Ask Me :: A Kids Book for Conversations
We are loving this Ask Me book by Antje Damm! It’s small but thick—200 plus pages—with one provocative question and one interesting image on each double page spread. Maia’s been requesting it every day lately and we’ve gone off on some interesting tangents based on the questions and her answers. Here are a few of […]
Meet Ariella from Childhood Magic
Ariella is the soulful mama of two behind the beautiful blog, Childhood Magic. Here she shares her parenting inspiration, her favorite projects, and a few photography tips. ***Note: Readers will have a chance to win two of her beautiful handcrafted star lanterns at the end of this interview.*** JEAN: I’d love to hear a bit […]
Why is art important?
Why do you think art is important for children? And why is it important to encourage their creativity? Just asking you to help me think through the answers to these questions and to consider viewpoints that might not occur to me. So, please share your thoughts on the subject — short and concise or long […]
Kids Art Planner :: How I Plan our Art Activities
Hannah asked me on facebook the other day for advice about planning art activities. And I fumbled a quick reply but then thought about it some more and decided to share my thoughts here as well as solicit your ideas and comments. Here’s what Hannah asked: How do you decide which craft to do with your daughter on a […]
Making Handmade Accordion Books with Kids
We’ve been creating handmade accordion books recently, inspired by Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord’s new book, Handmade Books for a Healthy Planet. Handmade Books for a Healthy Planet is filled with book projects based on different formats (scroll, accordion, comic book, slat book), with historical background and how-to information. She especially encourages using recycled materials for the […]
Leaf Printing on Fabric– How To Make Wearable Art!
Isn’t it wonderful that “earth” has the word “art” in the middle? Nature is certainly one of our go-to sources for creative projects, and it’s a bonus when the results are something we can wear. We love the clothes we created with leaf printing on fabric, plus it inspired more artful projects ideas. I’ve been […]
A Roundup of Our Best Felt Board Ideas & How To Make Them!
Today I’m posting a round-up of our best felt board ideas and a tutorial to make your own felt board. Felt boards are a wonderful way to encourage creative play, provide a quiet time activity, or take on the road while you travel. The possibilities are endless! MATERIALS 1/4 inch 2×2 foot wood board Elmers […]
Make Your Own Felt Alphabet Letters
I made an alphabet and number set for Maia’s felt board before Easter. It was a lot easier than I expected. Aimee left a comment on my last felt board post suggesting using iron-on letters to make it simple (she linked to this post and tutorial). I took the general idea but made it even […]
Easter Egg Rocks – A Fun Painting Idea for Kids!
Easter egg rocks are an easy and fun Easter craft for kids! Simply paint egg shaped rocks with spring-colored paints and Easter egg patterns. Yesterday we painted Easter egg rocks with our friends Dawn, Esmé, and Asher. Dawn found the idea in our local Macaroni Kid activity guide. They apparently send out an e-mail newsletter compiling all […]
New pieces for the felt board
It's been a while since I last made some new pieces for Maia's felt board. So this weekend I got out the felt and some of the templates I had printed out ages ago (you can do a search for "felt board templates" or something similar to find images to print out and use). First […]
Decorating Cupcakes with Kids
Kids can decorate cupcakes by using them as a canvas and drawing or painting on them with watered-down food coloring.
Siblings and accessible art supplies
Almost all of our art supplies are accessible now either in the studio or around the house. And most that are not, are only out of reach because of lack of space down low. Maia is at the point where I trust her to know what to do with the art materials and to keep […]
