ARTistic Pursuits: Lesson 3

Lessons don't always go as we would like.

This lesson didn't go as well for us.  The kids were to go out and draw what they see in nature.  We talked about what was outside and what they could see outside.  But the day ended up being windy and so when they went outside to do the drawing part of the lesson the paper kept whipping up on them.  Wesley tried to draw a tree and he didn't like how it looked and got frustrated.  I made the mistake of suggesting how he could fix it.  I should have said nothing and told him it looked fantastic - because it was a drawing of how he sees a tree not how I see one.  It is a big lesson to me that as a parent we forget that it takes time to learn to see things for yourself.  I don't want my children to see the world through my eyes.  I want them to see it through their own.  Art is one of the ways a child can express how they see the world.   I forgot to take photos of this lesson since they weren't excited about it I let it drop.  There is part of me that would like to have them do it again but I think we will skip it and go on to lesson 4.    Sorry no photos for this one.

Butterfly Garden: Caterpillars Fast Forward

FLYING FREE!

The butterfly garden was a great hit.   The caterpillars went into their chrysalises and then emerged as beautiful Painted Lady Butterflies.   The kids had so much fun growing them.  We enjoyed them for about three days and then let them go.  I highly recommend it as a great family experiment!  We are still reading through the butterfly book:  The Life Cycles of Butterflies: From Egg to Maturity, a Visual Guide to 23 Common Garden Butterflies

photo: above - They keep getting bigger

          below -  They shed their last skin for their crystallize

The Painted Lady Butterflies started to emerged while we were in Mound, MN visiting my parents but the kids loved coming home to the butterflies!

They loved oranges!

Lucy loved the butterflies - she will flap her arms to show what butterflies do.  "FLY!"

If you love them let them go!  It was quite thrilling to see them fly free!

Try your own Butterfly garden!

Insect Lore Live Butterfly Garden

Memorial Day weekend - VISITING FAMILY

Before the summer activities began we decided to go visit family in MN.  Just me and the kids went.  The car ride went well with the four of us and we had a great time visiting my parents - Grandma and Grandpa, as well as visiting with both my brother and sister.

Wesley loved the new lake home that my sister's family has just moved into and Irina loved the walking trail for her scooter practice.

Wesley and Irina spent most of their time at my sister's house.  It was different for me to let them stay there for two nights and only have Lucy to put to bed.  I missed them.

Wesley loved the kayak and got pretty good at it, but not enough to let this momma let him take it further out too many boats out for the Holiday weekend.

I helped pull weeds out of the water and swam almost out to the dingy.  It reminded me how much I love to swim.

It was a good time with family and a great visit!

ARTistic Pursuits: Lesson 2

Using your imagination

I'll start by saying that using the water color crayons was an experience that everyone should have!  The colors are so vibrant and real - this lesson really showed me why we don't just want to buy cheap watercolor paints.  I'll agree with the website - they say that sometimes children feel that they are not artistic when really they are using materials that are substandard.

First photo is - Irina's watercolor in progress of a pretty girl.




Wesley riding his scooter.








Wesley's flower







My butterfly - this was so fun to make with the watercolor crayons and then using the brush with the water to blend it in.  I am looking forward to our next lesson with watercolors it was fun to be creative!

Lucy - mixed the watercolor crayons with the water a bit too much but she had a lot of fun!