Sunday 14 April 2013

Getting creative with kids


I often find that I set up art and craft for the kids, get them started and then quietly disappear to do something super-exciting like washing the dishes. I like to draw and paint too... why do they get to have all the fun!!! After all, I desperately want to find the time to draw and create. If I wait until the kids are tucked into bed I am just too tired to do much of anything.

So lately I have been setting up projects that I want to do and amazingly enough the kids love it. This is one of those projects. I felt the need for some simple watercolour painting. Out came the brushes, paint and paper. Out came two small children eager to see what I was doing.

Unlike my children my imagination is old and tired. Visions of unicorns, rainbows and fairies don't come easily to me, I need a little bit of inspiration to get me started. For this project I raided the fruit bowl for some unsuspecting fruit for a still life.

Cakey's banana, capscium and potato
Boo's fruit and veg
Cakey's strawberries and eggplant
The three of us sat very happily painting fruit. It wasn't long before their imaginations let loose, painting fruits and vegetables that we did not have (ie. strawberries and eggplant) and then moving to rainbow rain and beyond. I stuck with the fruit. When they got hungry little bite marks started appearing in the still life!


I have done this many times now and the kids always want to join in. Sometimes they want to do exactly what I am doing and sometimes they use the materials in their own way. So I say 'let those dishes pile up'.

Visit Tinkerlab and the Artful Genius if you would like some motivation to get a little bit creative every day. Visit the House that Lars built and Geninne's Art blog if you would like some inspiration.

If this is your first visit to At home with Ali – welcome. If you like it, you can follow along via email, RSS, google+ or facebook. You can also find me on Pinterest and InstagramCheers Ali

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11 comments:

  1. What a great idea Ali...you get to do something you love and the girls get to participate too! I had to smile when I saw you were using waterpaints as I caught the other half doing some waterpainting with my girls this morning after I set it out!!
    Love the bitemarks!!

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    1. Thanks Jode, that is fantastic that your other half couldn't resist joining in your painting session.

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  2. Love it! I was wondering if the still life would be taste-tested. I'm really enjoying jumping into making art projects alongside my kids lately, too. What dishes?

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    1. You mean those invisible dishes!!! They fit right on in with the invisible washing!!! Thanks for visiting Jeanette. :)

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  3. Great idea! I must admit I quite like colouring in with Gemma :)

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    1. thanks :)
      oooh I like colouring in too....

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  4. I love it that it's exactly what you want to do and the kiddies love it too. They would feel super special doing something that mummy loves. Great water colour pics. Love the bites out of the fruit and everyone adapting to that!

    Bec

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    1. Thanks Bec, it is a win-win!!!! I just can't argue with the kids eating fruit... even if it is the still life.

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  5. I think the surest way to get my kids interested in doing an activity is for me to sit down and start working at something! I love the pictures.

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  6. That's a great idea with the still life. My 4yo always paints the same flower/rainbow picture over and over, maybe this is a good idea to instigate change. I have to laugh about letting the dishes pile up! I'm always feeling the same way, and the washing piles up too ha ha

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