Babysitting Hijinks: Sidewalk Chalk Photo Fun

I had a ridiculous amount of fun yesterday taking these pictures while babysitting my friend's kids! 

I had brought some art supplies and sidewalk chalk to do an art project with the kids.  After they'd done their projects, they wanted to play outside, so I let them use the sidewalk chalk on the patio.  All of a sudden, I remembered this idea I'd seen on Pinterest that I've always wanted to try.  So I started drawing some balloons and called the kids over and explained what I was doing and told one of them to lay on the ground and act like they were holding the balloons. Of course, after that, everyone wanted a turn!

Oh no! He's floating awaaaaay!  

 

I didn't even need a ladder, since they have a small back deck overlooking the patio that was perfect for me to stand on to get these overhead shots.

But I couldn't stop with the balloons!  We made the kids into flying superheros next!

He got a little bit of chalk on his butt while he was trying to get into position!

This girl is going to be a model.  Look at her looking into the camera with that cheeky little smirk!  

Laurel couldn't quite get the idea that she needed to lay on her side.  But it's okay... she's 3, and it's still cute!

I wish I could have done one with their 5 month old baby brother to complete the set, but he's still nursing and was out with mom and dad on their dinner date for their 13th anniversary!

Behind the scenes.  Eli decided to color in the balloons.  It looks like Lula is letting go of the balloons and falling!

Unofficial Homeschool Art Class: Bubble Drawings

I did this project with my friend's kids while I was babysitting them last night.  I was inspired by this blog post I found via Pinterest.

Top: Elijah (age 9), Lula (age 5), Laurel (age 3)
Bottom: Carlie (age 7), Liam (age 8), Kira (age 32)

The blog post said they did it with oil pastels.  I decided we'd try to experiment with different mediums and see which one worked best.  We tried crayons, chalk, and the oil pastels... and I see why the original blogger chose oil pastels, because those ended up working the best.

I've kind of decided I'm not going to be doing an official homeschool art class this year.  I want a bit of a break.  But I'm also giving myself the choice to change my mind later.  Who knows, I may get the itch later in the year.  So if I do end up doing art class at all, I definitely will be using this project in a lesson.  It's a good way to teach about reflection and transparency.  And we'd use nice black cardstock instead of the black gel-pen notebook paper!

Homeschool Art Class: Shaving Cream Marbled Paper

This was the project I did withe the K-1st grade kids at homeschooler art class today...

Shaving Cream & Food Coloring Marbled Paper

This project was one of those projects that I have read about for years in various kid-craft books and craft blogs, but I've never actually done it... so I decided to do a test run last night before trying to bungle through the project for the first time with the kids there.

The tutorial said you can use liquid watercolors or food coloring.  I used liquid water colors first.  I used a small baking tray to keep things tidy...sprayed some shaving cream on...smoothed out the top as well as I could...and dripped some liquid watercolors on top...then swirled the colors with a chopstick (sorry, forgot to take a picture of the "swirly" colors before printing) 

Lay a piece of paper on top, pressing down lightly to be sure the color takes...then carefully peel the paper off.  Then take a flat-edged piece of cardboard or plastic (I used cardboard, but I's suggest plastic for easier cleanup) and scrape off the excess shaving cream to reveal the design!

I was curious how using food coloring would differ from the liquid watercolors, so I used those next..

I found the colors are much more vibrant when using the food coloring.  (I may have watered down the watercolors too much though)
I got an interesting effect with the watercolors that we left over on the shaving cream, since I used the same shaving cream instead of cleaning off the tray and using clean stuff.  I think it added a cool dimension.

 Watercolors on top, Food Coloring on the bottom.  I had a lot of fun doing these!

The kids were very excited to do this project!

I had them use the food coloring, since it provided more vibrant colors.  They were very good about carefully dropping the food coloring and not wasting it (I told them they could use 4 drops of each color...although I probably could have had them use only 2 or 3).  And they were also very good about waiting their turn to use the next color. 

