Day 22 – Gardening

Today LeeAnn and I worked in the Garden together. Over the weekend we had purchased several plants and I wanted her to help me plant them.

LeeAnn has been especially enamored of flowers this year and we have let her pick out quite a few plants, but my father is our home gardener, so we haven’t yet planted any together. Today we planted a pair of Easter lilies, a basil plant, some pink petunias and an azalea bush. My little girly girl even overcame her dislike of being dirty and helped me with every step.

Gardening is a great activity for our little ones. Not only does it get them outside, but they see and learn so much about plant life. Even if you live in an apartment you can set up a small container garden with your child.

With the introduction of the brown mamorated stink bug from Asia has pretty much ended my vegetable garden this year; however some plants do seem impervious to this nefarious pest. My sage, rosemary and marigold plants have all been left alone. These plants can even protect your vegetable plants if planted together. It seems the stink bugs avoid these plants.

How to Make a Container Garden

Supplies:

A large pot or half barrel

Potting Soil

Plants of different varieties. (For most containers it is important to choose small, short plants. The tag usually has such information. You also need to consider sunlight availability when choosing plants.)

Watering can

Trowel

Instructions:

-          Put a layer of potting soil in the bottom 2/3 of the pot. This gives you enough soil to dig shallow spots in when setting up the plants for placement.

-          Plan out how you each plant placed. Keep in mind height and width of each plant when considering layout.

-          Remove each plant from its container. Make sure you loosen the root ball to allow the roots to spread into the surrounding soil. If the root ball is severely matted, you may need to cut some of the roots away to loosen them.

-          Use the remaining potting soil to fill in the spaces around the plants.

-          Water them until saturated, make sure to keep them moist until the roots take hold and then water as needed.

Day 21 – Cave Hand Prints

Ever since we did the hand prints in dough, I have been drawn to the Chauvet Cave handprint. So I decided we would try to make our own.

 

This cave was discovered by hikers in 1994 in France. Most of the images found in the cave date back to 30-32,000 BP. These extensive artworks include several partial handprints and hand stencils[1]. From the pictures I’ve seen of the work, the cave is closed to the public, it appears as if the artists are leaving their marks with the hand stencils.

 

LeeAnn and I had picked up some slate roofing tiles last time we were at my Grandfathers house. We choose to use these for our prints, but any material will work. We first experimented with blowing and rubbing pastel chalk dust around our hands to make the stencils. Though this worked some what, I did not get the definition I was looking for. Next we used pastel crayons to trace around our hands. After showing her how to do this on one slate, I let her trace her own hand. Since this was a new idea, LeeAnn really enjoyed it, but did not create perfect prints. Her work instead created beautiful abstracts. We ended up working on both sides of every slate she enjoyed it so much.

 

I kept two pieces by spraying them with matte clear coat to preserve the images and cleaned off the rest of the pieces. LeeAnn however has continued creating hand stencils on her chalk board in the house.

 

How to Make Cave Hand Prints

Supplies:

A hard surface (I used slate, you can use anything though)

Pastel Crayons

Matt Clear Coat

Instructions:

 - Using the pastels, trace you hand with different colors, using your fingers, blend the colors around the shape of your hand.

 - If you want to keep them intact, spray a few coats of matte clear coat over the print.

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[1] http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/chav/hd_chav.htm

Day 20 – Paper Batiking

I love the look of batik fabric, but when I heard about this technique, I admit I was skeptical. But hey, when you’re doing 365 different craft projects you need to be willing to try new things.

Evidence of Batiking has been found as far back as the Sui Dynasty in 581 AD China. Its wide spread use is probably the result of trading thought Asia and the middle east. Of course, it was the Germans who first created mass produced batik fabrics[1].

LeeAnn and I began by using crayons to color on a page of construction paper. I had to keep asking her to draw more and press harder. She seems to have reached a stage in her work where shapes are more important than pressure.

