Art log—washi tape resist watercolor paintings

Many afternoons the kids and I can be found clustered around the kitchen table with paints and markers spilling off the edges. Art activities soothe our over-exuberant moods with focused industry. They brighten our gloomy moments with the satisfaction of creating something new. Plus I love having beautiful personal pieces to display. One time I went around and counted how many pieces of original art hang in our home… it was more than 60!

So I thought I’d chronicle some of our winners because I think it’s always inspiring to see what gorgeous pieces kids of all ages can make. Yesterday we welcomed the unofficial start to winter with some snowy scenes. First I taped off trees and other scenery in consultation with my little artists. We gave each painting a horizon line, and we talked about painting below it with mostly cool colors and above it with warm sunset shades. As they applied the liquid watercolors, we sprinkled on kosher salt, to soak up excess paint and add a pretty mottled texture. Once the paintings dried, I brushed off the excess salt (we were quite generous ), removed the tape, and revealed our masterpieces!

This is Luke’s mountain cabin scene and Eleanor’s alpine forest:

          

Some close-ups of the salt + paint effect:

   

And here they are displayed together in our kitchen:

Supplies needed:

-washi tape (mine was from target, you could also use any thin tape that removes cleanly from paper)

-thick paper (Watercolor paper with a lot of texture might allow paint to get under the tape, so if you don’t want that effect a smoother paper would be better. But it also might look pretty to have the colors seeping into the taped area! We used smooth multipurpose paper.)

-liquid watercolors (I bought ours here, the ‘Tropical’ Colorations set of 8)

-kosher salt from the grocery store

Gimley

{This is a post I wrote back in December but we didn’t get around to uploading the photos until more recently… better late than never!}

I’d always been suspicious of the somewhat creepy elf who spies on children and lurks on a shelf, thinking he harkened back to some grim fairytale rather than anything truly child-appropriate. But this year I saw some pictures of other parents’ clever elf shenanigans and I couldn’t deny that these silly scenes matched Luke’s sense of humor perfectly. Also I’d admired the search-all-over-the-house advent scavenger hunts that a friend used to do with her kids, and searching for the elf seemed a good intro to scavenger hunts for younger kids who couldn’t yet figure out a string of clues.

But I still couldn’t get on board with the idea that Santa sent the elf to report back on children’s behavior. It seems unfitting to make such a trouble-maker a moral judge, but most of all I don’t like having a good/bad determination linked to receiving Christmas presents. Our kids would never get presents if being truly good was a requirement; an hour rarely goes by when we don’t all deserve numerous demerits in this house. Instead of being earned, Christmas gifts are an act of love, just like the gift of a perfect Savior that Christmas rejoices to celebrate.

So we decided that our elf would arrive with a babysitting storyline. We had Santa (Uncle Jack) call our house to ask Luke if we could keep an eye on Gimley, one of his elves who’d been getting into so much mischief that they were two weeks behind on toy production. Santa knew that Luke and Eleanor would be up for the task, so he’d already dropped off Gimley in our mailbox. When he got off the phone, Luke was beside himself with excitement and surprise – a rare almost speechless moment. He eventually relayed the story to us amidst jumps and squeals (mentioning that Santa sounded a little like Papi) but Erik and I assured him that a real elf couldn’t possibly be in our mailbox. Luke was elated to be correct when we went out to look! And he and Eleanor have been abuzz ever since with speculation about whether or not the elf is real and what types of trouble he might get into next. We’ve told them several times that Santa and the elves aren’t real and that it’s just a fun game, but their imaginations are so vivid that it seems they quickly find themselves believing it at least a little bit.

I’m not sure if Gimley will be back next year or if he’ll clean up his act and get reassigned to the toy production team. But he’s been fun to hunt for and laugh about during his time here!

A literary Christmas for kids

It’s tough to put away our collection of Christmas books each year but in the end it’s always worth it. It’s such a delight to pull them out, shiny and fresh, each Christmas season. As you can see it takes a good-sized bin to store them all, and our collection covers the gamut from basic to poignant. Most were gifts, some I bought used, and a couple I couldn’t resist buying new.

