Little chalkers

While we were gone to D.C. I thought it would be fun for the boys to have something new to do while Gma and Opa were here. Inspired by this post we decided to make big outdoor chalkboards for our little artists.

We bought a large--8' x 4'--piece of hardboard and had it cut it in half. We chose hardboard because it is smoother and cheaper than plywood ($11 compared to $35). One can of chalkboard paint, two coats of paint, and one day of drying later, they each had a 4'x4' board of their very own.

I've never met a kid who doesn't love chalk and a chalkboard--including me--and these will be used and used during these gorgeous, dry, Oregon summer months.

Christmas presents

Santa Claus knows that the Fuller boys spend a lot of time lying on the ground drawing. So the Crayola Floor Pads and True to Life Crayons he left under the tree and the aunts and uncles who gifted new colored pencils and whatnot are being used and used and used again.

Tonight we finished off this busy day on the floor together, drawing stars and Super Mario characters and shapes and tigers. James was a little more talkative about his school day than usual, and my little Owen was in good spirits, super proud of the stars he was learning to draw.

Pleasant time spent together, creating.

A magical moment.

A new thrifting treasure

A few weeks ago we had a very lucky thrifting day. We found ourselves a copy of this book for 65 cents. It actually turned out to be an even better deal than we knew at the time, because it is currently out of print.

We love Ed Emberley's drawing books. He uses basic shapes drawn out step-by-step that turn into unique animals and faces and other everyday objects. His method is easy enough to make anyone more confident in their drawing skills.

In fact, recently 4-year-old Owen has taken to drawing more than just scribbles and random shapes. I think it is because he discovered that he could follow the few steps given in this book

to draw animals and he and I and Jeff and James were amazed at the final product. It gave him the confidence to draw more.

For quiet time today I surprised him with a new notebook just for his drawings and I can't wait to watch the pages fill up and a new little artist finding his own style in our house.

Little Artists

So I have discovered that encouraging the budding artists in my house can be a messy endeavor.

If I had a nickel for each time I almost stepped or sat on this:

I would be a very rich woman by now. (I promise I didn't stage that photo)

But I've also discovered that these are the kind of messes I don't mind cleaning up, stepping over or pushing to the side because of the creations and creativity that result.

Family Draw

Growing up, my little brother was the resident artist in our family. I remember his drawings hanging up all over our house. Whether I and my three sisters ever had an interest in drawing, I don't know because I don't remember a whole lot of time spent engaged in this activity. I imagine as a child I had a coloring book and crayons, but apparently it wasn't something I was terribly interested in pursuing.

This is precisely the point of this article/interview on NPR with Mo Willems, a children's author and cartoonist. (originally posted on Soulemama here) The article starts with, "Somewhere along the way, we all were artists. Everyone picks up crayons or chalk as toddlers, but at some point, we just stop drawing." And Mo thinks it is a pity.

I have watched James's interest in coloring and drawing grow over the past two years. At any given time, there are at least three notebooks around our house open to a page full of his drawings. Lately I have wondered if all children enjoy drawing the way he does. I love to watch him concentrate on a picture, then come and show it to me fully convinced that it is the best armadillo/spaceship/wolverine claw he has ever seen. I really want to find ways to encourage this talent and his desire to create, and this article has a great idea.

Mo, "reminds us that parents are actually cool in kids' eyes — for a while — and kids want to imitate what they do. If your kid comes home from school and you say, 'I'll be right with you; I'm just finishing a doodle,' the kid's going to go, 'Dude, I want to do that, too!' " He also suggests making drawing a family activity, and calls the event a family draw. Love that.

So if I want James to keep drawing, I have to show him that I like to draw. In spending time drawing and coloring with my kids, I have actually found that it is an activity that I really do enjoy. (So I won't be faking it like when I fake that I enjoy playing with Ben 10 figurines and making shooting and blowing up noises.)

The other night we tried the family draw. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and hopefully it is something we can do regularly. So even if I'm not convinced that my ladybug/caterpillar/tree isn't the best I've ever seen, I'm going to keep at it and hopefully my boys will do the same.