One of the things I like to do with the kiddos is to cover the dining table with newspaper, get out the paint, and let the kiddos paint. Sometimes they use watercolors and sometimes they use tempera paint. If we are using tempera paint I usually only get out a couple of colors. This time I was letting my two year old discover that if she mixes different colors she can get another color so I only put out the primary colors.
I don’t ever tell the kiddos what to do. I just sit back and let them create. Let them discover. Let them have fun. I’m not a big craft person, but I do like to see what my kiddos will come up with if I give them a few materials to work with. That’s why we have an art closet. I keep it filled with paper, glue, markers, modeling clay, crayons, sidewalk chalk, pipe cleaners, glitter, and lot’s of other stuff. That way they have access to the stuff and can go create. Most of the time it’s a lot of fun but I will admit that sometimes I’m not in the mood for the mess.
This time when they were done painting I decided I wanted to display their artwork. Usually I have a ribbon strung between two nails and hang their artwork with clothes pins but this time I wanted to frame a few of them.
The photo above shows their artwork displayed on the fireplace mantle and the photo below shows artwork displayed on a bookcase. I love how the art adds color to the living area. It turned a drab bookcase into a splash of color and the effect is carried over to the opposite side with the mantle.
The frames are just cheap frames I picked up at the dollar store to hang our family photos in but I’m not really a family photo kind of girl. So these frames have sat in the closet until today when I finally put the artwork in them. Yea me! I finally get to enjoy my kiddos art and the best thing is I can switch them out as they create.
For other art ideas to do with the kiddos visit The Artful Parent. I forget how I came across her blog but I have been reading it everyday ever since. She does way more art with her daughter than I do with mine but I love her philosophy. We tend to think alike when it comes to letting children discover and have fun. Except she handles the mess a lot better than me because she hosts a toddler art group at her home and I have a hard enough time with one toddler and her two older brothers.
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I am so proud of you!! I want to be more like you when (if) I grow up. You know my o.c. kicks in and I can’t handle everything being out of place. My kids don’t think it’s all that fun to play and make messes with me coming right behind them with the Lysol wipes cleaning away their creativity. I’m just not fun!! But I do try.
so my thought when i saw this was ” i need to get a newspaper subscription…”