I thought I’d share a few of our very favorites here, in case you’re looking for a new book to tuck away with your Christmas items and so perhaps I can look back years from now and know which ones to pass on to my grandchildren! (:

1. Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect – This one made me cry when I first read it – it’s a powerful story that captures the beauty of selfless service to others. 

2. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree – I remember loving this story as a child – seeing how creatures, large to small, each use a piece of Mr Willowby’s discarded treetop to decorate their homes. A classic with definite appeal for avid holiday decorators like me!

3. Jan Brett’s Snowy Treasury – Brett’s books are always winners and she has lots of great Christmas ones. All the winter stories in this volume are lovely and it’s a great price for all four books.

4. The Sweet Smell of Christmas – This was Erik’s favorite as a child and it’s been Luke and Eleanor’s favorite too. They never tire of the simple story with a Christmas scratch & sniff on each page – the scents hold up remarkably well too!

5. Humphrey’s First Christmas – The unconventional  nativity story from a camel’s point of view beautifully illustrates Christmas’ true meaning – reorienting our self-centered living to a wonder at God’s love.

6. A Small Christmas – We love Fireman Small from the classic book by Yee and while the rhymes aren’t quite so perfect in this one, the storyline of a pint-sized fireman shrinking Santa’s suit by mistake and taking over the toy deliveries (using his fire truck’s ladder to access the rooftops) has lots of appeal for any truck-loving child.

Here’s another list that has lots of great-looking selections too. Reading through it has me thinking… maybe we’re not too far removed from the Christmas season for me to try to find some of these at the library!

Christmas gifts & advent activities

As Christmas quickly approaches, a few gift questions always linger for a self-second-guesser and practical gift-giver like me. Do I need to go out and buy a few stocking stuffers for me and Erik or can I just go through the junk drawer and throw in various items we already own? Do I really want to give Eleanor the vintage Playmobil house that I’ve been saving for her (it’s the exact same one I adored as I child!) or will the precious little pieces drive us all crazy? Will Luke do fine with the 8-12 age range of Lego sets or should I stick to 6-12? How is it that Erik would prefer another waterlogged camera just for the fun of attempting a repair, when his shoes are falling apart and I happen to be an expert on men’s sunhat options? Maybe I should just get him Legos too – I better check those age ranges again…

But last night’s advent activity put all my gift ‘quandaries’ in perspective. We talked to the kids about several different donation gifts available on World Vision’s website, watched the short video on each one, and let them choose an item to send to those in need. The world’s injustices were unbearable in a fresh way as I explained to the kids the harsh contrast between their privileged lives and other perfectly innocent children’s situations. I wasn’t sure how much our stoic Eleanor was understanding, but at the end when I asked her what she would like to give she firmly replied – the clothes. I asked her why she chose that gift and she looked in my eyes and said earnestly, “So they be warm!” Luke was more touched by the plight of the sick and chose the medicines but told us that he wanted to get them all. Then Erik and I each chose our gifts, and our evening prayers with the kids for those in need were sent up with fresh urgency that night.

The World Vision gifts are part of the mix of traditions that we’re practicing with the kids this advent. Each day we do a special activity, which I’ve tried to make both fun and others-focused. So far our activities have included: having friends over to make snow globes (which wasn’t quite as idyllic as it sounds when Ella dropped hers and we were sterilizing tweezers to pull out a glass shard from her toe, but she’s fine now), attending the choir concert at church, and crafting lots of other less injury-prone cards and gifts. This weekend is our most anticipated activity – we’re taking the kids shopping to choose gifts for each other. I’ll sit with Eleanor for a Starbucks date while Erik takes Luke to find a present for Ella and then we’ll trade places. I wonder if Erik’s planning to ask Luke what to get me then too. I’ll have to drop some hints for them both. (:

We’ve also been focusing on a different piece of the Christmas story in the book of Luke each night and reading our Christmas themed storybooks. I’ll have to do a separate post with our favorite children’s Christmas books since there are so many sweet ones and I’d love to remember them. For our number-loving Luke, we’ve been counting down the days on our advent sticker calendar, and this year we added a new tradition that I never thought I’d embrace – the elf on the shelf. But our variation on the elf storyline and how the kids have responded could be its own post too so I’ll wrap this little 2013 time capsule up here. Happy holidays!

