Monday, October 19, 2009

turn that TV off

just thought I would share this article with all of you. I hate TV for my kids and I am always looking for TV free activities and I LOVED this article. I have been doing many of these activities already but it is always good to brush up on this and find some new tips. Happy TV free moments to all of you! 

http://www.parents.com/fun/activities/rainy-day/tv-free-activities/

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

classic for Halloween



here is a classic art project that is the easiest and the most fun for the kids as they can do most of it with only a little assistance from us.

what you will need:

orange construction paper
markers
glue
feathers
balls
you can also use other supplies such as glitter, crayons, buttons, etc... We are going to hang ours in the window therefor we made a pretty light pumpkin with no glitter as that tends to sprinkle all over the place. 

motor skills practice 

out of the orange construction paper, cut the shape of a pumpkin and give it to your child. Tell him that the pumpkin needs a face and he can make it however he/she wishes. Then give him all the other supplies and let him work the magic (with some assistance from you). I ended up with lots of glue for the eyes and nose ... and a huge smile - what else is here to ask for?

Friday, October 09, 2009

scarecrow


the best season of them all is here and we are off to farms with pumpkin patches, hay rides, and spooky stuff... also time to decorate the home with some fun fall projects. Here is the first one

what you need:

scissors
construction paper
markers
glue
optional decorating objects such as - glitter, feathers, stickers, foam letters, etc.

your child will practice using glue and markers (also good for developing motor skills) as well as naming shapes and possibly learn a new letter

cut shapes out of the construction paper - square for body, rectangles for arms and legs, circle for head, and triangle for the hat. you can use this to practice shapes - ask you child to find certain shape for certain part of the scarecrow's body. glue them all together into a person and have your child draw the face. Then you can decorate it with anything you choose. We used letter S for "scarecrow". I was making one at the same time so T was copying my actions. He did it all by himself. I think his is so much better than mine.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

toilet paper people


what you will need:

toilet paper roll
foam or construction paper
pipe cleaners
glue
markers
scissors

let your child decorate the toilet paper roll as a body (we used markers but feel free to use anything else such as paint etc.), then make holes on the sides for arms and legs. Pull pipe cleaners through and cut them if needed to adjust length. Last cut out a circle for head out of the foam or constr. paper. before you glue it on the body, decorate as a face. Have fun!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

back from vacation


i have been back from my month long vacation for few weeks now but i needed some time to get adjusted back to our normal life. i feel like i am slowly getting there and i am hoping to be posting some new creative ideas to this blog. i am also going to create some portfolios on the sistv website and i am excited about it! but of course i need more time...always more time

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

garden art


garden art
Originally uploaded by imotylek
I love my garden and I think all the time about how much more time I need for it. I love little garden knick knacks and how much more life they add to your yard.
Gardening is like art - with each plant you plant, you create an art piece and with everything new around it the piece evolves into something new and bigger and more meaningful.
I am still learning - and it's a long process...

Saturday, June 06, 2009

paper towel painting


paper towel painting
Originally uploaded by imotylek
this is a quick and fun project for you and your kids. Please mind that I haven't bought a paper towel for years now but I borrowed it from a friend and that will work too.

what you need:

paper towel
cup with water
paint brush
and non-toxic water color paint for kids

I put different paint colors into the egg carton holders and have Tristan paint on the paper towel. The more water he uses the better the paint mixes - but careful, you can tear it easily. Then just let dry. It is also a great tool to teach how colors mix together. Happy mixing!!!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

sparkle this


sparkle
Originally uploaded by imotylek
This project is a little messy but it is one of our favorites... We are creating magic with some glitter!

What you need:
glue stick
glitter - many different colors
paper - white or construction paper
something under the table to catch fallen glitter (plastic, newspaper...)

- take the glue stick and draw with it on the paper. I drew a tree and Tristan made bunch of circles and lines. Take one color glitter and slowly sprinkle it on the glued surface. Shake the paper above the glitter jar so that the left over glitter falls back into the jar and you don't waste it.
- next draw something else on the same paper and use a different color glitter to sprinkle over... again, shake it of into the jar.
- you can do this as many times as you want to and you end up with a sparkly master piece!!! Just like we did!

Tip: the first time you do this project, show your child how to do it first and explain all the steps. Then he/she can do it on their own with your assistance.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

special art project


special art project
Originally uploaded by imotylek
what you need:

1 baby in the swing
sheet of Easter sticker (but any kind will do)
1 busy mommy making chocolate chip cookies (any activity will do)

...and here you go!!!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

oooops

So I experienced some "technical difficulties" as my hard drive crashed and I lost completely everything...all my documents, addresses, website data and of course pictures.... This is why i couldn't update my blog or my website for the past few weeks. I had some of you ask me and so here it is...this is why my blog has been so boring. My Mac is fixed, I even found my pictures on iTouch - Thank God for smart Apple gadgets so now we will be rolling again!!!

