Feather Flower Cups

This Idea Came From: Today we are feeling a bit inspired to make some flowers so I went hunting for some ideas online. http://www.makeandtakes.com/earth-day-recycled-art

Our Experience: Emma saw me take out the "crap" stuff... which is her way of saying craft... and it was time to get messy! I cut the egg carton down to the cups and speared teh bottoms so she could paint them green. She did really well. then after they somewhat dried (we couldn't wait til they were all the way dry) we inserted the pipe cleaner stems and kinked them inside the cup so they would stay put. Next Emma put glue and paper pieces from a past "crap" we did and the final step was to stick feathers inside the centers to hide all the rough edges. Whah Lah!! We got super messy.. but I tend to like just going for it and cleaning up after. Emma is soaking in the tub now! She has one green eyebrow, hands and elbows covered- but is thoroughly satisfied with her bouquet.

The Lesson: Anything you do is always original.. when you make it with your own hands. It is fantastic to see things form from her hands. A great lesson for an old artist. Wing it.. and have no fear.

Felt Fun

This Idea Came From: I believe I found this idea in an art room at a school. When Emma was really little we started cutting shapes out of felt and playing with them on a huge table in the garage/studio area... we just rediscovered them today!

Our Experience: We found our stash of felt shapes and remnants. I covered a canvas with one large solid piece of felt and the fun was reborn. I think we are going to hang the board up for permanent activity in the kitchen or living room or end of a hallway... and I will start making more and more people, buildings, cars, animals. The great thing about a felt board is the creative outlet is endless for her alone and also we parents. She is already requesting different things she wants made into felt. She played by herself for almost an entire hour. I don't know, but in three year old speak.. that is nothing short of a miracle! This will be an ongoing and gradual activity- we will see where it goes.

The Lesson: Felt has a certain ability to keep Emma focused to make choices on her own- placement, color and content. She talks to the board and whatever she is making.... so there is loads of opportunity to eavesdrop and get the inner workings of the little mastermind! Here you see that she made an Elmo who was covered by a red blanket- he was going to sleep and was told very sweetly that he would not be cranky if he took one. She on the other hand skipped the nap today.

Bird Cage

This Idea Came From: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/animals/cagedbird/

Our Experience: I was and still am shocked that this worked!! This is a project that requires doing a first step then waiting another day or later in the evening. It takes some time to get the hang of slippery glue, string, and a balloon. We tried a few ways and the best was to just dunk all the string in a bowl full of glue at once. Get it all gunky! Then put it on the balloon. Wear a smock and do not be scared of having a good amount of clean up on hair, clothes.. and tables. It is just Elmers so it is not so horrible but be prepared for a potential mess. After we helped each other wrap the balloon with wet glued string we found a clothes-pin and hooked it to a hanger so there would be no issues with getting it off a plate or worse! It dried by evening the same day- so we took a small dowel and raffia string and put our bird on a perch. The moment of truth was when it was time to pop the balloon... the glue slowed down the popping process and was not startling. It was actually really cool. It retracted like the Wicked Witch of the East's feet curled under Dorothy's house. We had a giggle about that. Our bird cage is now hanging in our living room since it is so neat-o!

The Lesson: Something that was expected to be terribly hard.. was really easy. What made this project awesome was we were so surprised by its success. It is fun to get really gloppy and sloppy. And it is super cute!

Quick Tulips

This Idea Came From: I thought it up. It is Valentines Day and my favorite flower is the tulip. So, we made a paper bouquet... well it was merely a suggestion!

Our Experience: Waiting for the chef to make breakfast, I pre-cut 8 flower heads.. and a piece of ribbon. Brought a whole piece of green paper, scissors, glue, and oil pastels (but crayons work too). We used a piece of white rolled paper so we could make the background big enough to draw on as well. Sat the young one down at the table and let her make blades of grass on her own. I cut long stems. She was chomping at the bit to start gluing and I let her put everything anywhere she wanted. I put one finger on each end of the stem and she drew a glue line by herself from one end to the other. Not a bad project for steady control and practicing purposeful application. After everything was glued I drew simple outlines of a few things and she filled in faces and details... and made a few of her own contributions... like worms in the dirt. Ha ha... cute.