More first pets: Pollywogs!

We made the summer a regular pet-fest here, with plenty of mates for Russell the lizard. First there was “Climber” an interestingly colored beetle found on our patio that stayed alive for a remarkably long time in Luke’s bug house.

Then we happened upon an enormous puddle in a parking lot, brimming with tadpoles. We scooped up a cupful to take home and Nika and Papi helped the kids transfer them to the water table. A perfect home for the wiggly crew.

Here Luke is watching them happily swim as he eats breakfast the next morning.

We didn’t know what rate to expect for their transformation, but the fascinating process proceeded somewhat slowly giving us plenty of time to admire and photograph the pollywogs in various stages. First their legs appeared,

Then arms grew out and tails got shorter,

Finally they lost their tails entirely and started jumping out of the water. Funny little froggies – wait, I think they might be toads?

Our third little pet is still in transformation. The kids received a butterfly kit from my parents and sent away for the caterpillars a few weeks ago. We watched them hang from the top of their jar, harden into cocoons, and transferred them into a larger habitat. Now we’re just waiting for the butterflies to emerge!

I think this will be the last for a while in my series of posts on our southwest-y critters. Are you breathing a sigh of relief? Next up are some pics from our recent home projects and of course more kids on bikes. Now there’s a little time left in Eleanor’s nap, so I think I’ll pull out my autumn-y decorations to put up with the kids this afternoon!  

Love at first lizard

For years now every cute pooch that passes our way has left me with a twinge of regret, slowly mounting to guilt. Luke and Eleanor would be so delighted by puppy kisses, doggy chase, and canine cuddles. And wouldn’t a pet teach them responsibility, respect for animals, and provide a faithful friend in moments of frustration? Yet, I couldn’t quite sign on for the complications that a pooch would bring into our lives. Did we want to spend big bucks to board a dog every time we traveled to visit family? What about all the hair and furniture abuse in the house? Shouldn’t I at least wait until both kids are fully toilet-trained before taking on another potty pupil? So we hemmed and hawed for the past few years over the merits and troubles of dog ownership, never quite ready to take the puppy plunge.

But then it dawned on me: dogs aren’t the only pet available. There are plenty of lower-maintenance pets that could help teach our kids the same valuable lessons, making a more gradual bridge to the responsibilities of dog ownership. Thus began our backyard hunt for a lizard. We had lots of laughs chasing the lightning-fast critters for weeks, never getting nearly close enough to pick one up. But then one morning Erik heard a curious rustling in our recycling bin. He looked inside and lo and behold, there was our new pet, conveniently contained in the bottom of the bin.

The kids were elated when Erik came in with the news and ran out to help. Unfortunately in the hubbub of scooping the lizard up, he shot off his tail as a wild wiggling decoy. Luke thought that was hilarious but Erik kept his cool and got the tricky little guy into the bucket nonetheless.

Luke had picked out a perfect name weeks before. He chose “Russell” because we always hear these lizards rustling in the leaves and grasses. Here Russell is spying a cricket on the rock.What a wild spectacle it is to see him pounce on a cricket and chomp it head-first with its legs sticking out on either side of Russell’s mouth.

Erik is a pet softie so Russell didn’t stay in the white bucket for long. Soon he moved on up to this 55-gallon tank. Now that the weather’s cooled a bit we’ve added a heat pad and UV light. We keep it by our back door so the kids can go outside to check on Russell or just look through the window at him anytime.

It’s precious to see them collecting ‘presents’ to add to Russell’s tank and going out to say good night before bedtime. What a sweetie that little Russell is, I hope he’s happy with us for a long time to come!

Pirate party: Activities

After Luke’s pirate crew picked up their new names, it was time to look the part!

We had all manner of pirate garb… bandanas, eye patches, face paints, tattoos, and two kinds of hats. Plus a basket of one-piece pirate suits to fit the 4 and under kids.

