kids' art

Oh, how the art flows in, and in, and in.
I keep saving too much of it, in hopes that I'll find the time to do this.
Some day.
For now I have a few pics taken of some of it, and piles of art all over.  

for Springtime - mark your calendars

Doesn't this look fun? I would bring these in for preschool snacks!

Source: Family Fun Magazine

Home-Made Play Dough

Because it's hard to volunteer in Zach's class what-with his little sister-monster who'd wreak havoc in the room, I signed up to help with outside of the class prep. My first assignment of the year was to make play dough for the week. It was fun!

Preschool Play Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup salt
4 Tablespoons cream of tartar
2 cups water
1 package Kool-aid, unsweetened
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

In medium saucepan mix flour, salt, cream of tartar, and Kool-aid. Stir in water and oil. Stir over medium heat 3- 5 minutes or until mixture forms a ball in the center of the pan. Mine took about 7 minutes to form a ball.

Remove to floured surface and knead one minute.

Store in air tight container (Ziplock) in refrigerator.

* Still need to find out how long this "keeps." And if it should be kept in the fridge for the duration of its "playlife."

* Another friend suggested adding glitter to the dough! Fun!

ALSO a friend shared a recipe for EDIBLE Play Dough. (Edible as long as you're not allergic to PB):

1 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. honey
1/2 c. powdered milk

Mix together to make a playdough.
Optional: Wheat germ, coconut, decorations: raisins, nuts.

Use as regular playdough, then eat!

A Coupla Extras

My friend (and Jewelry Designer) Carey had a few they-be-so-much-quicker-without-kids errands to run before their trip to MN, so she dropped off Lucy, age 4, and Quinn, age 6 to hang with us for a bit.

I wasn't sure what we might need to do to keep all age groups occupied, so (like the anal nerd I am) I planned out some activities and had them written down:

- bus ride (yeah, believe it or not, I didn't take this one on.)
- scavenger hunt
- painting
- build-your-own ice cubes
- lunch
- making lollipops
- and maybe a few more items I can't remember.

We did accomplish quite a few of the above and a few others. It was fun to have the extras in da house! Poor Olivia napped throught the photo session, I guess. She was there, and she did munch down some chicken nuggets.

Checking out the spider ("check" next to that item on the scavenger hunt list)

Zach, Quinn, Lucy spider-watching
Artistes! (check out Lucy's chic shades and smock)
The innovative painter assembled his own work area
"Voila!"
Zach's Brad-Pitt-realizes-his-ex-stole-his-phone-in-Ocean's-Eleven face
The Thinker
Fixing an owie with the Nemo cold pack
The last Big Project: the fort!

Follow Up

Looking back at old e-mail drafts (where I file my notes and thoughts), I found the plans for moving Zach into his new room, and for decorating Olivia-to-Be's room. The original notes were posted in Feb 2007. Here's the follow-up:

Notes from a year later:
* I ended up getting two dark brown window valences from Target. I glued on pink flowers, and one valence went above the window; the other became a bedskirt for the crib, since only one side shows.
* The light-blocking beige curtains don't really block light, but they look okay.
* I painted a canvas of pink flowers on a heart-shaped tree branch.
* In theory, the floral night light on the dresser is a cute addition. Since it only cost $10 at Hobby Lobby, I got nervous that it wasn't safe enough to be left on all night. So, mostly it looks cute.
* We switched out the framed nursery rhymes for more "girly" rhymes: Little Bo Peep replaced Little Boy Blue, but Jack and Jill remain over the changing table.
* We did get the Shabby Chic rug for the floor.
* Cute butterfly mobile from Pottery Barn Kids hangs above the crib.
* Big flowers from Pottery Barn Kids hang above the changing table.
* Pink and brown "things" sit on the shelves above the rocking chair: a vase, a cute card, a bird from Theresa.
* Now, in the book rack, the Olivia books dominate the shelves. We have the first book, Forms a Band, and Helps with Christmas. If you haven't seen them, you must check them out!

All was inspired by the colors on the Boppy cover. So much for the thought that Zach's neutral stars and gingham could be reused!