The paper crumpling was fun for her, so I let her crumple up my work as well. LeeAnn then was allowed to paint over both drawings which I then rinsed off and ironed. This project, though it worked, is definitely better for older children. Toddlers work is not consistent enough to work well with this technique.

How to Dry Flowers with Silica Beads

Supplies

Construction paper

Crayons

Tempera paints

A large paint brush

Water

An Iron

Newspaper

Instructions

-          On a sheet of construction paper, draw a picture with crayons using a heavy hand. The crayon drawing should be dark!

-          Crumple up the sheet of paper into a tight ball and gently unfold and flatten. Notice the cracks in the paper and drawing!

-          Using a contrasting color, paint the entire sheet over with tempera paint.

-          Gently rinse the paint of under running water.

-          Using a hot iron, cover the drawing with newspaper and iron the drawing until dry.

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[1] http://www.batikguild.org.uk/history.asp

Day 19 - Button Crayons

If your child is anything like mine, they like to peel off the crayon labels before using the crayons. The label however is what gives the crayons their stability, so now they break at the drop of a hat. This leaves you with many, many broken bits of crayon lying around. Instead of throwing them out, you can recycle these bits of crayon into some beautiful mosaic crayon buttons.

Crayola of course is the first brand anyone thinks of when you mention crayons. They are easily the best on the market. Of course that is probably because they were the first kids crayons ever made. Originally crayons were a mixture of charcoal and oil. These crayons, while safe for industrial use, were too toxic for children. The Crayola brand exchanged charcoal for safe pigments and wax, creating the first brand of crayons exclusively for children[1].

We started this activity by sorting out the different colored crayon bits. I then presented her with the greased muffin tin and explained what I wanted her to do. Then I stood back and watched her go.

Once out of the oven and completely cool the crayons are easily removed. I was too impatient at first and my finger broke the cooled outer layer and sunk into the molten crayon beneath, Yuk. Once ready, they came out looking really beautiful. Your child can experiment with the different edges while coloring with them. LeeAnn liked using the flat bottom to create wide swathes of color and turning the button several times on the paper to make darker circles of color.

How to Make a Fish Mobile

Supplies Needed

Broken Crayons

Mini muffin tin

Pam

Oven

Divided tray or containers

Directions (just suggestions, really its up to you)

-          You and your child sort the broken bits of crayon by color.

-          Spray the muffin tin with Pam and place it before your child.

-          Have the child fill each muffin cup with different bits of crayon. There is no wrong way to do this so let the child go crazy.

-          Put the pan in an oven, preheated to 400°. Let sit for up to 2-3 minutes, or until the crayons are completely melted.

-          Remove from the oven and allow to COMPLETELY cool. Remove from pan and vola, coloring buttons.

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[1] http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/crayons.htm

Day 18: Building with Blocks

Not every craft needs to be done with glue and crayons. For example, today we used a simple child’s toy to build and create wild feats of architecture; Duplo Blocks.

Lego is actually a combination of two Danish words, LEg and GOdt which means ‘play well’. They currently produce 2,400 different types of blocks[1]. One such product is the Duplo blocks line. These Legos are larger, perfectly designed for little hands and young imaginations. You can also buy several other brands of toddler blocks, such as, mega blocks and little people building sets.

LeeAnn loves to build with almost any type of block. She has wooden, foam, Lego and Lincoln logs.  With them she builds large towers, animals, castles, farms, and long curving paths.

Today we pulled out her largest set of Duplo blocks and went to town. This activity allows you to create a temporary formation of astounding beauty. We built several towers before creating one she really liked. We then made two block cars that traveled to and from the castle for an hour.

The best part about these creations is they come apart and can be used again. Anything that can be used multiple times and is easy to clean up makes the top of my list of cool toys!

So today, play with one of your child’s toy sets too, Bring in other toys as well to add to the fun. We’ve built around her train set and let her dolls live in the castles. These games help to strengthen your child’s imagination and can often inspire amazing works of art.

