Egg Shell Sculptures

My husband has been incredibly patient; I've had a bowl of egg shells sitting on my counter for months, waiting for this project.  Yesterday was finally the day the kids and I were all free to do something together.  It was a beautiful, warm day, so we opened the garage door for shade, laid out a tarp, and commenced with our art projects (they also made some canvas paintings; blog posting to come later).  To prepare for this project, you will need to save a desired amount of egg shells.  I recommend boiling and bleaching them to protect against Salmonella.    

 For the first part of this project you will need the egg shells, a piece of cardboard or posterboard for sculpting on, and glue.  I cut squares from an old cracker box for the sculpture.

The kids squeezed glue over the cardboard (lot's is good!)  Then they placed the shells where they choose. (My daughter painted my son's face and arms with face paint, so if he looks extra messy, that's why :)   

Michael started with a big piece.  I told him little pieces were OK too, so he broke some shells into smaller scraps. 

Ariel decided on small bits.

Once Michael had filled up his cardboard with shells, he added more glue to ensure they would stick. 

Ariel tried to move her sculpture, but some shells fell off, so she too added more glue. 

Ariel's 1/2 finished project.  Now the glue needs to dry a bit before you being painting.  We set ours in the sun to speed the drying process.   

Once the glue is dry, the sculpture is ready for paint.  Ariel squeezed her paint over the shells.

Then she added glitter to the wet paint for extra sparkle! 

Ariel's finished sculpture.  

Michael chose to paint using a brush.  We used another piece of the cracker box for a paint palette.   

He used the minimalist approach with the paint. 

 Then he added glitter.   

  Luckily, his glue was still wet, so the glitter stuck.

Artistic inspiration can come from anywhere!  What strange items have you or your kids created art from? 

         

It's Playtime!

Are You Ready to Play Today?!

Hosted by

Messy Kids

The Imagination Tree

Quirky Momma

hands on: as we grow

Please join our play date by adding your latest or favorite play based activity.  No need to post in 4 places; posting with one hostess posts with all!

*If you have joined our play date before, please do not repeat past postings.  By posting on the link below, you are giving me permission to use the link and one image to feature in a future blog posting.  

Spring has sprung!  Check out these fabulous spring ideas from last weeks "It's Playtime!"


Easter Crystals: Housing a Forest

Easter Egg Memory: Little Family Fun

Dirt Playdough Recipe: Heidi's Recipes

Grab the button and spread the word!

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Spring Has Sprung: Activities for the Greenest of Seasons

My St. Patrick's Day activity list was so popular I figured I would begin one for Spring (including some Easter) as well.  Here you will find my favorite spring themed, play based activities from around the web.

Art/Fine Motor:

• Ribbon Painting: Easter Eggs: House of Baby Piranha
• Tye Dyed Coffee Filter Easter Eggs: The Chocolate Muffin Tree
• Flower Painting: Family Education & Flower Prints: Kat's World (similar ideas)
• Crack Open the Egg and Paint in Preschool: Teach Preschool
• Butterfly Sensory Bags for Preschoolers: Teach Preschool
• Wellie Boot Printing: The Imagination Tree
• Glue and Bead Sun Catchers: The Chocolate Muffin Tree
• Butterfly Costume Wings: alphamom
• DIY make your own colorful Easter grass!: Teach Preschool
• Easter Eggs-Not Just for Hunting: Creative Connections for Kids
• Balloon Painting Bunnies: Strong Start
• Frog Eggs: Using small bubble wrap, spread white paint over the bubbles, then press blue construction paper on top.  This creates many tiny circles.  Add a black dot to the desired amount of circles, creating the appearance of frog eggs.  
• "Worm" Painting: Cut desired length of yarn or rubber bands in half.  Dip the yarn or rubber band in paint, then drag it over your sheet of paper.  
• Egg Shell Sculptures: Messy Kids
• Ladybug spots: using corks as stampers, dip into black paint, then stamp onto red paper.  Then read The Grouchy Ladybug.
• Ladybug and Easter Egg Sun Catchers: 
• Version 1: You'll need contact paper, red tissue paper, black construction paper, and a hole punch.  Cut a length of contact paper which you can fold in half.  On one side (on the plastic), trace a medium to large sized circle with a permanet marker.  Use a bowl or large yogurt container for the template.  Remove backing.  Your child should be able to see the black circle on the plastic.  Have them place bits of red tissue paper in the circled area.  Then have your child use the hole punch with the black construction paper, making ladybug spots.  Place the spots within the circle on the tissue paper.  When decorating is done, fold the sticky sides together closing up the contact paper.  Be very gentle so not to create bubbles or creases.  Then, you or your child can cut the circle out.  punch a hole and hang in a window.
• For Easter Eggs: Draw an egg shape on the contact paper.  Use spring colored tissue paper instead of red.  No black spots.      
• Version 2: You'll need wax paper, cheese grater, peeled red crayons, black construction paper, hole punch, iron, and a towel.  Cut a large length of was paper, one you can fold in 1/2.  After folding, open wax paper like a book.  Have your child grate red crayons with a cheese grater (but monitor closely because they are sharp!) onto the open wax paper.  The more crayon the better but allow them to choose when they stop.  After the crayon is grated, give them the black paper and hole punch so they can punch the ladybugs spots.  place the spots on the grated crayon.  Fold over the wax paper.  Place a thin towel over the paper, then place the iron on the towel and iron over it, melting the crayon and wax paper together.  When everything has cooled, cut out circles of desired shape from the crayon and spotted area.  Punch a hole and hang.  
• For Easter Eggs:  Instead of red crayon, grate spring colors (green, pink, yellow, purple, etc) onto the wax paper. No black spots.  Melt together, then cut egg shapes out of the wax paper and hang.    
• Marbled Easter Eggs: Tot School
• Rolled Easter Egg Painting: Tinker Lab
• Shake, Rattle, And Roll Egg Decorating: StrongStart
• Wool Birds Nests: Mermaids Creations
• Raindrops: The Life and Times of Angelyn
• Giant Earth for Earth Day: Little Running Teacher

