This summer I’m bringing back the popular outdoor art classes that I taught last year. I’m adding a drop-off class for older kids in addition to the mommy-and-me style class for toddlers and preschoolers. These classes filled fast last year, so register NOW!
PS – I’m in love with my pictures from last year. Full of sunlight and color and painty hands. Hard to pick just a few!
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We’ve had a lovely early spring here in New England, getting us out of the house early and often! We’ve been visiting all our summer stomping grounds from last year’s Tuesday Trips, plus a few new places!
Visting the greenhouse at Verril Farm after a picnic lunch with friends.
Going for a walk at Cochituate State Park.
Exploring the all-new Hannah Williams Playground in Wayland, MA
First ice cream of the season at Erikson’s.
Despite my cute new wreath, we’ve had very little rain. I found the idea for this one on Pinterest. Want to follow me?
Going for a scavenger hunt walk (template here).
Laundry drying in the sun!
Pack of boys at Drumlin Farm.
Checking out the sweater bombing (courtesy of South End Knitters, featuring my friend Jess Pease) at the DeCordova sculpture park.
Saying goodbye to a beloved sculpture in the park, Ozymandias. CJ wrote a poem about it that was published on the DeCordova’s website!
First bike ride of the season!
Our gorgeous pink dogwood in bloom a few weeks earlier than usual!
For Earth Day we got our garden growing! Ready to grow: two kinds of basil, leeks, cucumbers, peas, beans, edible seed sunflowers, and watermelon pink california poppies. All surrounded by our existing perennials, which include summer phlox, peonies, strawberries, mint, oregano, and more. Clearly we need to do more weeding as well. Inside is a pot of watermelon seeds for transplanting later. We also have stevia, summer squash, zucchini, and spinach seeds awaiting planting.
Yesterday our parched garden got a much-needed rainstorm, but between the rainclouds there was a bit of sunshine. So we headed out to catch a few rays, put a few seeds in the ground and play with wet chalk.
Gosh our giant chalk boards don’t look as giant as they used to! But they have survived yet another winter outdoors, and will get another summer of use! I really recommend making some of your own, they are so easy!
Outdoor art classes are coming SOON! Stay tuned!
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The other day we found a recipe for Gak (or Slime, or Flubber) on Pinterest! It’s so easy, you should make it, too! Ours is made with white glue, borax, water and neon blue food coloring (McCormick’s). We had all of it in our house already, but you can find it all at your local grocery store, too.
In addition to being super-fun, it has held up really well for more than a week already. Ours just goes in a plastic bag when we are finished, you don’t even need to refrigerate it. For sightly older kids, the science of polymers is pretty cool too, and there’s an awesome tie-in to the science of glaciers here.
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There is still some room in the two new art classes beginning tomorrow!
Mommy & Me Paper, Paint & Play!
Tuesdays
Feb. 28-April 3
10:00am-10:45am
@ The Boys & Girls Club
Cost: $50
Ages: 1-5
AND
Art Adventures
Tues. Feb. 28-April 3
Fowler Middle School (room D118)
$50
Grades: K-3rd
4:00-5:00
Registrations forms can be found here: http://www.bgcav.org/
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Mommy & Me Paper, Paint & Play
Tuesdays
February 28th – April 3rd
10:00-10:45
Ages: 2-5
The Boys & Girls Club of Assbet Valley, Maynard
Cost: $50
Taught by a local art teacher and mom with 10 years of experience, Paper, Paint, Play! is an art class for children ages 2 to 5 years old. This class will present a variety of media for children to explore. Using non toxic, washable materials, children will paint, build, feel and learn about artists and techniques. We will use our senses, motor skills and creativity to learn about art media, observation and how artists look at the world. Focus is on creative process, not product and children will be encouraged to learn at their own pace and ability.
Parents should expect to attend class with their child, and engage in the activity with them. Smocks and clean-up materials will be provided, and all materials are non-toxic and washable.
FREE CLASS: Tuesday, February 21st, 4:00-4:45 @ The Boys & Girls Club
Wondering what this class is all about, here is your chance to check it out for FREE!
I have two new classes starting at the Boys and Girls club next week, and we’re offering both of them tomorrow for free! Come try them out!
