I've been making this list of Web craft projects to do with kids, specifically projects that celebrate autumn and the harvest season. But obviously, as I'm looking for five or so activities suitable for this list, I'm finding about five thousand off-topic ones that just look AWESOME! So then I was thinking, I have a projects To Do list for myself; why not one for me and the girls?
To Do (Parent/Kid Edition)
- I'm already starting out unrealistically, because I wouldn't buy new silk (from silkworms, you know), and any vintage silk scarves I came across wouldn't likely be all white and pristine and dye-ready, but I still love this tutorial for dyeing playsilks with Kool-aid over at the Artful Parent. The girls love to dress up and the playsilks look so versatile and light and fun--perhaps I could someday find actual vintage playsilks?
- I love the birthday crown tradition over at SouleMama. I mean, of COURSE you deserve to wear a crown on your birthday. The girls would certainly like to help with this, as only they can come up with the perfect garish/creative color choices. Perhaps I'll have one ready for a certain little birthday friend's birthday party on Monday?
- Over at Strange Folk in September, I bought a bunch of beautiful rainbow-dyed wool roving. Since then, it's been draped over a shelf in my study looking gorgeous, but my intention has always been to fill a couple of sinks with warm, soapy water and make felted balls or felted rocks (like these from elsie marley) with the girls. I wonder what else I could felt around?
- For an fundraising art project at her child's school, Perpetualplum made mosaic tiles out of small squares cut from the students' artwork. I'm as a rule quite against altering my children's artwork in any way, but Willow, I think, would be old enough to create art specifically for this purpose, and it would also fall in line with some projects I have in mind to work with the girls' love of Eric Carle--he does this same kind of thing, you know.
- You know that my Sydney is into babies and cars in a big way. I'm not that excited about the idea of making doll clothes for her--she's not really into dolls in a "dress them up, dress them down" kind of way, anyway--but I do like the idea of making her some cloth doll diapers, like these from Skip to My Lou. Natural parenting, right?
In other news, I have a game for you. It's called Find the Monkey:
P.S. Check out my other list of autumn-themed art projects over at Eco Child's Play.
6 comments:
OMG - Willow has no fear. That's pretty awesome.
I love the doll diapers. I have a good idea, you make some cloth diapers for babydolls to sell at the shop. Might be a hot xmas item? hmm....
You are so totally crafty...and I can't believe your daughter is that high up a tree. I'd probably have a coronary if that were my child.
I know, I know. But the kid loves to climb; it's beautiful to watch her.
I have my own unique perspective on allowing my kids to take risks, too. I taught the girls the important rules about climbing trees--stay close to the trunk, don't put your weight on wobbly branches, always make sure you've got a stable hand- or foothold before you reach for another branch. I feel much better about teaching my girl how to do what she wants to do than I feel when I watch some other moms gathered around the climbing tree, shouting at their kids, "That's high enough! That's too dangerous! You're too high! Come down!" with that fear in their voices--instead of teaching their kids how to meet challenges and be brave doing so, or teaching kids to trust their bodies and to capably judge their own level of safety, it feels to me like they're teaching them to fear challenges, or teaching them an authority-driven knowledge of what their little bodies are capable of. How will the kids know later what an acceptable level of risk is? Will they really rely on what their parents told them? How will they know all that their beautiful, strong bodies can do?
And yeah, my heart inside my chest totally has a coronary. But Will's heart? It soars.
That's beautiful. Your children are so lucky to have you as a mom.
that is beautiful. lucky kids.
Aww, you guys are too sweet--if I can talk my way out of trouble for letting my kid climb 60 feet up into an old pine tree, I should totally try talking my way out of MATT'S next speeding ticket!
Ooh, and about the playsilks--I just learned about this kind of silk called peace silk. It's made out of cocoons left by silkworms who exit them naturally. They pay otherwise unemployed woman to scoop them up off of the forest floor, apparently?
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