Drawing flowers

 Finn is so fascinated by robots and machines it is his main focus when it comes to drawing. We have sketchbooks full of elaborate robots and machinery which come with lots of descriptions and stories.
Today at preschool he was asked to draw a flower, and although I thought it was very creative that he turned his flower into a 'live flower-robot' with a shirt on, his teacher was not so impressed. So we set about this afternoon focusing on drawing flowers, as they are, looking at the details and shapes.
So here we are- a beautiful flower with not a button or wheel in sight. A breakthrough in our little household.

Working from home..

Trying to work from home is never easy with two small children, but I've been trying to get them involved in my illustration project by giving them their own drawings to work on, and allowing them access to my watercolour paints and pencils.

It's a lovely feeling all working quietly and being creative together.

animal shapes

This activity is suitable for children 12 months and over, although younger can participate with assistance.

I cut up many different animal body parts from paper in several colours.  I arranged the shapes into different piles, such as heads, bodies, legs, ears/trunk/tails/beaks and asked the children to make a mixed-up animal or creature from the shapes they choose, and glue onto the white paper. 

I gave them a sheet of coloured dot stickers which could be used as eyes or spots. 

I gave them access to pens so they could add details or a background for their creature. Below are some examples of their wonderful creations. Older children may want to cut their own shapes.

Wax Resist Painting

My children and their friends love experiencing wax resist painting. It is such a simple activity to set up for them, and the results are instant and satisfying. All you need is a handful of wax crayons and an ink wash to paint over the top (I used edicol dye powder and water, but if you don't have access to that food colouring drops mixed with water is also fine).

Today the little ones were drawing with white and pale yellow crayons- almost blindly, when they added the ink wash they were excited and surprised to see their image magically appear.

Simple home made bread

This Recipe is from a lovely Waldorf inspired book called 'Heaven on Earth', by Sharifa Oppenheimer. The children helped knead and shape the bread dough into letters, shapes and animals.

Foolproof No-Rise Bread Recipe


Dissolve in 1 cup boiling water:
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup honey


Stir until cool 


In a separate bowl, dissolve in 1.5 cups lukewarm water:


2 Tbsp dry baker's yeast

Add to honey-butter and stir.


Add, 1 cup at a time:


6-7 cups whole wheat pastry flour.
Knead on floured board.
Shape into rolls, bunnies, bread baskets, braids etc.


Bake at 350 F, 40-45 mins (depending on oven). Tap on top to test- a hollow sound means it's done.

Nature Table- Autumn

We are adding to our nature table almost daily- adding interesting leaves we find, acorns, pine-cones, gum-nuts, rocks and other organic items that inspire us with colour or texture.

I think nature tables are a lovely way to celebrate the changing seasons, appreciate the beauty within found objects and a way of bringing the outdoors inside.

Nature Night Concert

Finn had a lovely idea to take some chairs outside and listen to the night noises. I asked him to identify as many different sounds as he could- dogs barking, crickets chirping, cars driving. It was a lovely experience for them.

Autumn

After living in Brisbane for so many years, we are all (children especially) enjoying the changing seasons in Canberra and the dropping of leaves. Crisp mornings, sunny days and streets lined with colourful trees.

outdoor cubby

The children spent a lovely Autumn morning under a tree tent I made for them by draping some sheets over the low branches and clipping them with pegs. 

Bookmarks

Finn has started reading chapter books before bed, and we can never find enough bookmarks around the house. So our solution was to make our own, and give any extras away as gifts.

I folded an A4 piece of paper four times and re-opened it. I asked Finn to draw separate images on the inside of each crease.

When he was finished we signed, named and dated the back of each image, cut them out and placed them through the laminating machine (I bought mine from the local newsagent for around $29). Finn also discovered if you can turn it into a puzzle by matching up the right parts of the drawing.

pre-pasted Paper

We used pre-pasted art paper today to create some interesting designs. Children only need to wet the paper with water, or lick the back of the shapes for them to stick down. It's great for traveling with small children as it is low-fuss and low mess.

cotton tips

As we are still unpacking after moving houses, I couldn't put my hands on any paint brushes, but then remembered how much children enjoy using cotton-tips to paint with. They are easy for them to handle and they create fine, delicate lines.

We used coloured dye for this activity, putting small amounts of dye (that I had mixed up from eticol dye powder) in glass jars. Food colouring drops mixed with a small amount of water would be just as effective.

For something different, Finn decided he wanted to use a sponge roller to dip in the dyes. It was much more difficult to handle, and the lines a lot chunkier- but it created an enjoyable painting experience for him.