The Artful Parent

Guest Post: Drawing to Music with Children

2012-01-27T12:06:00-05:00

I am excited to share a series of guest posts with you by other Artful Parents and teachers while I step back from the blog a bit this month! I hope you enjoy the new perspectives, different ideas, and fresh energy that each brings to this space. And I encourage you to leave a comment to continue the discussion, add your own viewpoint, or simply say thanks!

Guest Post by Mary L. Christensen

As a faithful Artful Parent reader, I often hear a soundtrack of music running through my head as I read the blog. I can usually hear the folksy tunes of Elizabeth Mitchell or the energetic music of Dan Zanes as I scan the most recent posts for inspiration. At our house music plays a big role in our day-to-day life. Not playing it, although my husband does play the guitar and compose (usually sweet and silly) songs for our girls, but listening to it. Music helps us keep calm and carry on. It helps us focus and daydream, sleep and dance, and especially it helps us make art!

There is a term in the art world; synaesthesia.

Synaesthasia is, to put it briefly, "the union of the senses or the interchangeability of sensory perceptions." Years ago I volunteered as a docent at the Hirshhorn gallery in Washington DC when a fascinating exhibit called "Visual Music" opened. The show involved exploring how sensory perception of one kind could manifest itself as a sensory experience of another kind; one experience being the phenomenon of seeing color when hearing a certain sound. All well and good, right, but what does this have to do with making art with children!?

I’ve wanted to try out the idea of this marriage of the senses of sight and sound with my 2- and 4-year-old daughters, Josephine and Tess, for some time, using some of our favorite music. We love all kinds of music from Woody Guthrie (creator of my favorite children's music) to Peter, Paul, and Mommy, and the Beatles. For this little experiment with my girls, I decided to try classical music.

I picked:

Flight of the Bumblebee, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

The Flower Duet, from the opera Lakme, by Leo Delibes
and Fur Elise by Beethoven

Now classical music is not something I know a whole lot about, but I'm learning as I try to expose my girls to a wide variety of music and have discovered a few nice resources. We were introduced to Lakme and the Flower Duet on a CD we checked out from the library, "The Classical Child at the Opera," a really great introduction to opera for kids...and parents too! We also like the Music for Little People series of CD's with choices from classical music to show tunes, but I checked out Beethoven's Wig for Fur Elise and have a copy of Green Golly and her Golden Flute (a CD created by two musicians, calling themselves Flute Sweet and Tickletoon, to introduce kids to classical music) which includes the Flight of the Bumblebee. Other possible choices for this project were some other favorites of the genre; Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky, Peter and the Wolf, by Prokofiev, or something from the Nutcracker, also by Tchaikovsky.

Drawing to Music

Josephine was pretty enthusiastic about drawing to the music, in response to the music. Tess (my two year old) seemed pretty happy too, although if she has a crayon and some paper she’s pretty happy. I gave them regular crayons, markers, and slick sticks to use in a wide variety of colors on large pieces of easel paper I taped to the floor.

I think they came up with some interesting interpretations! Not all of them color driven (I did describe to them the phenomenon of seeing certain colors when hearing music…and taught them to say, “synaesthasia”), but the girls enjoyed both the drawing and the music so I think it was a success.

The songs I chose are relatively short so I did play each one for them several times. In particular Jo explained the drawing she made while listening to Fur Elise as "a pool and blue snow," she thought the Flower Duet reminded her of pink, brown, and blue, and she was inspired to try something more literal in response to Flight of the Bumblebee. Tess made one drawing, but drew enthusiastically the whole time.

All in all I think this is a nice way to get little ones drawing and really listening to music at the same time, and introducing them to the idea of the interplay of the senses.

Have you tried this? Any music in particular that inspires you or your children?

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I'm Mary, mother to two girls aged two and four, currently filling my days toddler wrangling, finger painting, and placating the many moods of the pre-schooler. Working on starting a blog, The Forager's Landscape, and trying to approach life creatively!

SouvenarteBooks Giveaway: Win a Book of Your Child's Art

2012-01-27T06:00:00-05:00

Do you wonder what to do with all the art your child creates? You can store it, yes, but have you thought of preserving some in book format?