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[1] http://parents.lego.com/en-gb/LEGOAndSociety/50th%20Birthday.aspx

Day 17 - Botanical Garden and Drying Flowers

Spring, my favorite season of the year! I don’t handle heat so well and the cold snowy weather of winter usually keeps me locked inside, so now that the weather is nice and moderate, I love taking trips outside. This year LeeAnn is enthralled by all of the flowers in bloom. Therefore I decided to take her to the nearest botanical gardens and let her really appreciate the spring blooms. While there we picked up any fallen flowers to take home for our craft.

The use of herbs and the publication of manuals by herbalist motivated the founding of botanical gardens in Italy in the 1500s. They were places of learning and study for students of medicine who needed to know how to not only use the plants but grow them as well[1]. By the 1600’s there were botanical gardens throughout Europe.

We picked up my sister and her children on our way to Baltimore to visit the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Baltimore[2] next to the Zoo. For those of you who live near by but haven’t gone, you should really check it out. It takes about an hour to go through and see everything, but it’s a lovely place to just sit and enjoy. They have plants from every where and it cost nothing to get in. They do accept donations, $5 is recommended.

The kids loved it. We had fun looking at the plants and hunting for fallen blossoms (WE PICKED NOTHING!). We fed the fish and talk to the artist that were painting in the orchid room. When LeeAnn and I got home we used Silica beads to dry are flowers. Now we have a lovely collection of dry flowers for future crafts!

This project was actually very short, but the collection process was the truly fun part. Even if you just go on a nature walk it is enjoyable. We used the flowers from the botanical garden as well as from our own garden. LeeAnn loves to pick flowers, and it’s nice to have blooms she can keep forever.

How to Dry Flowers with Silica Beads

Supplies

Silica Beads

Flowers

Glass Bowl

Microwave

Storage dish

Paper clip

Instructions

 - Fill glass bowl with shallow layer of silica beads.

 - Arrange flowers in bowl; pour over remaining silica to cover. Make sure flowers are positioned as you want them dried.

 - Follow directions on package to dry. Usually microwave for approximately 1 ½ to 2 mins and let silica cool completely. Carefully uncover the flowers and clean of clinging beads; I used the paper clip for this.

 - If not completely dry microwave for longer in 30 – 60 sec increments.

 

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[1] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/75020/botanical-garden/771/History

[2] http://www.baltimoreconservatory.org/

Day 16 Letter Writing

Day 16 – Writing Letters

The other day while checking the mail LeeAnn asked excitedly if she had gotten anything. Not many people write to a three year old, but what if she writes to them? So today we are writing, and I use the term loosely, letters. The art of letter writing, or snail mail, has mostly been forgotten in this age of electronics, but for young children it is still magical and exciting.

I miss letters; there is an intimacy to them that you cannot get from any other form of communication. The history I find most moving and touching is always based on the letters left behind by those of the past, like the letter George Washington wrote to his niece (a good book to check out if you like history). It is a shame that the voice that would tell the most compelling stories are often left without a voice, such as slaves, most nomadic tribes and pre-modern man.

Anyway, for LeeAnn’s letters, I brought out my collection of unused stationary (although I love letters, my handwriting is awful so I don’t write them often). I helped her choose paper for each addressee and write their name at the top of each page. She was then allowed to color a picture on each page. We tried to use the recipient’s favorite color, and we talked about that person while she colored. I asked what she wanted to say to them and wrote a few lines, making sure we did not write on the picture and helped her sign her name. We then chose a sticker or two that fit each individual’s personality and put it on the page. Finally LeeAnn folded the paper, sometimes she needed some guidance, and we put it in an addressed envelope. She put on the stamps and threw them in the box. I’ve warned my sister to make sure her cousins send some mail back.

This was a fun project for her. We got to practice our letters and work on her communication skills while ‘writing’ the letters, as well as use up some of my lonely stationary. In a little while, when LeeAnn ask if she got any mail today, I can hand her a letter too!