Sensory/Discovery

• Easter/Spring Sensory Tub: My Delicious Ambiguity 
• Spring Garden Sensory Tub: No Time For Flash Cards
• Play Dough Planting: little learners lounge
• Dirt Play Dough Recipe: Heidi's Recipes 
• Birdseed Sensory Exploration: Fill your tub with birdseed, shovels, sifters, funnels, cups, and/or spring items like plastic eggs or fuzzy chics.
• Bug Slime Spaghetti: The Imagination Tree
• Discovery Box 9: Plastic Eggs: The Imagination Tree
• Garden Sensory Bin: Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
• Pond Life Sensory Table: PreKinders

Science

• Bouncy Eggs: Science@home
• Catch a Rainbow: Kidzone (a.k.a Rainbow Milk)
• Easter Crystals: Housing a Forest
• Grass Caterpillar for Spring: Kiboomu!
• Create a Bird Feeder: Spread peanut butter or sunbutter on a medium to large pine cone.  Roll in birdseed and hang outside near a window.  Watch as the birds gather to eat.
• Read Bug Safari, then go on a bug hunt in your backyard.  

Cooking:

• Raw Snacks for Kids: "Fairy Cakes": What a Healthy Family Eats
• No Bake Bird Nests for Spring!: Kiboomu!
• Butterfly Bites: Kiboomu!
• A Poor Man's Jam for English Muffins: Super Healthy Kids  (Strawberries for spring!  Spread it on waffles, pancakes, toast, etc!)

Learning Games

• Ladybug Dice Game: Learning and Teaching With Preschoolers
• Easter Egg Learning: My Delicious Ambiguity 
• Egg Nest Sorting Game: Teach Preschool 
• Easter Egg Memory: Little Family Fun
• Flannel Easter Eggs: Walnut Acres

Outdoor Play & Exploration

• Making a Play Garden: Part 1: The Imagination Tree
• 17 Tips for Making Your Backyard Wildlife Friendly on a Budget: Audubonmagazine.org
• Fun Friday: Make Mud Prints: Go Explore Nature
• don't throw away your plastic pot plants: let the children play
• Let's Get Dirty: Fun Mud Activities: National Wildlife
• Let's Help the Birds Build Their Nests!: Squashed Tomatoes  
• Make Bubbles: Acorn Pies

Music and Movement

• 5 Green and Speckled Frogs
• Rainbow Dancing: Using crepe paper in rainbow colors, cut a long strip from each chosen color.  Place lengths together and staple one end.  Put on your child's favorite music and let them dance around with the streamers.  Or send them outside to run around with their streamers.
• Baby Bumblebee    
• Bumblebee (Buzz, Buzz) by Laurie Berkner (Video) Sing and fly around like a bumblebee.
• Boots by Laurie Berkner (Video)
• Little Bunny Foo Foo

Literacy (Books in my collection that I feel capture the essence of spring!)

