Cocooon of Chaos

Body Painting!

I think the pictures will do more justice than my scribbling in telling how much fun we had body painting at our Art Group...

 
 
 
It is amazing how much fun one can have with paint, paintbrushes, a body, and a hose.

Homemade Fingerpaint

My little art group has turned out to be a hit and I could not be more thrilled. I find great joy sitting on the floor with little ones making, exploring, and talking about art. So far, one of my favorites was fingerpainting, which I made in my own kitchen! I tinkered quite a bit with many recipes and the one that worked best was over at Milk & Cuddles.

 
Rather than throwing away the chunkier versions, I offered them up for some sensory play. For the children that are more reticent to dive into the paint, I double bagged some of the paint in ziploc baggies, which encourages them to explore comfortably.

 
It really was great fun mixing all these up and concocting fun colors. I do believe, they were quite a hit!

 
 
 
A million thanks to all the members, both big and small, of this Art Group. I could not do it if you did not care enough to make art a part of your little artists' lives.

In Preparation....

For a while now, I've dreamed of having my own space filled with small children, paint,clay, and messy hands. I mean a space other than my glitter covered wood floors, pencil scratched kitchen table, and crayon drawing walls created by my own little people; I've hoped for a desire from enough people to make art a reality in their children's lives, because to be honest, I would not be half the person I am if I did not do something creative every day. Yes, that one thing may be making a colorful salad for dinner or doodling with the girls while we chat, but regardless, it keeps me sane, grounded, and connected to myself. So, I finally went for it. I created a page on Facebook, reached out to the wonderfully supportive parents' group I am proudly a member of and our first group begins tomorrow. My littles were happy to be the guinea pigs for the flower printing with liquid watercolors I have planned...

 
 
We had so much fun doing this and I've so enjoyed throwing myself into this group. I am one of those people that have ideas, but very rarely act on them. To be honest, a large part is due to doubt. Silly, yes, I know, but a reality. Taking deep breaths and quieting the little voices in my head, I threw all that out the window and just went for it. And you know what, no matter what the outcome, I'm rather proud of myself for sticking my neck out there.

I must give credit where credit is due. I came across a blog a very long time ago and she has inspired me in many, many ways not only as a parent, but as an individual. A million thanks to Jean at http://www.artfulparent.typepad.com/. I'll be back to report how it all went...