The Art Box – Jan. 11, 2010

 

 In the Art Box last week:  new truck stamps, glitter glue, fun scrapbook scissors (scallop and zig-zag), glitter snowflake stickers, sports stickers, construction paper and newsprint, watercolor paints, scrap paper and fun foam.

M was really into his stamps and stickers this time around and made me several stamp and sticker collages; here’s a couple: 

 

He painted with his watercolors a little bit…

Interestingly, he was not so much into painting last week.  Maybe he was still going through some sort of paint-with-water coloring book withdrawal??  I have a feeling any other kind of painting will not measure up to the paint-with-water book experience for a while.  Grrr…

 

Hands down, his favorite was cutting with my scrapbook scissors (I make sure they aren’t sharp, testing them on my own fingers!).  He cut piles upon piles of paper but was not interested in doing anything with it, except adding to the pile.  His favorite thing to cut?  Fun foam of course!  I have to admit I do enjoy cutting it too – scissors just glide through it, like butter! :)  So, does anyone need a box of teeny-tiny pieces of foam and various other papers?  Anyone?  Or a kid with a goofy smile? :)

Oh wait, I’m keeping him! 

Link up your kid’s self-directed artwork below - I love seeing them!

Have a beautiful day! :)

Books of the Week – Jan. 9, 2010

M has fallen in love with CD books lately. Thankfully our library has a pretty good selection. I’m just so happy that he’s gotten to this stage; believe me, I enjoy the break I get when he’s listening to one of his books!
Two of his favorites are below, they also just happen to be wonderful classics…
First, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, by Virginia Lee Burton:
Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Anne, are becoming outdated and replaced by newer machinery, so off they go to look for work. They end up digging a cellar and then realizing they can not get out! A little boy (M loves this part) comes up with the perfect solution. :) This is a great book for kids who love trucks, big machines, digging, etc.
And Katy and the Big Snow, also by Virginia Lee Burton:
The inside cover of this book shows an entire map of the town in which Katy lives (um, if a tractor can “live” somewhere)… that map alone is reason enough to check this book out. M is enthralled with the map, and loves the story too! Katy is a tractor who is sometimes used as a bulldozer and sometimes used as a snowplow. When a major snow storm hits the city Katy comes to the rescue (the other snowplows are in over their heads) and clears out the town, helping the police, the fire department, the hospitals, and on and on. This is a great book about hard work and helping those in need. And it has a big machinery. :) What more could a little boy want?? :)
For more book reviews, see Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns!
Have a beautiful day! :)