Kwik Stix paint sticks

Glowing ART Prints

Still life arrangement on the light table

Nature Texture Collages with paper and stickers

Artsy Play Wednesday

I have been super busy due to the Holidays, so I have barely had time to snap a good pic or two, even when I wanted to. So I thought I would share one of my older favorite artsy play posts! I hope you enjoy viewing it!! Click on the link to view!!

Our Abstract Mess

Highlights in collage & Artsy play wednesday

This week I decided to do something fun and highlight the last few days in collages!!

Please check out the caption under each collage to find out about it!!

Playing with basketballs and seeing Santa at a local park playground!

stickers on number papers from Confessions of a homeschooler

using clothespins to pick up feathers, sort by color and transfer them to small bowls

we read the gingerbread man and decorated gingerbread man cookies... and ate them! yum!

decided to be cool guys and wear sunglasses to sort bears by color, lace shapes from Lauri peg and stacker set. They used the lacing strings from another lacing set we have. 

made some cool designs with wedgits on the mirror table...which has a new set of lights on it!

used clothespins to pick up and sort pom poms by color into small bowls

had a lot of fun with an early Christmas gift, a rocker board! (purchased from Bella Luna toys)

sorted Christmas themed acrylic circles into tiny acrylic jars and used light table letters to spell words from picture/word cards. Their friend Garland enjoyed it too!

Seed trees & water color on canvas

Last week I dyed some pumpkin seeds with food coloring and rubbing alcohol. I got the seeds out today for a little art project! Graham and Parker had a lot of fun with this project. It was challenging for them though. I made one for example and then they made theirs. Basically we put clear glue down on the canvas in the shape of a tree, added the seeds, a little more glue on top the seeds, and then liquid water colors! I gave them paint brushes to move the water colors around and create a pretty background blend. We used turquoise, purple, and magenta liquid water colors. I let them dry outside until dark, them moved them inside t finish drying. I will be hanging them up tomorrow!

Mine is on the left, Parker's in the middle, and Graham's is on the right. I think they turned out really nicely!

Parker, adding some water color

Graham, contemplating his next move

Parker's tree

Graham's tree

I did a little changing up of some things in their room. I swapped out the smaller table that the light panels were on for a larger table. The table we had the light panels on was too small. I had to place the panels on them vertically. I hated them being on their vertically because they couldn't use all of the space on the light panels. With the bigger table, the light panels can be placed horizontally, and all of the space can be utilized. The tables I am using are the lifetime adjustable tables. They are used for preschools as well as for any other use you would need a table for.  I really liked this table because it is adjustable and it is a fraction of the cost of traditional school tables. I wanted a nice large table that they could do any of our learning activities, art projects, playdough, as well as building with their blocks and such. These tables are awesome. They are very sturdy and so nice! I use duct tape to tape the panels and mirrors  securely to the table and voila! It works perfectly!  I have an IKEA pocket organized fastened to the front of the table, filled with some of their small light table accessories. The rest are on the shelving to the left. You can see the tables HERE.

I switched the block play area with the book nook, they love it!! It is working out really well!!

Add your links to Artsy Play Wednesday!!!

Rainbow rice and artsy toys

Here are some fun things Graham and Parker did in the past few days!

sorting by shape, not color on the mirror table

pattern blocks

Rainbow rice, a toy dump truck, and some little cups!

To make rainbow rice, just use uncooked white rice, 3-5 drops of food coloring and 5-6 drops of rubbing alcohol. Mix well in plastic ziploc bags, then lay out flat on a cookie sheet in rows of color. Then heat in oven for about 20 minutes on the lowest oven setting. After it cools, you can put it in a container to play with! You can do the same with pasta or pumpkin seeds!

We had to get out the floor play tray to contain any accidental rice spillage

Graham loves stamping or quiet art time before bed  (Parker was watching team umizoomi)

our rainbow rice as it landed in the container

our rainbow rice after mixing!

See through framed easel art

I recently found these awesome frames for 99 cents each at IKEA. I happened to see them on my way to the check out and decided to get four of them. I figured they would be perfect for some art!! I thought about having them paint pictures and then placing the pictures in a frames , but I decided to just have them paint the clear plastic photo protector sheets that came in the frame. They turned out super cute!!  I plan on getting more of these frames in the near future! They look nice in the window as a sun catcher too! Graham painted three of them and Mackenna painted one. Parker was not in a painting mood and wanted to watch Annie. Parker is a big fan of Annie. He watches the old one with Tim Curry and Carol Burnett, not the remake.  Graham loves Annie too but not as much as Parker. ;)

Look at him all happy with his smiley face!

He turned the smiley face into a flower

Telling me all about the colors and the new smiley face

Mackenna started with a sun.

They sort of look like sesame street monsters.  ;)

Mackenna's painting.

By the way.....

Be sure to check out these awesome posts too!

 Light Tables 101 (featuring 101 ways to use a light table)

and

The perfect DIY  "container" light box