Smash

Spring break is coming next week and I am gearing up for some arts and crafts, besides egg dying, with the kids.  With 9 days off from school we have plenty of time to color eggs, paint, make homemade play dough, and melt some recycled crayons.

A few years ago, I taught a preschool art class.  I enjoyed introducing a room full of bright-eyed three and four year olds to various art concepts.  I don't know what I enjoyed more, art or the kids.  I am passionate about both.

One lesson I taught was about Pointillism.  Pointillism is a painting technique used where dots of pure color are put together on a canvas to create a larger image.  Georges Seurat developed this technique in 1886.

Google "Georges Seurat" and check out A Sunday Afternoon On The Island Of La Grande Jatte, which happens to be a favorite of mine.

Over break, grab the kids and create a masterpiece using Pointillism.  Most likely you will not need to make a run to Hobby Lobby (or Micheals or AC Moore) to grab supplies, but if you are like me, I am always looking for an excuse to make a run to pick up art supplies.  A trip to Hobby Lobby is a close second to Disney World at my house.  Guaranteed, you will come home with a few more things than were on your list.

Here is a list of supplies to have on hand for your little artists:

• Red, Blue, and Yellow paint
• Q-tips
• Paper

Have your child dip his/her Q-tip in the paint and create dots on the paper.  Have him/her vary how much or little paint he/she uses and how hard he/she presses down on the paper.  Have him/her notice that red and blue dots placed closely together look purple from far away.  See what other color combinations he/she can come up with.  This gives you an opportunity to talk about primary colors and color mixing.

Search around the house and see what other things can be used to make dots (pencil erasers, wood dowels of varying sizes, etc.)

This activity can also be done using markers instead of paint.  Try markers or Sharpies with different sized tips.

Have fun!

On a side note, if you have been following my "tonsils saga,"  Katie has not been cleared for surgery on Monday.  We drove down to the children's hospital to meet with a hematologist this afternoon.  Katie had eleven vials of blood drawn.  We will not have results for about a week.  Most likely, she has the same bleeding disorder her father and brother have (even though she tested negative in the past.)  Josie also had blood drawn (since she was with me) and I need to bring the rest of the kids for blood work to recheck them.  Linus is still too little to be tested since so much blood needs to be taken.  He has been very cranky all day, so it is probably a good thing he didn't get poked and prodded.

We saw many little heroes on our visit to the Pediatric Infusion Center today.  Keeping all of them in my thoughts.