Wild Thing inspired by Maurice Sendak
Tuesdays
February 28th – April 3rd
Grades: K-3
4:00-5:00
Fowler Middle School, Maynard
Cost: $55
FREE CLASS: Tuesday, February 21st, 10:30am-11:30am @ The Boys & Girls Club
Wondering what this class is all about, here is your chance to check it out for FREE!
Taught by a local art teacher and mom with 10+ years of experience, Art Adventures! is an art class for children in grades K-3. Each week this class will begin by discussing a particular artist or illustrator, then creating artwork inspired by what we learn. Artists will include Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky, Eric Carle, Ezra Jack Keats, and more!
Smocks and clean-up materials will be provided, and all materials are non-toxic and washable, but please send your child wearing clothes that can get messy.
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Via Soulemama.com {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
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Photo above is courtesy of Sheena, who was taking pictures at the Chinese New Year event we went to on Sunday. We had such a great experience, and will definitely go back again next year!
There was ribbon dancing.
And dragon dancing!
We even got up close and personal with the dragon.
And Julia, one of the dragon dancers!
There was amazing student artwork.
Fun riddles to answer, and prizes when you got them right!
And custom-made calligraphy names and blessings. There’s also a dinner and evening performance of traditional dances and music, but it was a little late for us, so we had to go home. Maybe next year!
Between the festivities on Sunday and our kind friends who currently live in Singapore, we’ve amassed quite the Chinese New Year collection this year!
We also checked out some books from the library so that we could learn more. We love Lion Dancer, because it’s written from the perspective of a little Chinese-American boy living in New York City. Chinese New Year is very informative, but written from a Western perspective and the illustrations are a little stiff. CJ has enjoyed both of them, and if you’re interested in learning more about Chinese New Year, you will too!
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Snow and Sledding! S, s, s! That little red Speck on the hill? That’s my husband, helping CJ climb the hill across the Street from our house so they can Slide down one last time. Sadly, it was powdery, so there was a lack of Snow forts and Snowballs.
When we came inside, some warm fun was in order. We made some gluten-free play dough, which I’ve been meaning to try so that I can have an alternative for students in my classes who have a gluten allergy. Here’s the recipe we used:
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup corn starch
3/4 cup water
Have your child mix the baking soda and corn starch in a pot. Use hands to make sure all the lumps are broken up. Add water. The adult should put the pan on the stove over medium heat and stir constantly. As soon as the mixture gathers together, remove from the heat. When it cools, have your child knead it into a smooth dough. Don’t over cook this dough or it will crumble.
We made a double batch, because I suspected this recipe would not yield much, and I was glad we did. We ended up with a softball-sized ball of dough. CJ chose to make ours blue by adding several drops of food coloring, but this would make a really nice white dough for snow dough. Also, definitely take the pan off the heat as soon as the mixture starts to seem like very soft dough. I worried about overcooking it, and then I worried that I took it off too soon as it was very soft while warm, but it firmed up as it cooled and came out perfectly.
Squishy, Squashy Snowman! S, s, s!
Splat! This dough was especially Soft and Smooth, especially when warm.
Smile!
I broke out the letter cookie cutters since CJ is currently on an alphabet kick. Much Spelling and Silliness ensued! We Suggest that you Start a batch as Soon as possible!
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Via Soulemama.com {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
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CJ is really into the alphabet lately. He can recognize and name about half of the letters, so I’m taking the teachable moments and running with them. The other day we took a $1 package of modeling clay and made an alphabet. You may have noticed that we used the letters for some aesthetic updates around here lately.
Of course, the letters C and J are favorites.
“Mama, what does this say?”
“Ummmmm….”
Eventually the letters turned into a long hose, or maybe a snake. In any case, they became art.
We also picked up a fun book at the library. It’s called A is for artist: A Getty Museum Alphabet.
It’s full of details from famous works of art. I particularly like “M is for mustache”, and the simple way that they incorporate both the upper and lowercase letters.
The back of the book has a gallery of all the works in their entirety as well. It’s fun and worth a look.
The modeling clay letters have inspired a bigger alphabet project, so look for another post about that soon!
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