SouvenarteBooks, a design studio in New York City, will work with you to create a one-of-a-kind book of your child's artwork that you and your family will surely treasure for years to come. What a lovely way to save and honor children's creative work! And the artist in question will no doubt be proud to flip through the pages of his or her very own art book.

How SouvenarteBooks works:

Mail your children's works of art to them and they will digitize, enhance, and use them to design a keepsake book. You are not limited to flat pieces of art, but can also include 3-dimensional pieces such as sculptures as well as written works such as poetry. Once the book is designed, you'll receive a digital proof of the layout for approval before it is printed. If you are interested, here is a bit more about the process.

The Giveaway!

SouvenarteBooks is offering to create a children's art book for one lucky winner! The giveaway is a 10 x 8 inch, 20 page hardcover coffee table book preserving 20 pieces of your child's art. All artwork is returned and shipping costs are responsibility of the winner. (If you happen to live in New York City you can simply drop off and pick up the art.)

How to Enter...

Readers who leave a comment to this post by Monday, January 30th at 11:49 pm EST will be entered into a drawing for a book by SouvenarteBooks. Winner will be chosen by random number generator and announced here on Tuesday morning (I will also e-mail the winner directly). This giveaway is open to readers who live in the United States only. Good luck!

A Bare Books Giveaway: Inspire Creativity with Blank Books & Games

2012-01-26T06:08:00-05:00

A friend introduced me to Bare Books and I have to say that I am in love. They sell all kinds of blank (or bare) items just waiting for a child's creative touch. Blank books, blank puzzles, blank calendars, and design-your-own game sets. While we've only tried the books so far, I can't wait to present my game-loving six-year-old with the game kit!

Would your kids enjoy making their own books, puzzles, or games?

Bare Books has offered one book kit and one game kit as a giveaway to one lucky reader! Here's what's included in each:

The book kit includes:

1 Bare Book 6.375" x 8.125"
1 Big Bare Book 8.375" x 11"
1 Bare Book Line Guide
1 Big Bare Book Line Guide
1 Bare Book Slip-On Jacket
1 Big Bare Book Slip-On Jacket
1 35-piece Bare Puzzle
1 24-pack Plastic Bear Crayons
2 Sticker Sheets
2 Book Plates

The game kit includes:

1 Framed Game Board
1 Set of 6 pawns & 2 dice
1 Plastic Sand Timer
1 Set of Blank Game Cards
1 Blank Spinner
1 Pack of Printed Bear Money

To Enter the Giveaway...

Readers who leave a comment to this post by Sunday, January 29th at 11:49pm EST will be entered into a random drawing for the Bare Books book kit and game kit. Winner will be chosen by random number generator and announced here on Sunday morning (I also e-mail the winner directly). This giveaway is open to readers in the United States only. Good luck!

Stubby Pencil Studio Giveaway

2012-01-25T06:16:00-05:00

Stubby Pencil Studio is like a candy store for art lovers. With the tagline of "eco products for creative kids" you can imagine the fun goodies available—everything from crayon rocks and cute hedgehog erasers to a wide array of sketchbooks and pencils (colored and otherwise). I love to browse her shop "aisles" looking for something novel to try.

A few of our family's favorite art products come from Stubby Pencil Studio and include these SuperColor Jumbo Felt Pens by Alpino (bigger than you would expect, plus they come with a marker stand!), crayon rocks (always fun!), and Trimax Jumbo Colored Pencils (great quality and good for little fingers).

Would you like to do some art supply shopping of your own? Stubby Pencil Studio is offering a $50 gift certificate as a giveaway to one lucky reader. You can try out my faves or choose anything you like!

Giveaway!

Readers who leave a comment to this post by Saturday, January 28th at 11:49pm EST will be entered into a drawing for the $50 Stubby Pencil Studio gift certificate. Winner will be chosen by random number generator and announced on Sunday morning (I will also e-mail the winner directly). Good luck!

