Art Group

I love art group.  I love the planning and observing the children.  While they're here I feel a bit looney but it is fun.  Today we started outside with sidewalk chalk (to get out some wiggles right off the bat.)  One of the girls immediately said, "It's hot.  Can we go inside?"  I was surprised.  In all our 3 years here, I don't remember Mr. Intensity commenting on the heat.  In her defense, it was 106* today.

Thinking the gal must be bored with chalk, I whipped out the shaving cream.  The boys loved it.  Love, love, LOVED it.  The girls, um, not so much.  The picture above is the epitome of the activity.  The boys eventually turned the sidewalk into a slip 'n slide.  And were covered head to toe with shaving cream.

I didn't really think they would enjoy it that much.  I've only done it inside... with one child.  The boys had to change clothes before continuing with art group.  I should have saved that activity for last.  Live and learn, 'eh?

Since it has been a few weeks, we reviewed primary colors.  Then mesmerized them with this milk trick.  Drop food coloring into milk (with fat) then add drops of dish soap for a fireworks effect.  I should have heated the milk a bit - as I was reminded yesterday that warm molecules move faster.
They worked on counting 1-10 with clothes pins.
...and everyone loved the pumpkin rolls. We talked about the parts of the pumpkin since we added a stem, vine, and a leaf. Because we used toilet paper, there was a bit of bathroom humor at the table (from the boys, of course!) 

Lastly, we reviewed the seasons and made scarecrow puppets.  On the wall were the puppets we made yesterday.  I don't really think of the scarecrow puppets as art but rather an exercise in listening and following instructions.  They had freedom to make the facial expressions, etc. as they wanted.  I explained how I made mine then gave them materials.  I think they enjoyed crumpling the paper to fill the scarecrow the most.
A few minutes before we were to begin, a realtor called to see if she could show my house from 9:30-11am.  The time of art group!  Ack!  Not wanting to turn anyone away, I said, "Sure! C'mon over!  It's gonna be FUN!"

Oil Pastels & Watercolors

Levi & Julia joined us in the art group today.  We started by talking about the seasons.  The props I used were

winter: hat, scarf

summer: swimsuit, sea shell

spring: flowers, umbrella

fall: leaves in orange/red

At the table we traced sandpaper letters of L-E-A-F then wrote in cornmeal or rice.

Next we worked on a city scape like here.  Before giving them the brushes, I talked about treating the art materials with respect.  We practiced using gentle and long strokes.  Once I passed out the water colors they needed many reminders not to scrub with the brush, as they're used to doing with markers and crayons.

Initially, I thought I'd give them full sheets of paper to paint but quickly realized the boys were in no shape to sit so long. They covered 1/2 sheets quite well.  Below is the final project, after it dried we added buildings and windows.  The picture on top is the one I made to show them how it would look.  If you plan to do an art group with friends, I encourage you to practice first (w/o children).  While creating, think of what you'll say to help the children make their masterpieces. 
The inspiration for the next project was from here.  

I gave them each a cardboard leaf and asked them to trace it on the water color paper with a pencil.  The tracing was harder for them than I expected.  Some of it was my fault, b.c the pencils weren't sharp.

Along with a reminder (for the boys!) to be gentle with the art supplies, they used oil pastels to trace their pencil markings.  They enjoyed the pastels a lot.  My hubby said they were his favorites to use as a child (they're only $4 at Michael's).

And we used liquid water colors over the pastels.  They all needed the reminder to "use long strokes, in one direction." The boys' final product:Julia would have been able to sit and create much longer than the boys - and they're all the same age!  After art group, we all went to a fun story time at the library.

Art Group

The themes for preschool/art group today were darkest to lightest, tallest to shortest, biggest to smallest and a bunch of descriptive words in between.  I tried to use a variation of verbiage like big, bigger and biggest, larger (or smaller) than, etc.

When the children arrived, we spent 45 minutes doing Montessori type activities.  I wasn't planning for it to take so long.  Then again, I didn't think about how the materials were new to Levi and Julia (Mr. Intensity was totally bored with my explanations and was quite distracting.)  There were 7 prepared activities from which they could choose.

Below you'll see that Levi was quite please with himself, building the (not so) pink tower.  The only mats that I own are being used by the doors; improvising I used towels to help define the space.

Mr. Intensity working with the number rods.  Over his left shoulder you'll see the dressing frames.  The boys totally ignored them.
Only one set of the knobbed cylinders was presented today.  Maybe next week there will be more.  Mr. Intensity is such an extrovert and so excited that other kids were here today that he had a hard time controlling himself and settling down.  Think: preschooler with too much caffeine, sugar, ADHD, pure boy, super excited with extra wiggles sprinkled on top!  All this to say that he tends to be rough with things anyway and with the extra kids here, I had to remind him SEVERAL times to be gentle and respect the materials.  When constructing his pink tower it toppled seconds after he completed it then was frustrated it fell.  It fell because he unknowingly knocked it down from his extra energy.  [At times I wanted to pinch his little head off!  Good thing he's my kid, or he probably wouldn't be invited back!  :)]

Below, you'll see Levi concentrating so well.  He worked very hard to assemble this cube.  Eventually I stepped in to help him so that he could experience the other stations. 

