The Artful Parent

Kindle Love (and a new place to read my blog)

I received a Kindle Touch for Christmas and, in the space of a week, have completely fallen in love.

When Harry first asked me if I wanted one, my response was, "Why would I? I love books." Real books, that is. But I guess what I really love is reading. And sometimes I love reading real books with pages that turn and sometimes I love this little lightweight e-reader of mine that is so terribly convenient.

It was your responses when I asked on Twitter and Facebook that tipped me over enough to say yes to the Kindle idea. Many of you said you were "real book" people, too, but that you loved your e-reader. Several of you said you read a lot more now that you have an e-reader. And, of course, being able to hold and carry several books at a time was mentioned. Now that I have one, I agree to all of the above! (Note: I usually use my own photos, but that's an Amazon photo, not mine. I've been so busy reading, I haven't photographed it.)

Here are a few more reasons I love my Kindle:

The Artful Parent Best of 2011

As we near the end of the year, I thought I'd do the obligatory blog "best of" list (for the first time, I believe). These are the top posts of 2011 based on number of readers:

1. Flower petal stained glass door
2. 10 simple art activities to set up for after school
3. How to make a heart doily T-shirt
4. Ice sculptures with salt and liquid watercolors
5. Forget crayons: 11 great art materials for toddlers
6. Flower petal art box
7. Giving my children wings
8. Stamped salt dough ornaments
9. Making marshmallow and toothpick sculptures
10. Spider webs from coffee filters
11. Spin, spin, spin painting
12. Painted daisies: another artful science experiment

What a wonderful year it has been! Thank you so much for sharing it with me!

Model Magic: Crayola vs Homemade

We've tried Model Magic in two forms in the past week: the official Crayola version and a homemade recipe that I found on Southern as Biscuits. I'm not sure why I've avoided buying Model Magic before now (maybe I just figured it was another play clay and I'm very happy with the playdough we make ourselves), but I finally broke down and bought some for the girls for Christmas. And then when I came across Kristi's DIY recipe, I added it to my list of activities to try over the holidays and thought it would be fun to compare the two.

Digital Sabbatical and Guest Posts: An Update

I wanted to give you an update on my plan for a digital sabbatical in January. I've had to revise my initial intention a bit and wanted to let you know the new one.

My first idea was simply to take a break from the computer, including the blog, e-mail, and social media. A complete digital sabbatical in other words. A month in which I would use the extra time and mental space to recharge and to step back and reexamine my life, my goals, my interests. A time to get into yoga perhaps, to try some sort of art class (for myself!), take long walks, think about the future, and just see what happens when I'm not connected to the computer quite so much. (Note: Some of this may have been a tad idealistic considering I have two small children.)

With that as my plan, I probably should have just hung a "gone fishing" sign on my blog and stepped away.

Are Your Kids Experimenting with New Art Supplies?

When I asked on facebook, many of you said you were giving new art supplies as holiday gifts. I would love to hear about them! Have they inspired your children to create and experiment (I realize it may be a little early...)? Also, anything fun that I may not have tried yet? You know I'm always on the lookout for new (and new to me) arts and crafts materials!

P.S. Maia is trying out her new spirograph in the photo above.

Make Your Own Candy Cane Lollipops

I hope that you enjoyed a wonderful Christmas day with your family (or Hanukkah or Soltice if that's what you celebrate)! The energy and excitement that children bring to the holidays is certainly contagious and so fun. Also a little crazy, though, I have to admit. Our house looks like a hurricane swept through it and I'm already starting to think about cleaning, purging, and organizing in preparation for the new year.

I wanted to post about these candy cane lollipops before Christmas and just didn't quite make it, so here you go. Perhaps you could make these with leftover candy canes? Or save the idea for next year. I also think these might be good for Valentine's Day, even though candy canes seem so very Christmas-y to me. Anyway, Maia and I have been making and giving these lollipops this past week. The idea came from Sharnel at My Life - My Loves (via Pinterest of course!) and we simply added popsicle sticks to turn them into lollipops.

Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Tree Drawing and Some Chalkboard Love

Sometimes I think this chalkboard is about the best thing in our house. It's gotten so much good use; been the space for so much creativity. The art is ephemeral and only lasts until we wipe down the board in preparation for new drawings and scribbles, but that's fine. I take photos in order to capture the art that I want to remember and "save." And the chalkboard itself forms an ever-changing art display.

Simon Says Drawing (plus 12 more activities to keep the kids busy over the holidays)

One of Maia's favorite art activities remains Simon Says Drawing. It's one that she asks to do regularly with me and also does with friends sometimes, as in this photo (taken yesterday during a cookie baking and decorating lull). The older girls took turns being Simon and directing the drawing action, with Daphne sprawled out on the floor watching them.

We're on day two of Maia's two week school holiday. I made a list of fun ideas to try during the break, not so much as an activity-a-day sort of plan, but more like a list to refer to when it seems we need something different and interesting to do.

Here are the activities (mostly found via Pinterest):

Playdough Snowmen in Mason Jar Snow Globes

Last year we made candy cane playdough as gifts for kiddo friends. This year we've been making playdough snowmen in mason jar snow globes. Next year we'll probably try a non-playdough idea, but we've sure had fun with these last two.