Things to Make - Toddler Art - Googly-Eyed Monsters

On our last trip to the Playseum (have you been yet? we love it there) the art instructor taught us a cool trick - let your toddler (is a 3 year old still considered a toddler?) paint and paint and paint. Once his/her artwork dries bring out some googly eyes (like these) and let your toddler attach them onto his/her artwork. All of a sudden a big blob looks like a creature worthy of framing. Plus, it's a super easy way to have younger children help decorate for Halloween. Monsters everywhere = scary awesomeness.

And for another fun idea regarding "toddler art" - check out this past post on the toddler art hidden picture game.

HAPPY TUESDAY EVERYONE! I hope all of you in the US had a great three day weekend.

Things to Do - The Beach Etc.

I know I'm posting a ton of beach pictures, but this is only a small sample of the total. I find beaches addictive for picture taking. Or maybe I was just so happy to spend some time by the water - with my Kindle (I can't stop reading -Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu, fascinating stuff), a towel, a comfy sweater, and the camera. Amazing how easily the day just meanders along.

Saturday was overcast and a little chilly, the water actually seemed warmer than the outside air. Not a bad combination, especially since I kept putting my feet in the surf.

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!! Have a great weekend.


WEEKEND LINKS:

*For local folks, this weekend is the Culpeper Farm Tour, looks like a great way to check out some small local farms. Click here for more info. And on Sunday from 12:30 - 4:30, the Artisphere is hosting a FREE family open house - with storytelling, interactive mural painting, the Wandering Wonders magic show, and theatre workshops. Click here for more info.

*Mirrors on easels in the desert = art.

*"It seems that I live the perfect dreamy life . . . and you know what? It’s totally doable. Anyone can change their life. It’s all a matter of choice." Inspiring.

*This MOMA Studio's exhibit looks really fun - participatory art. Maybe a trip to NYC is in order?



The sun came out on Sunday - lots of sunblock and hole digging. LOTS of hole digging. I had no idea T could work this hard.



The end.

Places to Go (Vacation) - The Beginning of Fall at Bethany Beach (DE)

We spent last weekend at a townhouse on the beach in Bethany Delaware, with some friends and their adorable one year old son. I was a little nervous that the water would be too cold for swimming, but luckily the Atlantic manages to hold onto summer temps even with fall already underway.

As soon as we arrived the kids ran into the waves and I relaxed behind them, with sandy feet and my camera to entertain me. What is it about the ocean that makes me want to take hundreds of pictures in an hour? Every picture posted was taken our first night there, I just couldn't stop clicking.

Regarding the broken arm, I've now found a new use for old newspaper bags, though this probably just encouraged her to become wetter. I'm sure the doctor would be angry if he saw these, but keeping a 5 year old from the water just seems wrong, especially when she's your 5 year old.

RANDOM LINKS:

*Presidential debate bingo cards. Add in a bottle of wine (maybe drink whenever they say "economy") and you're ready for a fun night at home.

*I love this fall leaf no-sew bunting at the Artful Parent. She also has a new ebook that looks fantastic.

*Have you seen Tinybop? - it's full of lots of coolio recommendations on stuff for kids.



The house came with a partially fenced "yard" that acted as a giant sandbox. Best idea ever.

Whenever we go to the beach, I'm always a little scared the kids will get bored and ask me for ideas on things to do. But I should know by now that it never works that way, they'll spend all day self-entertaining outside, enjoying every minute.



Jessie brought beach balls and P couldn't stop throwing them. Over and over again. And, of course, F being F, some studying needed to be done before bed. You can take the girl out of school but you can't take school out of the girl, or something dorky like that.

Things to Make - 27 Easy Projects From the Recycling Bin

We use the recycling bin a lot, mainly because it's cheap and it's there.

Here's a list of some of the things it has helped us create. What have you made from recycling bin lately?



Milk Cartons
1. Rocketships - Wrap a milk carton in construction paper, fold in the top, add rocket wings and Barbie is ready for the moon.
2. Cradleboards (backpacks to carry dolls in) - An old milk carton + a belt or ribbon = a backpack for carrying dolls. Easy peasy.



Toilet Paper and Paper Toll Rolls
3. Story sticks - The Pima Indians of Arizona kept records of things that had happened in their lives on story sticks, so we drew pictures on flattened paper toll rolls to tell our own stories.
4. Doll slides - All you need is a toilet paper roll and a paper plate for Polly Pocket to have some fun.
5. Doll castles - Once Polly Pocket tires of her slide, she can relax in a beautiful castle.
6. Instruments - Make some noise, just add beans and seal the ends of a paper toll tube. Now you're ready to rock.