Julia stepped up to the (not yet painted) red rods and said, "oh, this one is much too hard!"  But she mastered it - as with the other activities.  She was a very diligent and patient worker.  I think she performed all the tasks without any coaxing or prodding.  
The matryoshka dolls were enjoyed by all the children. 
From the living room, we moved to the kitchen.  After showing the children a handful of candy corn, I asked about its shape and colors.  Then gave them Elmer's glue and a Q-tip to spread it.  With baby spoons they sprinkled yellow and orange lentils and a bit of white rice.  They all did rather well keeping the stray kernels on their trays. 
Julia's baby brother even got in on the action!  

After the candy corn collage, they were given other colors of lentils and rice with which to be creative.  (Look how intense one little boy is, using the glue...)The favorite activity: counting candy corns!  They were all given a treat bag with numbers 1-7 and 28 candy corns.  If they completed the task, they could eat 5 (and the rest after lunch.)  Over Levi's shoulder you can see the tray where I demonstrated how to "pair" the even numbers.
Then we worked on the concept of darkest to lightest with the homemade color box.  They zipped through it.
Last, but certainly not least, they painted! I bought the orange washable paint thinking about...well, you know, I have a boy.  When practicing last night with the paint I was sorely disappointed in its quality - it's very water-y and the color isn't very bright.  I won't buy that brand again.  I'll probably stick with the brand of white tempera (pictured).  I've not had a problem getting it out of his clothes as long as I wash the day of painting.

The children loved painting - and adding white to orange to make lighter orange.  
After art group, we ate lunch at the park.  The boys found the shovels on the patio and were ready to whack somebody dig.  It was only 101* today and will be 74* tonight - autumn is coming to Arizona -  Yay!

Preschool Art Group

The theme for the day was geography with an emphasis on Christopher Columbus (who is honored in many North American countries this time of year).

Last week, I shared how out-of-control-excited Mr. Intensity was, when friends were here.  [Sunday he was very disruptive at church, both in Sunday school, as well as Jr. Church.  Both sets of teachers had to talk to us about his behavior!]  So, today I tried to coach him (before the kids arrived) to hop like a bunny when he felt excited.  It worked!!  On several occasions I saw him hopping!  I'm thankful for The Spirited Child book that has helped me see into my child's life.

Side note *I just have to share this:*  Last week, I was complaining to Hubby about Mr. Intensity's intense, and sometimes out-of-control behavior.  I tried to get Hubby to brainstorm with me as to how to help Mr. Intensity self-soothe, or calm himself.  I shared the following story - (scroll down to the rest of the art group pictures if you don't care about this parenting problem of mine.)

On Thursday two kids came over to play while their mom took the baby to the doctor.  I heard a loud "thump" like a slamming of a door (which is against the rules at our house.)  I waited a few seconds to react, to see if it was an accident.  The same noise came again from Mr. Intensity's room.  By the time I made it to the top of the stairs, I heard the same LOUD noise a third time.

Upon entering his room, I asked, "What was that loud noise?"

He says, "I didn't hear a loud noise."

"Really?!  I heard a very loud noise, like slamming of a door.  Did you slam the door?"

"Nope."

At this time, one of the other children piped up to say, "He was running across the room and throwing his body against the door."

What the heck is wrong with this child?!!

So, I'm telling Hubby this scenario and he replies, "I remember in the 7th grade, being so excited that I was around my friends, I would bang my book against my head.  It made a cool sound and it felt good."

ACK!!  I have 8 more years of sensory integration?!!   [Pam, I asked if you knew this info - he said, "No, I only did it at school when I was with my friends."]

whew.  thanks for letting me dump.  I just wanted y'all to have a bit of insight into my world.  It's chaotic most of the time. 

Back to our regularly scheduled program.

Below you'll see Mr. Intensity working with the cheap creative mom's version of metal insets.  They're made of styrofoam chip board (not sure of the technical name.)

Levi with the number rods.
Destany with the knobbed cylinders.
Mr. Intensity working with materials from Handwriting Without Tears.  The letter focus of the day was N, S, E, and W (letters on a compass).  There was also a station prepared with the sandpaper letters and a tray of rice with these same letters.
Before painting, we played a quick game of "Where's North America?"  I took the NA piece from our Melissa & Doug puzzle and hid it. While pretending to be explorers and searching we sang (to the tune of One little, two little, three little Indians):  Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria (3x's) These are Columbus's ships. For more Columbus day ideas, look here.
Above you see the children painting their maps (on the back of paper grocery sacks that I'd singed the edges and crumpled to look old).  On the wall, I hung maps of the world, US, and Arizona.  You'll also see N, S, E, & W in their proper locations.   I had a Phoenix map in the car that didn't make it inside.  I also forgot to mention the location of Kenya - Levi and his family are moving there next month.