Oh and who thinks that Adam Lambert is amazing? I mean seriously - I am tuning in for AI every week now!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

green idea #1


green idea #1
Originally uploaded by imotylek
so here is a little tip to save you money and save the environment at the same time.

Instead of buying the plastic cups for paint, use an egg carton instead. I cut it in half and use the bottom part as a paint holder. I reuse it as much as possible.

Happy painting!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

clay art


clay art
Originally uploaded by imotylek
Sometimes I think Tristan is too little for some projects but I decided to try this one out when he was about 20 months. I bought the CRAYOLA AIR-DRY CLAY (you don't need oven for this project = less pain) and we both had an amazing time creating different shapes out of it. He molded some impressive shapes and we let them dry for a day or two. At that time I had an idea right away - we will use those little shapes as pendants for grandmas' necklaces (Christmas gift) so I made a hole thru them.

After couple days we sat back down with these little amulets, this time with some paint and brushes, and Tristan painted them!!! Don't they look adorable?

Last step was my turn - I took glaze and painted over the paint so that the pendants are shiny. Then we put them on a string that we picked out together in Hobby Lobby and presents were finished!!!

I smile every time I see either one of grandmas wearing theirs... and Tristan? He is soooo proud!!!!

Happy molding!

Sunday, March 08, 2009

beary good lunch


bear
Originally uploaded by imotylek
One morning when Bella fell asleep (just like usual the only time we have for anything :-)) Tristan and I pulled out our art supplies and got to work on something that will make daddy smile!

We took a brown paper bag (the one you can put sandwiches into), glue, scissors, markers and a regular paper. I drew the shapes for ears, eyes, and nose and Tristan colored them with a marker. I cut them out and he glued them to the bag. This is a great way to teach your kids how to use glue... Tristan made a bear and I made a cat.

After the bear and the cat dried we played a bit of a puppet show with them. This has been about a week ago and now they are old news... So we decided to surprise daddy tomorrow and pack his lunch in the bear puppet Tristan made! We know this will make him smile - we miss him all day!!!

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

creative wrap


IMG_1453
Originally uploaded by imotylek
... and yet another idea how to put your kiddies' art projects to some good use.

Give them a big piece of paper - I gather the thin paper they use in stores to wrap fragile items before they put them in your bag. Then give them some finger paint or simply washable paint and put them to work! After the paint dries and your child had every opportunity to share his/her art piece with all of his/her friends and other admirers, put it in the place you keep wrapping paper. When you need to wrap grandma's present - here you go.

Not to mention that you help your wallet and the environment by wrapping gift with your kids' art.

Happy painting!!!

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

kids' art turned into greeting cards


DSC07262
Originally uploaded by imotylek
Last week I decided it's time for Tristan to learn how to use glue. I realized I will have to buy him one that's easy to use as the one we have is so hard to squeeze and he was so cute to try to do it all by himself. So we took some fancy looking feathers (always a hit with T) and glued them on a paper. I had an idea - let's turn it into a card instead of throwing it out after couple of days! He did it all by himself and now he is so proud! We will be giving it to his girlfriend for her birthday on Friday!

you can take any art your children create on paper and turn it into one of these. They will be proud that you would like to use it and someone's heart will be touched by this homemade gift!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

your kids' art


IMG_2185
Originally uploaded by imotylek
As an art teacher, I love doing art crafts with Tristan. Before Bella came I don't think there would be a day we would go without painting or coloring or playing play dough. If you are like us and you end up with many art projects sitting in your drawer - you just don't have the heart to throw them out, right - here are some tips, what you could do with your kids' art. It will make you and your kids proud!!! Here we go -
DISPLAY YOUR KIDS' ART

you can incorporate it into the decoration of your house. And you can change it as often as you want - with new project, new decoration in your house!!!

Saturday, February 07, 2009

New day

I woke up one morning and decided that I need to start being creative again. I realized that I need that thing that keeps me going. Are you an artistic person? Then you probably understand. So here I am, blogging about different ideas... I would like to include many things that might help someone (mainly moms) in their hectic day. I am planning on blogging about cooking (including some recipes and pictures), art projects for kids (I am an art teacher after all), art projects for moms (!), and knitting projects as well. I am positive that this will keep me going - and I hope that this will not let you keep sitting but that it will give you the spark in your day! Enjoy...