Valentine Crayon Giveaway: A Colorful Set of Earth Grown Heart Crayons

2012-01-24T06:07:00-05:00

Need a Valentine's gift or just some playful crayons to inspire your young artists? Melissa from Earth Grown Crayons is offering this set of heart-shaped soy crayons as a giveaway to one lucky reader. And she has all kinds of other fun ones in her Etsy store, too—turtles, Chinese dragons, stars, frogs, and butterflies. I especially love these "woodland bunny" crayons and think I'll need to buy some for Easter baskets this year...

Soy crayons are natural and nontoxic, making them a good choice for children. For more about Melissa's reasons for using soy (one reason - her grandpa grew soy beans!), see her profile on Etsy.

Heart Crayon Giveaway!

Readers who leave a comment to this post by Friday, January 27th at 11:49pm EST will be entered into a drawing for this set of 8 heart crayons by Earth Grown Crayons. Reader will be chosen by random number generator and announced on Saturday morning (I will also e-mail the winner directly). This giveaway is open to readers nationally and internationally!

Guest Post: Beginning Art Journaling for Kids

2012-01-23T12:02:00-05:00

Guest Post by Melissa Taylor

Recently, I wanted to push my creatively, to find my inner visual artist, so I started an art journal—a journal where I could find both written and visual ways to express myself. (Normally, as a freelance writer and blogger, I'm all about words.) It didn't take long before I realized that art journals would be great for my two daughters, ages six and nine.

Think about it. Kids start expressing themselves visually from the moment they can hold a crayon. They use drawing and coloring to share their feelings with the world in the same way we use words. In fact, kids first understand letters as shapes, not as abstract concepts with meaning and sound. (Which is why we see beginning writers write backwards, reversed, or in mirror images.)

What's more, there is no "right way" to do art or journaling! Which is good for kids and for me, since my journal pages aren't all that um, artistically pleasing—yet.

Here's the thing—I want you to do this with your kids.

Because . . . if you art journal with your kids, you're modeling your own journey as a writer and artist. It's literally the best motivation you can give children. They already want to be like you, right? (teenagers excluded) If you live a writerly and / or artistic life, (most) kids will want to do the same, without you even asking.

Ready to get started art journaling with your kids? Here are a few things to consider.

Space to Create

Have a designated space in your house where your kids can create. Here is one of our spaces. We also have a long card table set up in the dining room which is always empty and ready for projects.

Art and Writing Supplies

You want to have your supplies available and ready, access depending on the age of your kids. As you can see from the photograph, I have bins which inside have

paper (plain, colored, recycled, index cards, lined, etc)
stickers
glue
markers
pencils
scissors
stencils
stamps
paints
beads, buttons, ribbon, fabric scraps

However, I keep a separate tub exclusively for art journals. This includes my daughters' Strathmore journals, old magazines for collages, paints, colored pencils, books for inspiration (Doodle Diary and Bubble Writer,) glue, and scissors. This way, the tub can be carried anywhere in the house for the girls to set up and art journal.

Art Journal Pages

Again, lead by example. Sit down with your kids when you can and talk about your process so they can overhear.

"I really want to do something about Christmas, it made me feel so joyful - I wonder about a collage?" (Meanwhile, pilfer through supplies, and continue narrating.) "How about if I use wrapping paper and cut out words from magazines?"

"What if I water colored a page, and then collaged over it? I bet that would look cool . . . Hey, do you want to try that with me?"

There are two reasons I do this.

1. I am not an artist so I have no clue what I'm doing. This feels authentic to me—to explore together.

2. Even if I were an artist, I'd prefer to share process ideas (using different visual mediums) rather than product ideas. So, I'd rather say, let's try using watercolors or let's try to do something about winter than today is the day we all draw houses. But, that's just me. Plus, this is a journal, it's meant to be self-expression. Experiment!

Sample Pages

I started out hoping for brilliant frameable art journal pages like I saw on other people's blogs. That didn't happen.

When I considered why, here's what I realized—for me, art journals for kids (and for us big kids) are more about process and expression that it doesn't even matter how the end product looks. As we will grow in the experience, I know our end products will probably mature and look different. Essential to my life experience is the need to create, maybe it's the same for you. One could argue it's essential to the human experience. Therefore art journaling is about the process of being creative, unrestricted, ugly, pretty, messy, neat, silly, profound, quiet, loud, sad, happy, expressive . . . without judgements.

