It seems like most of the kids are born in October.  Maybe it's the result of New Year's resolutions by the fertilely-gifted, or maybe it's an effort to have their kids be the oldest in their class (don't get me started on that).  Anyway, my daughter has been going to a lot of birthday parties lately.

I think it was during last fall's birthday rush that she started making birthday cards for her friends.  I must have forgotten to buy one for one of the parties, so I got out some nice cardstock and stickers, and she got to work. 

Now it's really standard practice for her to make birthday cards for everyone.  She likes to match up the corners of an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of cardstock and fold it herself.  Then we talk about what this person likes, and she makes decisions about what to draw. I think it really gets her thinking about her friends in a nice way, She likes to test her own ability to spell "Happy Birthday" and then writes her friend's name at least once.  I bought a box of greeting card envelopes at the office supply store, and she decorates those too.  I sure hope the recipients like these homemade cards as much as she does. One of her friends recently sent out birthday party invitations requesting cards or drawings instead of gifts so she can make a "birthday wall" in her bedroom, which is an idea that I love.

We usually keep it simple with stickers, crayons and markers, maybe rubber stamps.  But collage would be another great way to make homemade cards.  Try using clipped images from past birthday cards or pieces of wrapping paper, or even cheerful pictures from magazines--another good recycling lesson.  Let your child pick out pictures, cut them and glue them onto the card with a glue stick.  You could help her trim the edges so they are smooth, and you'll have a perfectly personal card. 

Just a thought for keeping it crafty.

Now you can find information about art museums relevant to children under my "Tips" tab.  Check it out for free admission info and some links to some great online content you can look at with your kids (some they can look at on their own).

I recently took my 5 year-old to the Philadelphia Art Museum.  It was the week before she started kindergarten, and we had been talking about doing something special together.  I casually suggested the art museum, "a big building with lots of paintings my lots of famous artists" and she jumped on the idea.  I think she wanted to see where her artwork might be hanging one day.

We spent most of our time in the Modern Art wing, where she loved seeing the big colorful canvases of Mark Rothko.  She laughed at a work by Robert Rauschenberg that had "eyes" sticking out from the canvas.  She pointed out one painting (it might have been a Franz Kline) that she said her brother could do.  She enjoyed the Impressionists, and we spent some time talking about how Monet's paintings looked different close up versus a few steps back.  She asked why there were so many naked people in the museum (in the paintings, of course).  I told her that some artists like to paint what the body looks like in different positions, and how our muscles and skin look.  I hope that was an okay answer--she seemed satisfied.

We brought a sketch book and colored pencils (I think that's all they will let you bring in) and after looking at many paintings, we found a bench where she could sit and make her "museum drawings" that were very colorful, expressive, abstract drawings, which seemed perfect.

We spent about 3 hours there, including time for lunch and a stop in the museum store where she picked out two postcards showing paintings that she "really super liked" which now hang on her bulletin board in her room.  She had a great time and wants to go back, and I'm very excited that she's starting out thinking that the museum is exciting and not boring.

Museums can be interesting for kids, if you let them be interested.  Check out some of the links, talk about artists' work and how it connects to some of the work the kids are doing themselves.  Some of the interactive online programs let kids learn about artists through games and videos, or make their own computer images in the style of the artist.  Give it a try...
 

So, the weather has been really nice lately, at least in Media, PA.  The other day, I wanted to go out somewhere with the kids, but really didn't want to go to the playground (with a small "p").  Call me selfish, but I just didn't want to lift the kids up to the monkey bars and hold them while they tried to get across.  What I actually wanted was a Pumpkin Spice Latte, but I couldn't figure out a way to combine my pumpkin spice fix with any kid-centered destination.  So here's what I came up with... 

I told the kids we were going on a field trip, we picked some unwrapped crayons from the crayon bin, put some plain paper in my bag, and we were off.  I parked about three blocks from the coffee place, and I told them that we were going to walk through town looking for things that were interesting or exciting.  We could draw them or do crayon rubbings (like the leaf rubbings you probably did when you were young--put the paper over a textured surface and rub the long side of a crayon over it to transfer the texture.)

The kids liked the activity.  My daughter was immediately into it.  She saw some flags and drew them on her paper. "I'm excited about those flags," she said.  My son started looking for bricks and other patterns on the ground that he could rub his crayon over.  I suggested ideas like adding a second color rubbing on top, or looking for another surface that might look good on the same page.

Soon we arrived at the coffee shop, I got my Pumpkin Spice, and the kids felt like they had done "something" that afternoon.

Just an idea for injecting art into your day...

I started this web site because several moms said things to me like "I'm not good at crafts," or "Crafts are too messy, I rarely let my kids do them!" or other excuses for not encouraging their kids to do arts & crafts activities. Believe me, arts and crafts are a great thing!  They are worth the mess, for sure.  I don't know what I'd do without them.  My daughter loves to draw (and do any kind of art project) and she can entertain herself for hours.  This morning, she even opted to draw instead of watching TV, and said "I'm getting to be too old to watch shows."  Really?

So, let them paint, let them draw, give them paper and glue.  I hope you find some ideas here to help you get comfortable and help your kids get started.  And let me know what you think!  I'd love to hear your comments.  And if you have craft ideas to share, feel free to email me, and I will do my best to incorporate them.

-Kat