On Your Mark! Game

Ever since I've considered teaching a drawing class at co-op, I've had an affinity for drawing games.  I stumbled across one at Hallmark with good reviews and decided to buy it.  You wouldn't normally think of Hallmark as being a game store, but this one is actually pretty good!  I enjoyed it most with two or three players, but it can handle up to eight.

There are categories for drawings such as "things", "activities", and "famous characters".  Everyone has to guess the title of the other players' artworks.  Here's one by Kylen.

An added challenge is that players are required to draw on a surface that already has markings.  The markings must be incorporated into the drawing.  It can require a lot of creativity, which is a big part of what makes the game fun.  We all enjoyed seeing how the other players worked their markings in.  Greg and Kylen are very creative and artistic, even though Kylen doesn't usually express himself through drawing.

We ended up taking numerous pictures, because we were often impressed with each other's work.  Here is one by Greg.  He had to incorporate the moon shape.

I did this one.  It had the black circles where the table and chairs are drawn.

I highly recommend this game, especially for people who like to draw or are creative.

The Best Teacher Gift Ever

If art appreciation is to be my last class, it was a good one to end on!  I had 20 students, making it one of the more popular classes, and I didn't lose a single one until the last trimester when a student stopped attending that hour.  On the last day, they gave me the most perfect gift imaginable: a collection of handwritten scriptures with illustrations that can be displayed on my desk.  I had told them that I wish there was a desk calendar with quotes, scriptures, and artistic illustrations.  Someone was paying attention!  I will treasure this as one of the best gifts I have ever received.

Here are just a few pages:

Handmade Card

I received this handmade card from a drawing.  It's a simple design, but there is something about it that really appeals to me.  A happy feeling.  I should learn how to stamp, get one of those mini sewing machines, and try making some.

Homemade 3-D Valentine's Card

For several years I've been participating in Valentine card exchanges with Christian homeschool moms from an online forum.  It's a lot of fun sending and receiving cards for my favorite holiday.  Reminds me of the card exchanges we did in public school when I was a kid.  Anyway, I had to take a picture and post about one of the cards.  This gal makes her own, and I was very impressed!  It arrived flat for traveling through the mail, but it opened up to form a little box with hearts and mail popping out.  So adorable!

Art Journaling: Favorite Book

The co-op art journaling teacher asked the students to do an entry about their favorite book.  I'm not one to reread novels, but I am a passionate children's book collector.  So I decided to do mine about my favorite children's book: Beautiful Oops!.  Everything is inspired by illustrations in the book.  This was a fun, albeit time-consuming spread.  I used acrylic paint, marker, pen, pencil, masking tape, scotch tape, duct tape, notebook paper, printer paper, construction paper, and watercolor paper.

Here are pictures of the book.

Art Journaling

Most of my artistic pursuits over the past decade have served to meet needs, and I have enjoyed those creative outlets.  But they often come with restrictions that take joy from the process.  When preparing a craft for a co-op class, I need to consider the logistics of working in a classroom setting, the ages of the children, ease of obtaining supplies, etc..  So when I noticed a gal was offering an art journaling class for high school students this trimester, I jumped at the opportunity to learn new things and requested to be her aide.  What I didn't anticipate was how much I would enjoy tackling the assignments myself!  It has been SO long since I've done art purely for the fun of doing art, and it feels SO good!!!!!  It's like . . . going back to childhood!  (The downside is that I get very consumed.  I spent most of a Saturday on one entry.  Oof!)

We were asked to journal about our name and its meaning.  Almost as an aside, the teacher showed us a neat way of writing that appealed to me.  I decided to use that style to fill a two-page spread.  Here is the process:

*Use a ruler to divide the page into blocks of varying widths and heights.  I recommend using pencil first.
*Brainstorm words for your topic.  Mine was my name, so I used words describing myself: interests, character traits, etc.  When I came up short, Hubby and Sonshine helped and actually thought of some really obvious words I'd missed!
*Write words such that they fill the entire space, reaching all the way to all edges.  Longer words should be written in wide, narrow spaces and short words in tall spaces.  I did all writing in pencil and went over it again in marker.  (Forgot permanent marker bleeds through, and it bled through pretty bad.  Spoiled the next 2 or 3 pages on either side.  I'll just cover them with paper backgrounds, but it was still annoying.)
*If you are a perfectionist like me, you can use a ruler to measure the width of each space before writing a word in.  Divide it by the number of letters, and measure off tick marks in pencil to see how wide each letter should be. I used mostly millimeters for the sizes I was working with.
*Doodle in spaces around letters.  I did this directly in marker.
*If desired, color spaces around letters.

This is before the doodles were added to the smaller words.

Here is the finished spread after doodles and color were added.  I like the black and white of the lower part and decided not to color there.  For the top, I used crayon and a tissue to smooth it.

Co-op Christmas Party 2014

This was my third year of organizing our co-op's Christmas party.  I alternate "big party" years when I do crafts and prepare more elaborate games around a theme.  Two years ago was pretty time-consuming, but this year was even more so!  The theme was "A White Christmas."  I didn't get inspiration from Frozen, although all the promotion probably influenced me subconsciously!  Lol!

We had a performance by the handbell class, followed by the usual potluck, followed by crafts and games, which ran in parallel.  We also had giveaway drawings for several winter-themed items such as a snowman cookie jar, talking snowman, and Olaf popcorn tin.