Whatever happens in a journal is.

Have you art journaled before? What about your kids? Won't you join us in art journaling, too?

Art Journaling Resources

Daisy Yellow Journal Girl Inkstitch Kelly Kilmer (I'm taking one of her classes online and loving it!) Raw Art Journaling The Art Journal Workshop Journal Spilling

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Melissa Taylor is a mom, writer, blogger, and educator. She blogs at Imagination Soup, a playful learning blog for inquisitive kids, and freelance writes for publications online and in print. contact info: melissa@imaginationsoup.net, Twitter, Facebook

Kids Art Supplies to Buy from Discount School Supply (and an Amazing Art Supply Giveaway!)

2012-01-23T06:05:00-05:00

As you know, I buy most of our art supplies through Discount School Supply. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: when it comes to art materials, they are tops for quality, price, and service. While teachers have known about them for a long time, I don't think parents are as aware of them as a kids art supply source. Many people have asked me in the past what to buy from them (their catalog is huge and somewhat overwhelming!), so here's my list. It can be yours, too.

In fact, at the end of this post you will have a chance to enter to win an incredible art supply package stocked with each of these items! (I asked Discount School Supply very, very nicely.) This is enough to fully stock your art cupboard and keep your family creating happily ever after. :)

Paints:

Colorations Simply Washable Tempera Paint 16 oz. (Start with red, yellow, blue, black, and white.)
Colorations Washable Finger Paint 16 oz. (Three colors should be enough to get you started.)
Colorations Liquid Watercolor Paint 8 oz. (You know how much I love these! I have a hard time limiting my colors, so I'll let you decide where to stop.)
Colorations Washable Glitter Paint 16 oz. (I think this one is optional, but Maia doesn't agree with me, so I'm including it here. Perhaps choose two or three of your child's favorite colors...)
Optional: BioColor Paint 16 oz. and Colorations Activity Paint 16 oz. (We've had a lot of fun playing with both of these this past year. If you're art veterans, give them a try. If you're just getting started, you might want to stick to the basics on this list.)

Tools:

Colorations Plastic Chubby Paint Brushes - Set of 10 (These are goog basic paint brushes -- the handles are relatively skinny despite the "chubby" name.)
Super Safe Plastic Droppers - Set of 12 (We love these for use with liquid watercolors and use them for all kinds of activities, including marbling, coffee filter painting, and science experiments.
Brawny Tough Large Plastic Art Trays - Set of 5 (I haven't bought these yet, but a good friend and mother of three swears by them for containing messes during art activities. If you're worried about messes and stains, you might want to consider these.)

Drawing Materials:

Colorations Outstanding Oil Pastels - Set of 28 (Their oil pastels are silky smooth and so much fun for the price. We use these A LOT!)
Colorations Super Washable Classic Markers - Set of 8 (I like the price and quality of these good, basic markers.)

Sculpture:

Moist Red Clay - 25 lbs (We still use this huge hunk of clay we bought a couple of years ago. It lasts and lasts.)

Collage:

Note: You can buy these collage items elsewhere, but the prices are pretty great at DSS, so if you're placing an order anyway, why not add some googly eyes or rainbow feathers for about $1.50 each. That's always my thinking, anyway...

Black Regular Wiggly Eyes - Pack of 100 (We are big fans of googly eyes and also buy the colored version.)
Rainbow Feathers - 1/2 oz. (Feathers are great for collages, masks, hats, sculptures -- we have a lot of fun with these.)
Wood Craft Sticks - 1000 Pieces (Otherwise known around here as popsicle sticks.)
Sequins & Spangles (Because my girly magpie daughters love all that is shiny and jewel-like when it comes to art or anything else.)

Papers:

Note: See my post about the papers we use and buy.

