This is my favorite re-purposed art project. Use your beautiful scraps to turn your journal page into a captivating display of color, words, and texture. Each time you (or the children in your home or classroom) make art, there are always little piles of scraps left over. Learn to love your mess! Paper used for color…
The Deep Breath Collage (for when everyone needs a break)
I call these my Deep Breath Collages because they require focus, but not too much, which allows my brain to gently sink into a peaceful artistic place without feeling any kind of pressure. They really are perfect for the moment when things feel off, and you need something to make things more calm, peaceful, and…
Summer Creative Journaling Workshop for Ages 11-13
S P A R K Creative Journaling Workshop for Teens This playful workshop encourages kids to experiment with ideas, words, color, and abstract shapes. Each workshop features fun art and writing prompts meant to inspire creative thinking. There will be sketching, list making, poetry, collage, watercolor, and more! Time will be set aside for those…
Hand printing with celery
Celery printing is a simple and satisfying art project for children. When you find yourself at the end of a bunch of celery, slice it and store it in the refrigerator until you have a some time to make art. The worst case scenario is that you never get to it and there is a…
Blobs With Personalities — Creative Workshop
For the past two years, I’ve been invited to run monthly workshops at The Worcester Family Partnership. WFP is a wonderful organization, which provides an educational, inviting, enriching, and nurturing place for families with small children to spend their mornings. They offer playgroup, healthy snacks, literacy events, and creative enrichment. I feel so lucky to…
A Summer Kids’ Craft: Nature Bundles
While we were away on our vacation, the children invented a Nature Bundles game where they found lots of different tiny bits of nature and packaged them up with gorgeous, natural wrapping. Each one was unique and interesting, and each had a story to go along with it. Some were spells, some remedies, and some…
negative
Yesterday, the kids were given a set of dot markers. Woah boy! I had no idea they would love them as much as they do. My entire afternoon was filled with: dot, dot, dot, dot. They’ve been madly dotting as many pieces of scrap paper they can find. Mouse loves the pound, pound, pound feeling…
a royal birthday
Chick turned six, and she wanted to have a royal celebration where a few of her friends came dressed as queens, kings, princesses or princes (or anything royal-ish). One of her friends came dressed as a woodland messenger of sorts. The children made crowns, listened while I read from some royal story books, and then…
* treasured * Each Wednesday I post about some sort of treasure I found during the past week. It might be thrifted or found on a walk or whispered in my ear or discovered on a dark shelf in the basement. Something. Anything that makes me feel lucky and thankful. It doesn’t necessarily have to…
kid rocks!
Here is a little sneak peak at our Valentine making festivities today. Chick made 22 (+ 3 for her three classroom teachers) love rocks, and Mouse made two for both of her teachers (plus a bunch of extras to use for her “rock show”). And by festivities, I mean two peppy kids happily gluing hearts…
conversation Love Rocks!
Love rocks! Just in time for Valentine’s day. These conversation Love Rocks! have a heart on the front and a witty (or just plain sweet) message stamped on the back. Make your hearts skinny or bubbly or teeny tiny or really big – each rock ends up with its own little personality. I used both…
rings and things :: a valentine’s day tutorial
We are making rings and things for Valentine’s Day this year: heart button rings, wool felt heart rings, heart button hair ties, and some bracelets too. A pile of little wooden hearts with a fresh coat of paint. Chick is partial to the wooden button heart ring. Mouse loves the soft, wool felt ring. This…
