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.

snow, sleds, sweet potatoes & star wars

on a whim today (thank you, joe, for your spontaneity...sometimes i just can't muster the energy), we headed up to the snow. nowhere special, just a roadside pile of the white stuff with just enough of a slope to keep the littles tickled. the timing was just right: warm sunshine & sam and eric falling asleep on the way. leif and joe got started first, while i took some pictures. woke up eric next so he wouldn't miss out, and the four of us got to play for a good while longer. sam finally woke up just in time for a stomp through the snow on mama's back. he was perfectly content, but i just had to go ahead and plop us both on a sled...even though that's not his favorite thing...i know, cruel. he giggled the first time, despite his initial protests, but the second time down was just too much for him. someday. anyway, we finished off the trip with a little snowfort construction while sam recovered with joe in the van.

when we got home, leif started peeling sweet potatoes for fries. after a day of sledding, fries are ok for dinner, right? the coolest part was that leif actually ate them...bless you, magical kid-assisted food prep...why do i hardly ever remember this trick?

the boys occupied themselves by parading as jedis, complete with fully equipped tool belts. for those of you (blissfully) unaware, please note eric's black-gloved hand, an unfortunate result of a duel with count dooku.

so there you go. how we keep ourselves entertained when the snow just keeps on coming.

doodlebugs 1.28.11, heart art, part I

and so began our adventures with hearts at doodlebugs.

this time we used heart stencils cut out of tag board

and potato heart stampers to create our works.

we also experimented a bit with color mixing; everyone began with four blobs of white paint and a cup of red, which they could mix into the white.

the result was a lot of pink, red, and white magic with a few distinct heart shapes peeking through. i think they look sweet grouped together (see above).

doodlebugs 2.4.11, heart art, part II

more hearts!

construction paper hearts, white glue, scissors & paper...endless possibilities. leif was the inspiration for this one, telling us about making heart shaped fish in kindergarten.

i love watching the youngest artists learn to use scissors...such a tempting and fantastic tool.

look how adept this little guy has become, and he's two!

next up, fingerprinting. this started out with a little demonstration of how you can make a fingerprint heart by making a little "v" with your fingertip, but of course, that was far too limiting for these innovators, and they went to town with fingerprints and handprints galore.

and when the supplies came together, the printing got even more creative. one artist even used his forehead and nose!

doodlebugs 2.11.11, heart art, part III

today was week three of more heart art. there are just so many fun ideas for creating heart loveliness! fortunately, valentine's day is in three days and everyone can have a break from our heart fever.

we had three stations today:

first, there were "handy" hearts, where kiddos could experiment with different ways to make hearts with your hands, including fingerprints, handprints, and using the sides of the palm (pictured in my sample above).

second, we used a print making technique & traditional valentine colors to create 4 x 6 art works. we'd used the bottoms of cake & pie tins to do this before, but using the cookie sheets and taping off the rectangles was an inspiration i found here, via the crafty crow.

finally, the hearts created when i made stencils for a previous project were decorated with tissue paper collage.

as always, supplies crossed tables, allowing for even more creativity and variety with the activities. we were busy little cupids, that's for sure.

babies for sam

little sam is very into babies right now. for some time now, he's claimed a cabbage patch doll from our collection as his special baby, which he calls "fren" (friend). this doll has been a member of our home since my baby shower for leif, when a good friend gave the doll to us because her own son had loved a similar one so much. poor fren has been floating, unattached, around our home ever since. no one ever quite attached to him, until now. i'm so glad he's finally getting some good toy love.

in fact, sam's love for both fren and a neighbor's visiting dolly motivated me to try to make a little doll for him for christmas, inspired by erin's cutey babe. i got a pattern and some supplies, and began the satisfying-in-a-strange-feeling-way-like-you're-creating-a-person work of making a doll.

this little baby is a bit misshapen here and there, but sam was ok with his lumps and bumps, so it's all good. he was not completely ready for christmas, so he arrived with a hat and a blanket to hide his lack of hair (and creepy thread bits coming out of the back of his head) and clothes.

when i get around to growing this baby a good head of hair and dressing him properly, i'll have to take some more pictures to share. meanwhile, i believe he's upstairs, dressed in one of eric's socks.

at any rate, sam now has two baby friends to keep him company. and thanks to grandma diana, he's also got a handy sling to tote them around wherever he goes.

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!