weekly art group :: paper mache part two

Yes, these pictures are from weeks ago. I just now downloaded hundreds of pictures from the past few weeks. So expect some catching up in the next few days! :)

If you remember, we set out on a 2 part art project. The first week, we make bowls out of paper mache. That was so much fun!


The following week, the kids got to paint their bowls.

This ended up being one of the best art groups we have had in a long time!

The big boys got so into painting. Usually they hang out for a few minutes then take off to play legos or Star Wars or whatever.

But this week, they were totally captivated.

They ended up doing quite a bit of painting their own bodies!


It was awesome!

Our youngest little painter...


We are going to take a little break from our regular, weekly art group. I don't know if it is fall sneaking in, or what, but I am just feeling the need to be home, be still, be quiet. Having my house full of kids (though usually really fun) is not what I need right now. I feel like I am nesting or something (really it must be fall) - I just want to spend some simple, quiet time with my own kiddos these days.

weekly art group :: paper mache part one

For our art group this week, we started making paper mache bowls.

I used this recipe for the glue:

5 parts water
1 part flour
Boil for 3 minutes, then cool.

Be sure to stir the concoction the whole time. I didn't. It burned. It was gross. I had to fish little black chunks out. I don't recommend it, but it still worked.

I asked everyone to bring a bowl to use, but gathered up some back ups just in case. We covered the outside of the bowl with saran wrap so they will come off the mold easily. I also tore up all the newspaper pieces into strips ahead of time.

I find that when doing a craft like this with a group, having everything done ahead of time helps the process flow smoothly. Plus, the kids have a short attention span and we want them to get to the paper mache part, not just be all mesmerized by tearing up newspaper, ya know?

I demonstrated how to do it first, then let the kids at it...
We used some plain paper for the first and the last layer, with newspaper in between. This will make it easier to paint and give a "nicer" look to the finished bowls. You totally don't have to do this, but I had the paper on hand, so that's what we did.
They had fun with the gooey mess for a bit then most of the kids gave up before all the layers were done. Not a problem for us moms, we wanted to get our hands dirty REALLY bad. So, we gladly took over.
I had not done paper mache since I was a kid and it was really fun! I loved it! I think the kids had fun with it, but not as much fun as us grown ups did! We kept saying how we needed to get the dad's to watch the kids so we could have our own paper mache play date.

These are sitting up on my mantel drying, waiting for us to paint next week. I can't wait to see how they turn out.

painting rocks and making rainbows

I have been a little on the sick side, so we canceled art group this week. But, I still wanted to do something fun and artsy with the kiddos.

I am working on a little face lift for our nature table (fun stuff to share soon - I hope). Here are a couple projects we did to add to our new nature table space.

We have been seeing alot of rainbows lately because of all the rain we are getting.

So, I thought it would be fun to make some stained glass rainbows as a backdrop to the nature table. I've had quite a few people ask me how we do this so I am going to give more detailed instructions here.

Supplies:

* tissue paper in pretty colors
* construction paper (black works great, but any color is fine)
* clear contact paper
* glue
* scissors

What to Do:

* First off, decide on the shape you want to do. Keep it simple. We have done flowers, stars, moons, houses, the sun, houses.

* Draw out your shape on the construction paper and cut out two identical pieces. You have to think about it like stained glass, leaving a solid outline all around and openings where the color will show through.

* Cut a piece of contact paper a little bigger than the shape you are making. Peel off the back and stick one of the cutouts to the paper.


* Tear up small pieces of tissue paper and fill in the holes with whatever colors you like. You can also use scissors and just cut one big piece that will fill in each individual hole. I just like the textured look of overlapping pieces.


* Once everything is filled in, dab a little glue all around the outline and stick the second piece on top. This has your stained glass look nice from both sides.


* Cut a second sheet of contact paper and stick it sticky side down on top of everything. Use your hand to rub out all the bubbles and smooth it out.


* Cut close to the outer edge of your shape. Hang up and enjoy!


Here is the rainbow that Enrique did, mostly all by himself. He worked very seriously on this and was so cute, "I don't need ANY help, Mama!"


This is one of most favorite projects and is a great way to bring more color into the house. I loved that E got so into it this time.

Now onto some painted rocks....

We collected a few rocks from the yard and sat outside to make them pretty.




Anabel got really messy. She is LOVING painting these days!
Aren't they pretty? We are doing some paper mache bowls in the next few weeks with the art group and I think they will make a nice holding dish for these.

weekly art group :: stamping with paint

For art group this week, we did some paint stamping with random objects. I collected things from around the house that I thought would make good impressions with the paint.


Some of the things we used were cookie cutters, which worked really great.

I also had some balls and wooden eggs that the kids could roll around after they covered them with paint.

Then just using our fingers seemed like a good idea (can you see where this is going?)

Yes, things started to get a little more messy.
One of Enrique's finished pieces. He really liked using the egg to roll the paint onto the paper.
Anabel prefers using a paint brush most every time.
This little one is a SERIOUS artist. She kept going back to paint more just after her mom would get her cleaned up. She had paint ALL OVER her!
She is totally not afraid to dig in, make a mess and have fun with it!
And my little one had fun painting all the things we had out to use as stamps.
This was a REALLY fun project that all the kids really enjoyed!

art group :: nature pressing

I could have the art group just paint stuff every week! I think paint is the funnest. But, it is good to branch out a bit, doncha think?

So this week, I grabbed a bag of sculpy stuff (what is that stuff called?) and then Enrique and I collected some flowers, leaves, and sticks from the yard.


We used our treasures to make press marks in the clay.


We had to use a wooden block to press them down, but it worked great!



The kids were pretty captivated trying different things until the rain threatened to run everyone inside.



Enrique got totally into making sculpy people. For the rest of the afternoon and into the night he was at it. Concentrating very hard.

weekly art group :: sidewalk chalk paint

This week we made sidewalk chalk paint and painted our patio area, which is now super pretty!


To make the paint, I mixed water, corn starch and food coloring. I used a good amount of corn starch, but kept the mixture on the watery side. I found the thicker it was, the harder it was to spread around.


This is a funny medium to work with. When you paint it on, the "paint" is pretty watery and does not look like it has too much color to it. But when it dries, it totally looks like chalk!


Of course, the kiddos ended up just pouring out the jars.. who needs a paint brush anyway?

weekly art group :: splatter paint

Summer means messy painting fun in my book, so we did another BIG painting project yesterday with the art group.

I have some large brown butcher type paper that I cut into big pieces and hung up on our clothes line.


I used washable paint this time so the rain will clean up the messes that we make.


I watered down the paint and put out lots of paint brushes for the kids to load up with paint and splatter all over their paper.


This was all I could get Enrique to do.. he just was not interested in art today, too bad..


Because all the other kids had SO MUCH FUN!


Especially Anabel. She was just so completely adorable getting into her project.


She seems to be getting more into art than Enrique these days..


Here is her finished painting.


And some of the other children's masterpieces:




Enrique was then happy that the painting was over so he could PLAY with his friends! He found himself a new pirate buddy!


I am going to need to go searching around the internet for some more great outdoor projects for us to do the rest of the summer!