Let it Rain

We had a rainy day. So rather than dive into the school work that day we watched a movie and did some art. Today was something different.

I gave each of the boys some cardstock and washable markers

We each drew a picture

We put our pictures out in the rain and let it do the work.

They turned out pretty cool. It gave it a nice watercolor effect.

 I really like the way Benji's turned out.

Next time you are pulling out the art box think of a new way to use the stuff.

Rocks and Art

Here was a fun art project that we did, and all it takes is some rocks and crayons. Wash up the rocks and then put them on a cookie sheet and then in the oven {250 for at least 15 minutes}

While the rocks are warming get the area ready. I put down a wash cloth, and then put some freezer paper down on top of that. Gather some old crayons and peel the paper from them.

When you pull out the rocks they are going to be really hot!! Put one at each place and then color on them with the crayons. As you color the wax will melt giving the rocks a painted look.

You'll want to do lots of rocks because they are really fun the kids will want to do more than one and you'll end up wanting to do them too.

Art all around us.

I'm trying really hard to make sure we get a little art in. Tommy really likes art, but James... it comes in waves. James like learning about the artists and what style they used rather than just color.

By accident I found that freezer paper works really well to paint on. One side is paper and the other side is wax so there is no mess even if there is a lot of paint. This is my favorite thing for art work!!
You know you gotta love the dollar section at Target! I found these little ceramic mushrooms that you paint. {and a good lesson on not eating mushrooms that are not given you by mom and dad :) }

The boys have also been learning to sew. They made these little "gathering bags" {like the Egyptian children use to use to gather food} This actually went over really well and they are getting better at it.

We have also taken a look at Cubism. Some paper and a little tape and whola!!

I like being able to use what I have on hand and help the boys learn and love art. And seeing what they create is really cool!! It's neat to see the talent that they have. And I like seeing them pulling out paper and letting their imagination take over with out any prompting.

I am putting together an art bin for the summer and after the Benjamin is born. This way everything is at hands reach for them. {hopefully Tim will keep the art to his paper and not on his body....}

Getting ready for Thanksgiving

Last week was crazy with the launch and an appointment that I had. So we took last week semi-off, we learned about the first Thanksgiving, but there were no spelling and only one small unit on math. We did a TON of reading and a fun craft.
We finished up on Indians and did some Indian writing on our "animal skin." James' story was really good about hunting and sharing the tent with his friends.

Here is the craft that we did. Plastic Cup Turkeys

The cups were kinda see through, so I had the boys paint the INSIDE of the cup. This kept the mess to a minimum


I had the boys trace the feathers and then cut them out. This is really helping their fine motor skills develop. Tommy had a hard time tracing the side that was blocked by his hand but after a few tries he got it.

And the cutting

Here is the finished product. I think they turned out really cute! {and the boy are happy with anything that has googly eyes :) }

Tommy decided that his needed wings, so he cut a couple extra feathers and made wings for his turkey.

One of the books that we read was "You Wouldn't Have Wanted to Sail on the Mayflower" This really got us started on a great discussion! We talked about the Pilgrims and what they did before, during and after their voyage. We talked about the Indians, and about the living conditions. We talked about boats and the parts on the boats, and how crowded it was. The boys' favorite parts was finding and talking about the poop deck. The told dad that night and he giggle too.... I guess boys never really grow up.

We are taking this next week off {kinda} and we are going to enjoy this holiday with family. But I guess that's the wonderful joy of homeschooling... you are never really off because you can learn anywhere and any time.

Where did the Indians go?

This week we studied about Indians. It was a lot of fun we started by reading "Who Were the First North Americans?" I really enjoy the Usborne books, they have a ton of variety and there books are really easy to understand and fun for the kids.

We read about Totem polls and then we made our own. Only instead of wood.... {we have yet to reach an age of carving} so we used marshmallows and editable markers.




We watched some videos with Indian dances. {this is a hoop dance, and it's really cool}


We talked about the houses the Indians lived in and the difference between a Tee Pee and a Wigwam.


We made headdresses and necklaces. {Tim did really good with that, his fine motor skills are really starting to sharpen and he was so focused on beading his necklace}




{James is shooting an arrow} {wow.... and that's a really fuzzy picture}


This was a fun unit to work on, and the boys had a good time learning about the Native Americans.

Starry Night

One day from our Library I cam home with a puzzle of Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night" I did not realize what that would open! So we did an impromptu lesson on Van Gogh, and his art work. We got online and looked at a bunch of his artwork, and we have a Baby Einstein that showcases Van Gogh's art.

Then we did our own renditions of Starry Night using different mediums.

Here's James art work....

Oil Pastel

Crayon

Marker

Paint

I think he did a really great job. He is able to see a piece of artwork and find something he connects with and start there. With these, he did the bright moon first and then the mountain on the left. He made sure there was red on the mountain because if you look really close and Van Gogh's painting you can see the red that is there.

The next time we went to the library we got some extra books on Van Gogh, and looking though them James decided that "The Potato Eaters" was his favorite painting... because he thinks its funny that someone would paint a picture of someone eating potatoes. {by the way, this was one of Van Gogh's first paintings and done in really dark colors, his love of colors did not come until he moved to France}

Here is Tim doing some artwork. He really likes markers, and the oil pastels.

And here is some of Tommy's artwork.

This is a flag that he made.... we had to have a talk about why we don't use a glue stick to stick things to the walls....

{Tommy glued the crayon to the flag then the flag to the wall}

And here is one of Tommy's pumpkins...{kinda freaky in a funny way}

I'm glad that my boys love art so much, it makes the lessons so fun! And I'm glad that they are finding a love of the famous painters. James now wants to go to New York to see the original painting of "Starry night"