Easel Paper Roll - 18 x 100' (The best of all the easel paper rolls I've tried.)
Real Watercolor Paper - 50 Sheets (Good basic watercolor paper.)
White Sulphite Paper - 500 Sheets (Our all-round go-to art paper.)
9 x 12 Tru-Ray Sulfite Construction Paper - 50 Sheets (We love this vibrantly colored construction paper -- the quality is great.)

Two Last, Super Fun, Art Materials:

Colorations Glitter Glue - Set of 6 (The price on these have gone up, but they are really great! Here's my first post about this glitter glue. We use these often and also give sets as gifts for kiddo friends.)
Colored Masking Tape (We LOVE tape around here, especially this colored masking tape! It gets so much use, in so many different ways -- art, sculpture, spider webs, mazes, and gift wrap.)

Discount School Supply gives you free shipping for all orders over $79. Consider going in on an order with a friend to get the free shipping if you aren't going to order enough to qualify on your own. That's what I do. Although frankly I often qualify for the free shipping. :)

Note: I am now a Discount School Supply affiliate and the links in this post are affiliate links. If you follow a link and place a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the sales price from Discount School Supply and will send you virtual hugs.

Okay, now for the amazing art supply giveaway!!

Readers who leave a comment to this post by Thursday, January 26rd at 11:49 pm EST will be entered into a random drawing for a kids art supply bonanza from Discount School Supply that includes each of the items mentioned above! Winner will be chosen by random number generator and announced on this post on Friday morning. (I will also e-mail the winner directly, as I always do.) This giveaway is open to readers who live in the contiguous United States only. Good luck! This giveaway is now closed.

The random number generator gave me #332 so Gretchen wins the shipment of art supplies from Discount School Supply. Congrats, Gretchen!

Gretchen said...

I DO get so overwhelmed when trying to choose art supplies. Thanks for boiling it down!

Guest Post: A Jan Brett Inspired Winter Art Activity

2012-01-22T12:06:00-05:00

Guest Post by Kristina Buskirk

Hi I'm Kristina from Toddler Approved and I am excited to share one of our favorite book-themed winter art creations with you today. I love Jean's blog and her posts are constantly inspiring me to be a more creative mom. I find as winter begins and we all get a little stir-crazy indoors, I need a gazillion ideas to keep myself (and the kiddos) from getting too bored. I hope this ends up being a fun one you decide to try.

I have a toddler and a preschooler and like to come up with art experiences that we can all have together... otherwise the baby is wreaking havoc all over.

We love Jan Brett's book The Mitten, so we decided to create some of our own mittens and then use them to play a game inspired by the book.

To create the mittens we used two different painting techniques: crayon resist painting and baggie painting. The baggie painting technique is perfect for little toddlers who might not be too trustworthy with paint yet (mine eats it).

Materials Needed:

cardstock
watercolor paint (or watered down tempera)
pencil
pen
scissors
crayons
ziploc baggies
paint brush
cup of water
two copies of Jan Brett's Mitten animals template (shrunk)

Directions for the Jan Brett-Inspired Winter Art Activity:

1. Trace your child's hands several times to make mittens. We made 8 mitten sets since there are 8 animals in The Mitten.

2. Trace over your mittens with a marker (optional) and then cut them out.

3. Cover some of the mittens with crayons and then paint on top of them.

4. Put paint in a ziploc bag and put some of the paper mittens inside. Close the bag and then let your little one move the paint around to cover the mittens.

5. Take the mittens out after a minute of "painting" and let them dry (if you leave them in too long they get too moist and start ripping).

6. Once all the mitten pairs are dry, read Jan Brett's book The Mitten and write the names of each animal on the back of one pair and glue the picture of the animal on the other pair.

7. Have your little ones hide the mittens all around your house and then work together to try and find them all!

8. Match the pairs as you find them! We loved talking about colors, animal names, letters, and trying to "read" the animal names by looking at the beginning and ending letters.

This activity provided hours of fun for us on a rainy day.

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I’m Kristina, a mom of two (a preschooler and a toddler) and a former Special Education teacher for children with communication disabilities. I write about our creative explorations over at Toddler Approved. I blog alongside one of my best friends and we love sharing ideas with each other and our readers. My main interest is to find ways to make life a little more fun and creative. I also love to embed language learning into everything that we do.

