Sometimes I think this chalkboard is about the best thing in our house. It’s gotten so much good use; been the space for so much creativity. The art is ephemeral and only lasts until we wipe down the board in preparation for new drawings and scribbles, but that’s fine. I take photos in order to capture the art that I want to remember and “save.” And the chalkboard itself forms an ever-changing art display.
Anyway… I was just posting today to say happy holidays and to show you the tree that Maia drew. She and I were taking turns drawing dot-to-dots for each other. For this one, I dotted out a tree shape and she took it from there, creating this elaborate Christmas tree drawing from that simple drawing game/prompt. When a friend of hers came over later, they worked on it some more, adding stars, decorations, and Christmas fairies together.
Here is some more fun art the chalkboard has inspired (besides lots of regular spontaneous drawing):
- Big mazes
- Painting with water
- A message for Grandma
- Using frames for drawing
- Fill in the jack-o-lantern faces
So, if you are considering painting a wall with chalkboard paint or buying a chalkboard, I highly recommend it! You can even get chalkboard wall decals if you don’t want to deal with the paint. By the way, my favorite chalk for the chalkboard are these triangular sticks by Melissa & Doug that I buy at our neighborhood toy store. They are thick and sturdy enough to stand up to heavy use at our large chalkboard, but not as big and unwieldy as sidewalk chalk.
Do you have a chalkboard? Does it get a lot of use?
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5 Comments
amy
December 24, 2011 at 7:38 amMerry Christmas to you & your family!
We have two painted-on chalkboards. One doesn’t get much use (location), but the other is near my boys’ bedrooms. I like to leave them messages on school mornings as an incentive to get out of bed. ;)
frivolitea
December 24, 2011 at 9:34 amHi! It is always fun to see what you are up to at your house. Merry Christmas!
Jena
December 24, 2011 at 11:19 amThanks for all the inspiration year round. Artful Parent is one of my favorite blogs and is part of my morning rituals, paired with a cup of coffee…always a joy. Happy Everything!
Alex
December 24, 2011 at 11:02 pmWe have a chalkboard wall 12-15 ft long. My 4 yo daughter is used to ME drawing & writing on it and rarely does! The easel with whiteboard and paint stuff I just put next to it gets really heavy traffic. Writing this I think I should draw starters for her or something but she just really likes the other media more now, I think. You just never know!
Kristin
December 25, 2011 at 7:59 pmInspired by you, my husband make a huge chalkboard for my daughter, which was under the tree this morning. I only hope we will find as many creative ways to use it as you have. Merry Christmas!