We’re staring a day-long car ride square in the face right now…and that’s just one way. We’ll repeat the process again after a couple of days of Grandparentdom. My panic-personality decided to rear her ugly head during dinner tonight…what will we DO with two boys, in the SEDAN, for hours at a time, to keep them from a) maiming or killing each other or b) driving the adults to an insane asylum? Do not fear - Creative Mom is here!
At the preschool where I work, I am the Queen of the Felt Board. There is nothing more fun for me than storytelling with felt pieces. Not only can “regular” people or objects be used, but random shapes (triangles, circles, hexagons) can be used to create the visual parts of a story. And, the pieces can be used to create a new story as well.
So, it should come as no surprise that I made my boys a felt board.
Spring is a season of change. The colder temperatures slowly give way to warmer and longer days. Children beg to play outside as much as they can, so when the rains come, they aren’t always a welcome sight. Here are a few suggestions to keep your kid happy and having fun, even when it means staying inside for the day. Read more…
Picasso is not my maiden name. Nor is Renoir. Or Michelangelo. I am a great copier, but I am a horrible creator. It just isn’t in me. Give me a calculus equation and I’m all over that, but throw a bunch of open-ended ideas at me to run with and, well, you’ll get the same thing over and over.
However, I did an activity with my preschool class this past week that is sure to be fun for you and your children. Read more…
“It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.” Words have never been truer than when in relation to children and what they do - make a mess. Read more…
Do you remember the palette of paint you had as a child? It was probably the rectangular box with the eight or so oval color “bricks”: red, orange, yellow, green, blue violet, brown and black. The plastic brush would nestle right in front, and you would get a little cup of water to rinse off your brush - a cup of water that would magically turn murky brown to black after only a few rinsings. Read more…
Playdough - mention the word and most parents and caregivers acknowledge the word with a slight cringe or eye-roll. We all know what “playdough” means - matted red goo in the carpet, purple stuck in the crevaces of the soles of shoes, an unexpected snack as kids sneak a bit into their mouths, and dried little pills of it everywhere for days to come. However, playdough is an important tool in child development. So, before you hide or throw out that malleable substance, take a look at what a wonderful product it really is. Read more…
Children are uninhibited creatures. They are much like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, right before the snake showed up and ruined the party. It isn’t until we put parameters on them that they start to lose that inhibition and practice boundaries. In art, however, the fewer parameters we place on a child, the more they blossom. Read more…