With all those cutie-pirates and Erik’s photo-zeal, of course we had to set up a station for Pirate Polaroids.

Most of the crew posed for a group shot.  They were supposed to be saying “Argggh” here, but it looks like Luke’s saying, “¡Arriba!”

For the first half of the party the kids moved between the costume and photo booths and a few other stations.

There was Treasure Dough, with gold coins and other play-doh accessories at a table,

A plank for walking,

Which we made by just setting some heavy old pieces of wood on garden pavers.

And the playroom offered Literary Pirates, a pirate/ocean themed book basket, as well as Ship Painting.

There, the kids used watercolors to paint paper sails that we threaded onto kebab skewers and stuck in jiffy pots filled with soil and grass seed. Here’s hoping they sprout!

Then we played Pin the Parrot on the Pirate and awarded prizes.

After refreshments, came another pirate standby: the treasure hunt! To keep it simple, the ‘clues’ used a little pirate lingo to state the next location rather than describing it. Because even that can be a little mystifying at four years old.

The kids loved racing to each location,

And searching for the next white card.

It surprised us how much looking it took to find rather plainly hidden items…

But at long last the treasure chest was found and opened. The box revealed… pirate swords! I hope no parents hated me for these. I must admit that they were Luke and Eleanor’s first swords, so we tried to use them for a non-violent purpose. The parents blew bubbles for the kids to pop with the swords. It took some vigilance to make sure no one got poked by mistake, but in the end the kids did a great job taking those bubbles down without any collateral damage. We got so many amazing photos of the bubble-popping, but this one was our favorite. Can you handle the intensity!?!

And that concluded our party activities! It seemed to work well to avoid competitive games (except for pin the parrot) and stick with more self-guided, cooperative activities for this age group. I think the crowd favorites were the temporary pirate tattoos, scavenger hunt, and bubble-popping!

Just one party post left now… rub-a-dub-dub, pirate grub!

Eggs, playdough & the empty tomb

Backtrack to Easter with us! After careful research on boiling at 6000 feet, we made a big pot of hardboiled eggs and experimented with traditional dip-dying first. The kids found it mildly interesting but the process and colors were a little anti-climactic, even my fancy rubber-band trick.

So we moved on to a painting technique, using brushes and liquid watercolors. This gave the kids much more immediate control over the eggs and the colors were vibrant. Luke especially was hooked.

He wasn’t alone. I just love the way the colors swirled together and the paint highlighted the slightly bumpy texture of the eggs. To be truthful, I couldn’t take this gorgeous bowl off my dining table until it started to smell a little. (:

I can’t wait to make more watercolor eggs next year. Another tradition that we hope to continue is making an Easter tomb scene. This year’s was very simple, but there are all sorts of ways to extend this to include additional details as the kids get older. This time we stuck to the basics: crosses from sticks, a playdough tomb, and Playmobil figures for Jesus and a Roman soldier. The night before Easter while the kids were sleeping, we rolled the stone aside and took Jesus and the soldier out. The kids ran to the tomb on Easter morning and were thrilled to find it empty!

We didn’t neglect the ever-popular egg hunt either. Our neighborhood hosted a lovely one in a nearby park. We attended with friends and had such a nice time watching the kids together and visiting with neighbors. Here’s Eleanor with her sweet buddy, comparing loot I think.

What perfect weather for an egg hunt!

Eleanor was eager to pay a visit to the talented face painters. Does she look a little middle eastern here?

We left with plenty of candy so Easter morning we hid the hard-boiled eggs we’d been decorating all week. Luke was ever the gentleman and made sure Eleanor found plenty of eggs too, although Eleanor may have had trouble keeping those eggs in her bucket…

Then they opened their Easter baskets and we went to church. Usually Luke goes to Sunday School, but we decided to take him with us to the service for the first time. He recognized a number of the songs and watched with awe – all the people, the resounding singing, the beautiful instruments. As the sermon got underway he got a little fidgety, but all in all he made our hearts hurt with joy as he earnestly soaked it in. Our baby is growing up and how sweet it is to share the true joy of Easter with him more fully each year!