Mouse's First Spring

When Will It Be Spring? Hb (Alfie Bear S.)

Over in the Valley (Volume 2)

The Tiny Seed (World of Eric Carle)

Planting a Rainbow: Lap-Sized Board Book

Counting In The Garden

The Butterfly Counting Book

Very Hungry Caterpillar

Bug Safari

The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Reading Railroad)

Five Little Bunnies Hopping on a Hill Book and Audio CD Set (Paperback)

Here Comes T. Rex Cottontail

Easter Mice!

The Little Blue Easter Egg

The Great Easter Egg Hunt Book and Audio CD Set (A Look Again Book) (Paperback)
Five Green and Speckled Frogs (Sing and Read Storybook)

HAPPY EASTER

A Place to Bloom

Do Something! 4/2-4/8

 Here are my lists of favorites for this week.  Time to go and "do something!"

This week, in honor of "Let's G.O.! (Get Outside)" month, Outdoor Discovery.

Elements of a Child-Friendly Garden: Simple Kids

Grass Caterpillar for Spring: Kiboomu!

Let's Get Dirty: Fun Mud Activites: National Wildlife Federation

Get Outdoors: 6 Things To Do With a Hula Hoop: Childhood 101

50 Outdoor Activities Your Children Will Love: Living and Learning

don't throw away your plastic plant pots: let the children play

Bubble "Snakes": Somewhat Simple

Wellie Boot Printing: The Imagination Tree

17 Tips For Making Your Backyard Wildlife Friendly on a Budget: Audubonmagazine.org

I hope you enjoy all these wonderful ideas and don't forget to grab your kids and "do something!"

       

Listening to Your Child: How Play Can Help

Like most of you, I enjoy watching my kids play, especially when they are playing on their own.  I like to listen to the stories they copy or create and discover what it is they enjoy most.  My son likes to help me in the kitchen, but it has become more apparent to me, as he plays with sensory material, how much he really enjoys it.  Water, playdough, flour, split-peas, rice; all sensory items which become his cooking materials, with me as the person he enjoys cooking for the most.  If I don't sit down with him, he brings me my meal, usually consisting of waffles, his favorite food.  If I don't provide him with plastic plates and spoons, my daughter's princess tea set becomes of use.

Watching him play is fun, but it's the listening part which is so important.  I could simply open my son's sensory tub, stick him outside, and go about with my list of chores, being perfectly happy to have a few minuets to myself.  Instead, I often stop behind him and listen through the screen door to hear what he has to say.  Because I listen, I know how much he loves helping me to cook.  I know without a doubt that waffles are his favorite food.  I know his favorite cartoon characters are from Team Umizoomi and Avatar: The Last Airbender because they become his playmates when he is alone.  I also know when he misses his grandparents because he'll tell his imaginary friends how he is going to Papa and Honey's house or that Mema is coming for a visit (even if it's not planned).  These are all things I've learned from listening.

Once, a dad shared a story with me.  When his oldest daughter began Kindergarten, he became frustrated because he would ask his daughter, "what did you do today."  She responded with the infuriating, "nothing."  He knew, of course, that she did more then nothing, but wanted to communicate with her.  He was dying to know if she liked Kindergarten, if she liked her teacher, and what she was learning.  A few school days went by, and this dad was walking by his daughter's room while she played with her stuffed animals.  He stopped to listen and realized she was using her animals to talk about her day.  She was playing school and the animals were classmates.  He learned about the centers she played at in class, who her new friends were, and what activities they had done that day.  Everything he'd been asking her each day, she acted out with her stuffed friends!  It simply came down to creative listening on his part.

Another mom told me a similar story of her daughter who would play preschool with her animals at home.  The mom always knew who had been in trouble that day because the daughter would act it out.  It taught me to be more discreet when it came to discipline in the classroom.

The next time your child is engaged in play, listen to what they are saying.  This is when you'll learn the most about your child.  If your child attends preschool, you may learn what they are doing, who their friends are, and even, how their teachers speak to them or the other children.  If you homeschool a toddler or preschool aged child, you'll learn their favorite T.V. characters, friends they have connected with during play dates, and activities they enjoy most.  And if you are a teacher, listen in the classroom.  The children will mimic you and you may not always like what you hear.