Make mistakes.....
...isn't that what Ms. Frizzle always tells us? Baby Bird and I made a fun one yesterday. I read somewhere (couldn't tell you where) recently that mixing craft glue with tempera paint can be a whole lot of fun. In my early morning, pre-coffee, mother-of-two fog I grabbed the finger paint instead. Okay, so it's not an 'oops, there were no weapons of mass destruction' kind of mistake, but still- it lead to completely different results. The beauty of open-ended *art* is that since there is no planned outcome, mistakes like this really don't matter!

We filled up our trusty squeeze bottles, and almost immediately noticed the raw egg-like consistency of the glue/finger paint combo. Sort of sticky, stretchy, and shiny all at once! Baby Bird was in sensory/texture heaven :)

Like any good almost-two-year-old, the fingers got involved fairly quickly...

Maybe tomorrow we'll do it the *right* way.....or, maybe not!

We finger-print painted cherry trees today in honor of spring. I had a conversation with myself before hand and we agreed (myself and I?) that I was prepared to accept whatever the kids decided to do with their finger-print painting experience...it's hard to let go of that sometimes, isn't it?

Big Bird chose to make several individual cherry blossoms on the branches that I had drawn for him. Baby Bird chose a different path and turned it into a full body experience. She started by painting her hands and then moved up to her head! Good thing I had that conversation with myself before we started ;)

Afterwards we decided that a picnic was in order to complete our celebration of spring.

I also managed to get these finished while the kids were happy entertaining themselves. They are for my soon-to-be nephew (or niece, but Big Bird already has 8 girl cousins and 1 sister, so we're rooting for a boy!).


I have been enjoying working on small, quick gratification, sewing projects. Sewing a straight line is pretty much where my sewing skills end. Projects like these bibs and the chickens from a few posts ago are helping to teach me new skills, and boost my sewing ego:) If you have suggestions for quick, fairly straight forward sewing projects, send them my way!

Finger paint, plus a few drops of dish detergent, et.......voila! A project perfect for a glass sliding door, or low window within reach of little hands. The added soap makes for easy cleanup afterwards with a hose (even a few days later if you're like me and get, er.... easily sidetracked ;) The kids get completely engrossed in this project every time we do it. I love to watch them block out everything else, and focus just on their creations!