The Lesson: Today she seemed to catch on of the order of things... like.. cutting first - then placing.. then glue. Even though it didn't quite make it in the spots predetermined... she was great at taking charge of her art. Confidence. I love how she started coloring the sun's rays and didn't stop until she made it all the way around. That shows stick-with-it-ness!

Print, Paper, Scissors

This Idea Came From: One day Emma was playing on www.nickjr.com and found the print button. We turn off the printer now- let's just say there are plenty of scenes from Olivia to practice our cutting and pasting for a good long time. I have no idea exactly where these came from on the site since Emma figured it out on her own!!

Our Experience: There are a lot of things going on in our family so it is really hard to do full blown crafts at times. I have a bin of odds and ends of many varieties and these Olivia scenes got tossed in there. So, we had a few moments before the day got started and she was restless. All this required was scissors, and glue, markers and the scenes and character printed from the internet. Emma can cut pretty straight now but I helped with the more complicated shapes (which I can not believe she let me). After we cut all the pieces out.. I had her draw a picture of herself... we cut that out and then glued her friend Olivia and her self portrait on the scene. It was a 15-20 minute process.. and she was thrilled. Mission accomplished.

The Lesson: Making time to focus on the important things (that one was for me). The smallest craft to us is huge for them.. don't forget to make time for the simple things in life. We really are a bigger- better- more- society. Cutting is a major task for little hands.. and Emma is getting really good. This takes time so practice makes perfect. Using glue and learning to use a little less.. and applying it evenly is what we are starting to focus on. Control and listening to directions. Concentration.

Boots Felt Slippers

This Idea Came From: http://www.nickjr.com/crafts/boots-slippers.jhtml

Our Experience: This idea was awesome. We found the template and have felt bins with loads of colors so we improvised with what we had. I cut out all the Boots face pieces and we assembled them together. Glue was a mess so we went another route. I got out the iron and hem tape that melts between the fabric. Whaaaa Laaaa...because sooner rather than later works best for us. Once the faces were done we tried so hard to figure out how the little bootie fit together from the template but RASPBERRIES!! We quickly moved to plan B and made a slip on slipper type shoe instead and ironed those together. They are pretty solid so they will last a bit longer than fabric glue. Emma loves to wear them... so she has something on her feet she made. How fun is that!

The Lesson: Good lessons for us both. Just because something isn't working doesn't mean it can't be solved. The cool thing is they look just like the charactor Boots... and we followed a pattern. Following directions-but knowing when to cut your losses and go with improvised versions. (I value that.) Working with hot iron- listening and being aware of dangers but helping. Working together and listening.

Fancy Balsa Boxes

This idea came from: Our own heads.

Our Experience: Some days you can forget to stop and have fun with your little one.. if you don't watch it. These Fancy Balsa Boxes came from items in my studio area. Melt down was soon to be rearing its ugly head so I found: old balsa boxes, feathers, beads and sparkles.. oh and sticker letters. I put little piles of each medium in front of her and let her do her thing... We skipped the Elmers glue and opted for Gel Medium (found in acrylic section of art stores). It is heavy bodied and little fingers can press all sorts of elements into the goo. It dries clear and holds everything in its place. Elmers would have taken forever.. and with us.. the sooner the better!

The Lessons: Important- I also did one of my own which she also helped with. I think this makes her feel like it is 1. worth doing, 2. she is valued as a companion, and 3. unfiltered with too much telling what to do on HER craft. Use of eye/hand coordination, motor skills with peeling sticker backs, placing small objects, and negociating sticky glue and placement. Creativity and pride.

Salt Dough Hands

The Idea Came From: http://www.allfreecrafts.com/decorations/salt-dough.shtml

Our Experience:
Emma and I had a blast measuring & squishing dough, shaping it and pressing her hand in the center. It was exciting to watch it cook- as much fun as watching paint dry! However, all worth while because decorating it was fun stuff. We punched a hole and threaded ribbon for a finishing touch and will be giving some to Grandparents for her third birthday.

The Lessons: Hand/Eye coordination, patience, working together, creativity, focus, and completing a project that requires multiple steps.