I am over at Playful Learning today writing about how to make a Quiet Time Lantern for the dark and wintery nights. The first part of the making the lantern is to do a wet-on-wet watercolour painting, this is a lovely and easy art form and great for sharing with a mixed age range. I’ve been doing this kind of art with the boys since they were really little, it allows them to play with colour and yet produce something…
As sun poured in through the windows, I decided now was the time to get out our wet felting kits and get soapy! I know there are lots of tutorials on the internet about how to wet felt (there’s a lovely one here) but I decided to take the easy option and buy some kits at the same place I buy my wood roving. We’re really lucky here in Ottawa to have a diverse range of businesses and Wabi Sabi…
There’s something of a theme running through our activities at the moment… After seeing me needle felt my first pumpkin (after watching this great tutorial), Huwyl was desperate to have a go, so he made his own over the weekend. I can’t say watching him wield the needle was a stress free experience for me, but he got the hang of it and has now declared that he wants to needle felt every day from now on. Ok. Continuing…
What do you do on a boiling hot afternoon (37C with humidity) when you can’t head to the pool because one of your number has a poorly tummy? You make a double batch of cloud sand and stay in the shade of course! For something so incredibly simple (flour and oil, that’s it) this was a real hit. The boys played with their trays of sand for the best part of an hour, giving Mummy the chance to sit down…
Since Neirin finished preschool I’ve been conscious of trying to create more activities with him in mind. I’ve been pinning lots of different ideas for sensory activities that I can use with both boys and so far this week it has been going really well. The first try, boxes of soapy water, was a resounding success and had the happy by product of clean toys! I love how something so simple can be so soothing and entertaining at the same…
Yesterday I opened up the oil and soft pastels for the boys to have a bit of an experiment with, they loved the deep colours and textures and we spent a happy hour playing as the afternoon sunshine spilled over us. Huwyl asked me how oil pastels are made, when I told him I don’t know he said “I don’t know either, that’s what makes it so interesting!” I just love the way his mind works.
I’ve been a bit absent from the old blog this week due to having a small piece of wood in my eye. I quite literally poked myself in the eye with a stick. Well a piece of kindling actually but the upshot was the same. Ouch. Despite me doing a thoroughly convincing impression of a pirate for a couple of days we have rediscovered our arty mojo here at Chez Jhompson and the boys have been arting up a storm…
First of all thank you to everyone who left a kind comment yesterday, each one was read and brought comfort and a little smile. And to avoid the dwelling or slipping into maudlin mode let’s celebrate the little joys of life shall we? There’s been some fun painting going on around here recently, all ideas nicked from The Artful Parent. First off salt line painting, very cute and effective. As you can imagine Neirin kind of went his own way….
I really enjoy doing art projects with the boys; it may be messy but it is always fulfilling. What occupied my mind today, though, wasn’t the end product of the wet on wet watercolour painting we did, but the bi-products of our session. The feeling in the room as the mood changed, as both boys settled down to their work, exploring the process in their own way and revealing so much of their unique selves in the process. Walking his…
Last week we did a picture study from The Art Book for Children, we looked at Women, Bird by Moonlight by Joan Miro. I really love this book as it has suggestions for questions to ask, helping the child to see more in the painting than might be appreciated at first glance. I enjoy encouraging Huwyl to look more deeply into the world around him, to look beyond what is obvious and to encourage him to trust his own feelings…