A Jude Stuecker Changepurse Giveaway

2012-01-22T07:06:03-05:00

Today's giveaway is for two change purses made by Jude Stuecker, a friend, toddler art group mother, and professional textile artist.

Jude makes quilted wall hangings, clothing, and bags in her Asheville studio. Her quilts are one of a kind, made from fabrics that she dyes and paints herself. They are heavily stitched, often include text, and originate from stories or drawings from her life. Her popular clothing line also begins with her own designs and patterns and uses fabric that she dyes and silkscreens herself.

The changepurses Jude makes, like the two she offered for this giveaway, are made from commercial cotton fabrics. Each one is machine appliqued, fully lined, and has a nylon zipper closure. They measure about 4 x 5 inches and are large enough to carry credit cards, money, lipsticks, etc, but still small enough to fit in a pocket. She has over 50 changepurse designs available.

Giveaway!

Jude is offering both the owl and crow changepurses pictured above as a giveaway to readers who leave a comment to this post by Wednesday, January 25th at 11:49pm EST. There will be two winners, one for each changepurse, and they will be chosen by random number generator and announced on Thursday morning. Good luck! Giveaway now closed.

The random number generator gave me numbers 77 and 80 so Aerial and Sunny win the changepurses. Congrats!

Aerial said...

They are sooo cute!

Sunny Trabing said...

I love these little purses!! So does my daughter, now she wants to draw birds!

Blogiversary Thank Yous and an Awesome Kids Art Book Giveaway

2012-01-21T06:14:00-05:00

Happy Birthday to this little blog of mine. The Artful Parent is four years old today! Just out of toddlerhood, really. But what a wonderful four years it's been!

I want to say a big thank you to all of you lovely folks who come by this space, read what I have to say, ask and answer questions, try out the arts and crafts projects that I write about, and inspire me with your own ideas and projects.

THANK YOU!

I am terribly lucky to have you and this community. You keep me inspired and excited, not just about children's art, seasonal crafts, and family fun, but also about life in general. I love blogging and love art and feel so lucky that I get to do this with you.

I also want to thank and honor MaryAnn F. Kohl today. Her kids' art books and ideas about process-oriented children's art were instrumental in getting me started down this artful parent path. Her unflagging enthusiasm regarding children's art, her positive nature, and her warm accessibility and friendship have sustained me throughout the past few years.

THANK YOU, MARYANN!

I am lucky to have you in my life. Indeed, we are ALL lucky to have you. You have influenced so many parents, teachers, and children throughout your career as a teacher and author. I'm sure the ripples of your influence will continue to spread in the years ahead as well.

XO,

Jean

Children's Art Book Giveaway!

When I asked MaryAnn if she might be interested in offering a couple of her books as a giveaway today, she floored me by offering 9 books!! (It's her birthday, too—January 23rd—so it's a double celebration!) All eight of her Bright Ring Publishing titles are included in this giveaway, plus First Art because it was the first one I read. There will be three winners with each receiving one of the following sets of three books:

Giveaway: Set One

Giveaway: Set Two

Giveaway: Set Three

How to Enter

Readers who leave a comment to this post by 11:49 pm EST on Tuesday, January 24th will be entered into the giveaway for MaryAnn F. Kohl's books. The three winners will be picked by random number generator and will be announced on this post on Wednesday morning (I also e-mail the winners directly). This giveaway is open to readers in the United States only. Good luck! Giveaway now closed.

The random number generator gave me 59, 160, and 263 so the winners are Erin (book set 1), Rashmi (book set 2), and Jenn (book set 3). Congrats!

Update: Because of a bad e-mail address, I wasn't able to reach Rashmi, so had to get a new number from Random.Org. #248 means the winner for book set 2 is now Sally.

Erin said...

I love your blog!

Rashmi said...

Wow four years!! Congrats. Happy birthday to Mary ann Kohl too. Hope we win her books

Jenn said...

Fantastic! Happy blogiversary!

Sally said...

Congrats on your 4 year Anniversary!! What a great giveaway! Thank you for your daily inspirations!