Below is our attempt for a ship in a bottle.  It's blue water and vegetable oil with glitter/confetti in the center as ships.  The kids thought these were totally fab.  I added a bead of hot glue around the cap to keep it on. 

Last, but not least - the SHIPS!  They're made from egg cartons, toothpicks (sails) and play doh to anchor the sail.  There was enough material for each child to make 3.  However, by the time we made the ships the kids were toast and so was I.  We stopped at one ship, each.
After art group, we ate lunch at the park. Then we went to Madison Camelview Elementary to volunteer for Good News Club.  Some ladies at my church have been doing this for years.  Last year, Hubby went with us and got a seminary credit for volunteering.  Mr. Intensity loves singing songs, hearing the stories and eating sweet treats!  

[as I type, Mr. Intensity is laying in bed singing Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria!]

Primary Colors

For the first time I tried to pull off an "art group" like what the Artful Parent does and I think it was successful...at least in the sense that no blood was shed the children had a good time.

A friend of mine has 5 children (ages 1-7). The 7 yr. old was in school, so the other 4 came to do art with Mr. Intensity.

I met the children at the door with my apron on to help them realize that they'd come to learn, not just play. I welcomed them to an "art class" and asked for them to sit on the couch and use their best listening ears.

I introduced the primary colors first using colored water then combining colors to make the secondary colors.

Then we went to the table where I gave them blobs of play-doh to squish into secondary colors. I made the paint bags the night before and didn't think the colors blended well enough. Fortunately we had the right color play-doh so we used it.

The objective of the day was to simulate this project: A few minutes into painting, I realized that it was a bit over their heads. Lucas (in orange) would have been able to recreate it but the others didn't get it. And I'm OK with that.
They painted first on regular computer paper then I showed them the canvas. They were totally stoked about the canvas. "Can we hang it in our room?!" Don't tell the kids but I bought the canvas at Big Lots for $3/each.

On the left is Destany. Mr. Intensity is on the right, both working on their canvas.

Mya concentrated so well.

Lucas, though, won the concentration award. This boy is good with details!

Even Keandre got in on the fun. He chose to fingerpaint instead of using a brush.

Here's Mr. Intensity's finished project. We'll be bamming a nail tonight!

After the art session, the children made slushees. Well, we tried.

I had prepared sandwich zip-lock bags with about 3/4 c. of juice and nested that bag in a quart sized freezer bag with ice & rock salt. The idea was to squish it around for 3-5 minutes until the consistency of a slushee.

Mr. Intensity began to juggle then throw his across the room. He wasn't trying to be mean - just all boy. Next thing I know 3 of the children's bags are dripping b.c the ice punctured the bag(s). It was a mess.

I should have known better - to make them sit still and squish. But they had done so well at listening and obeying that I didn't want to squelch the silliness. It never dawned on me that the bags would break. Oh well.

The best part was they all had good attitudes about the foiled experiment. They loved the painting. Makes me want to try art group again.

Preschool Art Group

Today's art group was rather uneventful.  I didn't do my normal planning since I had a super-splitting headache Tuesday night and went to bed at 8pm.  Last week, we didn't "do-art" for various reasons.  Instead we went to the Children's Museum; so this week's art was planned last week so I could participate in the Unplug Your Kids' theme- wax.

The children grated crayons with my mircoplane onto wax paper to make these stunning leaf shaped "sun catchers." They were quite enthused that the iron would cause the wax paper to stick to itself. Note to parents: make sure to

 cover the wax paper with newspaper so as not to ruin your iron. 

They also used oil pastels and watercolors since Lucas and Destany weren't with us the day we initially used them.

And, since Lucas didn't get to use the stencils two weeks ago, I pulled them out today.  It surprised me that Destany and John Isaac wanted to use them, too.  They all really enjoyed the oil pastels.

Preschool Art Group

Today's preschool art group theme was Thanksgiving with tribute to Native Americans.  First the kids painted paper sacks to make vests.

Whew  - they were WILD by clean-up time.  Two words: paint everywhere.

Mr. Intensity was banished to his room for spitting on another child. The other children asked, "What will happen to him?"  

I told them, "At our house, we follow God's word in the Bible that says, 'He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.' So that means..."

The children enthusiastically filled in the blank and actually cut me off by saying, "He gets a spankin'!  We do too!  That's what my Mom and Dad believe, too!"  And they took turns telling me (funny to me) details.
After the momentary affliction, Mr. Intensity re-joined the group to make a head dress.  When I told the kids we were making a "head dress" one of the boys said, "Boys don't wear dresses!"
While they made their feathery creations, I told them a story from the book I'm giving away.
And ended the story by making popcorn, since the Natives showed the Pilgrims the wonder of POP!  This simple treat made me the most fun mom, ever.  I'd planned to add a bit of real maple syrup (again, like the natives showed the Europeans) but the kiddos seemed perfectly content with bland pop corn.  So I skipped the sweet.  They were wired without it.

Wanna guess who's kid is crying?  It really was a good morning, I promise.