium; some were pretty cautious with such a free-flowing paint, while others were content to create watercolor falls, pouring the paint right from the little jars. we read the itsy bitsy spider as our opener because of the bright watercolor illustrations and the catchy tune. definitely one we'll have to try again!

doodlebugs 6.18.10, watercolor & crayon resist

while perusing this book from the library, leif and eric noticed that the illustrations looked like watercolor. a closer look (above) reminded me of crayon resist, and so we decided to give it a try at art group. as a side note, the title bothered me a bit, and i even considered pasting the word "different" over it before reading it to the kids. censorship didn't seem like a good answer, either, so instead, i opted to talk it over with the kids at group that morning. we talked about why the other dinosaurs might have called archie "ugly", how that might have made him feel, and some of the other ways they could have described their observations of their different little friend. it was a nice little chat, i think, and dovetailed right in with appreciating art, however "different" it may be. ;-)

the crayon doesn't show up too well in these photos. although white has the most dramatic effect (it's a "secret" that doesn't show up until you watercolor over it), the kids were definitely drawn more to the colored crayons. i even got to try this one but neglected to take any pictures... this is an oldie but goodie, and one we do a lot at home. a google search of "crayon resist" yields all kinds of cool projects to do with this technique...loads of fun things to try!