The kids took note that the yellow food coloring looks orange/red when it first comes out of the dropper and I tried explaining the concept of "concentrated" color, but I think the concept went over their heads.  Plus, I'm not sure I explained it very well.  But they ended up understanding that it was yellow once the drop spread a bit into the shaving cream and they swirled it around.

The designs turned out very nicely, and the mothers were all impressed when I took the kids all home!  The older siblings want to do the project at their next class!  The project doesn't take long, so I can have them do at least one print before or after we do the project I have planned.  (I'll have to get more shaving cream though.  We ran out today!)

It occurred to me today that I have seen this kind of thing done before at the Lilac Festival this past summer, but using water and special ink/paint instead of the shaving cream and food coloring, and printing the design onto silk scarves instead of paper.

After doing 2 more shaving cream prints and some free-draw time, the kids worked on a coloring page until the end of class.

 I found this printable coloring page via Pinterest earlier this week, which is SO perfect, since I have a couple perfectionists in both the "little" kids and "big" kids classes that get frustrated when they don't get things "just right".  And I am always telling the kids that "it's okay to make mistakes".  (If you couldn't tell, it is one of the perfectionists whose page I took a picture of!)

Art Lesson With Little Kids: Watercolor Splatter Monsters

We made "Splatter Monsters" today in the little kids' art class. (known as "Drippy Monsters" at the blog that I got the idea from, "smART Class" ).

This first one is my example I did the previous night so I would have a final product to show the kids. 

 It's pretty simple...just splash a little puddle of watercolor paint onto the paper, then blow through a straw to make the paint go all splattery!  Do this until you get the desired amount of splatter effect.  Add eyes and mouth from colored paper/cardstock...and voila!...a Splatter Monster!

I like that the kids used multiple colors for their monsters.  The merging paint makes a cool-looking effect.

(the writer of the blog I got the idea from said that she used liquid watercolor paint, which I went out and bought and used as well, but I learned while experimenting that regular watercolor paint works as well.) 

 This goofy little orange tripod guy was the step-by-step example I did during class.

The kids had a lot of fun with this one!  I'm sure their older brothers are chomping at the bit to do their own Splatter Monsters next week!

Art Lesson With Big Kids: Mini Muffin Pan Crayons

The older boys saw the recycled crayons their siblings made last week and wanted to do the project as well!

 

 

 

 

 

With such a simple main project, I had to make them work a little, so I had them do a drawing exercise. (I want to get into more drawing lessons with the older kids, instead of just crafts.  Crafts are great, but they need an opportunity to actually practice drawing.)  So I cut out a couple dog silhouettes using my Cricut, then gave one to each kid and had them use it as a stencil and trace around it.  Then I had them try and copy it freehand.  I was impressed by the results!

 I think I may try having them do this as a weekly drawing exercise.

Art Lesson With Little Kids: Mini Muffin Pan Crayons

Even though melting old broken crayons into "new", swirly, multicolored crayons has been done (and is almost cliche), you can't deny that kids love it! (which is why it's been done so much!)

Last time I had the "little" kids for art class, they found some crayons I had made with another girl a couple summers ago.  The kids were doing some texture rubbings during free-draw time and found that the "muffin pan" crayons worked better since they were flat.  When they asked about where the flat crayons came from, I told them about making them and said that could be the project for their next class, and they could make their own. 

It was a pretty laid-back class today.  Most of it was the kids peeling the paper off old, broken crayons and trying to break them into smaller pieces.  I brought out a knife and cutting board so I could help cut them into even smaller pieces.

3 kids...3 rows of four...so each kid got to make 4 crayons.  I suppose I could have taught a bit of a quick, simple math lesson here, but these kids are a bit small to be learning division.  

 The kids were SO excited to get them in the oven!

 

They were so cute!  When I put the pan in the oven, they all sat right down in front of the window to watch the crayons melt! 

 We had a bit of a mini science lesson about solids and liquids.  I explained that the crayons they cut up are solid, but then when heated they turn liquid, but then turn solid again when they cool.

 I always like how they look on the bottom!

When I took the kids home, their older brothers saw the crayons and said they wanted to do this project too, so I guess I know what project I'll be doing again next week!  Good thing I had broken crayons left over from today!