Large Cardboard Boxes
7. Castle - A large painted box can become almost anything with a little imagination. Why not give your children a kingdom to reign over?
8. Boat - Add a broom with a construction paper flag on top so everyone will know from where you sail.
9. Posters - Just cut up the cardboard into large pieces and decorate. Now hang on the wall and you have some art.



Small Cardboard Boxes or Bowls
10. Decoupage bowls - A great use for old shoe boxes or produce bowls.
11. Cardboard boats - Use a straw with a construction paper flag to make a sail. Blue construction paper makes great water. Just don't put in real water.
12. A Pueblo Indian house - A great way to learn about American Indians and reuse small old boxes.



Grocery Store Paper Bags
13. Purses - Every girl needs some bling in her life.
14. Mail carrier bags - To make this more fun use stickers as stamps and put some stationary out on the table. Encourage kids to write and deliver notes to each other.



Plastic 2L Bottle
15. A homemade lava lamp - Oil, water, and alka- seltzer = fun.



Packaging Paper
16. Tissue paper tie-dye - All you need are liquid watercolors or food coloring and rubber bands to create beautiful (though fragile) tapestries.
17. Butcher paper town - Just smooth out the brown packaging paper that comes in Amazon boxes and draw a town. Add various toys and lego buildings to decorate. Play.



Old Magazines
18. Necklace Beads - All you need are old magazines, glue, and cord to make a beautiful necklace.
19. Decoupage bowls - Also included as #10. A great way to use up old magazines, stickers, and other random scraps of paper. And now you have a place to store knick knacks too.



Gently Used Construction Paper (we often use new construction paper, but if you have some that is slightly used or cut, all these projects would still work)
20. 3D Pictures - Because everything is better in 3D.
21. Sunprints - Leave construction paper in the sun for a day or so with objects on top and check out all of the pretty patterns that result.
22. Ice cream cones - Circles and triangles glued together = delicious fake food.
23. Handprint puppets - Use your imagination and add some popsicle sticks. Now put on a show.
24. Toddler Designed Hidden Pictures (a fun game for older kids to play after a toddler has already doodled on the paper) - This is one of our favorite games to play with T's old "art".
25. Teepees & headbands - A great craft for Thanksgiving. Add a little paint and some homemade paper dolls and you have a whole activity set ready to go.



Newspaper
26. Paper Mache Bowls - Add some homemade "paste" (flour, salt, and water) to newspaper, wait until dry and paint - awesomeness.
27. Paper doll chains - Basically an instant toy.

Places to Go - The Visionary Art Museum (Baltimore, MD)

I've been wanting to visit the Visionary Art Museum for awhile, but held off due to kid-friendliness concerns (art and children don't always mix as well as hoped, or at least art and T, especially if it looks "touchable"). Anyways, we finally paid a visit and everyone was thoroughly entertained.

Upon crossing the threshold into the museum, we encountered a floormat made of old toothbrushes, which T couldn't stop staring at. Then we meandered downstairs, where the flatulence machine caused the kids to laugh loudly. Once we made it to the main exhibits, the 1000 pound braball amused us all, as did the sculpture made out of 100,000 toothpicks (yes, in case you're wondering, I typed that correctly - 100,000), the junk dinosaur, and styrofoam cup art. Everything glowed with creativity in a way that children can well appreciate (how many times have we made things out of household items? And to see such things in an actual museum - that's real magic). And let's not leave out the gift shop full of crazy - funky hats and knicknacks for all price ranges, it's hard to explain but almost impossible to leave without purchasing something.

The museum consists of three (yes, three!!) buildings and all are kid-worthy. The children especially loved the kinetic sculptures located behind glass (making them unbreakable) - just press a button and everything moves. T pressed the buttons again and again. Huge former Mardi Gras floats reside next to a sixties icon totem pole with Joplin, Lennon, and Hendrix peaking out. Finally, an outdoor sculpture garden contains an actual wooden "castle" where P wanted to hang out all afternoon.

Basically, this place is incredible. And inspiring - for all ages.

On the downside, while the exhibits themselves are sure to interest your children, the same "art museum" rules apply, so be prepared to yell (and enforce) "don't touch that" over and over again. Despite the fact that a wall of plastic protected the 100,000 toothpick sculpture, the fear of T accidentally knocking it down plagued me throughout our visit.

If you're interested, admission is $15.95 for adults and $9.95 for children over 6 (younger children are free). Click here for hours and more information. Lots of metered parking is located outside the entrance. Further, a restaurant is onsite, which looks delicious but not necessarily kid-friendly.



Turns out you're not allowed to take pictures in the museum, but I snapped a few before I learned the rules.



P could have stayed in the castle all day. And E's coolio hat was a museum gift store purchase.



The museum sits next to a LARGE hill, a playground resides at the top along with phenomenal views of Baltimore.