CRAFTS
There were four craft options.  The first was paper snowflakes coupled with a snowflake making contest.  There was a box in the center of the table for entries. Unfortunately, most of the children didn't put their names on their snowflakes, and the helpers must have forgotten to remind them.  We did the judging later at home and had to toss most out for lack of identification. If I did that contest again, I would need to find ways to improve on this.  Maybe put a sign with red letters on the front of the container saying "Don't forget your name!"

The other crafts were a melted snowman ornament, mittens cards, and pet peppermint snails:

Clear Plastic Ornament, Epsom salt, Peppercorns, Orange Foam, Ribbon

Note Card, Paper, Hemp Cord, Mini Clothespins, Tissue Paper

Spice Drops, Peppermint Candies, Pull & Peel Twizzlers, Sprinkles, Orange Segments, Small Candy Canes, Small Bowls, Sugar, Large Gumdrops (not pictured)

Wish I could take the credit for coming up with these, but I got all the ideas from the net.  All three had lots of color options for individuality.  The snails were by far my favorite.  Saw the mushrooms and snails on Martha Stewart's site and expanded on the idea by adding the bowl for a "cage," sugar, sprinkles for food, and candy cane/large gumdrop for snails to "climb" on.  I love that no frosting or other adhesive was required.  You simply use a plastic knife to slice off a little of the spice drop, and the stuff will stick stronger than glue.  A toothpick was used to scrape away sugar where the sprinkle eyes and licorice stick (or Twizzler pull apart) antennae would go.  The antennae didn't fall off mine even after excessive handling.

GAMES
Some of these games were planned for specific grade ranges, but many would work for almost any age.  There was a prize bowl with little items found at Michaels, Target, and Hobby Lobby that included balloons, bouncy balls, small plastic puzzles, jumping frogs, and mini bulbs:

Winter Olympics
*Arrange students into groups.
*Announce a contest category such as “The Tallest.”
*Each group selects one person to represent their group. Chosen people come forward.
*Reveal action/measurement selected people will do to win such as “Whoever has the tallest thumb.”
*Chosen people compete.  Winning team gets point.
*Do several rounds.
*Each person from winning team gets item from prize bowl.

List of Contest Ideas

*The Tallest....Thumb *The Longest....Hair *The Fastest…Plastic Cup Stacker (10 cups per contestant)
*The Highest….Jumper *The Funniest…Face Expression *The Longest....Stare in Staring Contest
*The Fastest….Word Looker-Upper *The Nearest…Birthday to Christmas
*The Smallest....Shoe Size *The Fastest....Alphabet Song Singer
*The Farthest....Length to Throw Paper Airplane *The Largest….Bubble Blown
*The Fastest…Sum Adder (21+37+44=102) *The Strongest....Thumb in a Thumb War
*The Longest….Thrower and Catcher (Two People Needed) *The Best….Coin Spinner
*The Most…Colorfully Dressed *The Fastest....Crab Walker *The Greatest…In Age

Supplies

Dry erase board and marker, plastic cups, dictionaries, paper, bubble gum, plastic balls, coins, stopwatch

Act or Draw

*Player pulls out a slip of paper and must act or draw until someone guesses what it is.
*First to shout out correct answer goes next then picks item from prize bowl.

Supplies

Dry erase board and marker, 40 slips of paper with words in bag

Snowball Relay

*Divide into teams.
*First player on each team is given a Styrofoam ball (snowball) and pencil.
*Players place their ball on the floor in front of them.
*On your mark, they use pencil to push snowball across room, around obstacle, and back to next in line.
*First team to finish wins.  Winners get item from prize bowl.

Supplies

Styrofoam balls and pencils, cones

Snowball Toss
*Have students form 2 lines.
*On go, front students toss marshmallows through wreaths into buckets (wreath directly in front of bucket).
*Decide how many marshmallows they must get in to pick a prize from bowl.

Supplies

2 bags marshmallows, 2 wreaths, 2 buckets

Penguin Shuffle

*Players stand side by side with their "eggs" (beanbags) on top of their feet.
*On go, they shuffle to line without dropping their "eggs." First one to succeed wins and picks prize.
*If more kids than beanbags, divide into teams and have them line up.  Front players race, run back when reach line and hand beanbag to next player. Players winning team choose something from prize bowl.

Supplies

Beanbags

Snowflakes Keep Fallin’ Off My Head

*Divide players into equal teams.
*Determine starting and ending points, about 10 feet apart for each team.
*Give first players a paper snowflake.
*On go, they place snowflake on their head and clasp hands behind back.
*They walk to the turning point and back. If the snowflake falls, must start over.
*Winning team gets item from prize bowl.

Supplies

Paper snowflakes

Traditional Games with a Winter Twist

Snowman/Frosty Says instead of Simon Says
Ice Light (fast), Snow Light (slow) instead of Red Light, Green Light
Freeze Tag: works as is!
Frozen instead of Statue

Trivia Game
Our co-op leader expressed interest in doing something special for the teenagers, and I thought that was a great idea.  I did a trivia game years ago when a bunch of my extended family was together for Christmas and thought it would be fun for the teenagers.  You have to find out "unusual" information about everyone and form that into trivia questions.  I interviewed some of the kids/parents and also got information by sending an email out.  As an extra motivation, we sponsored a drawing at the end for a gift card to a location of their choice.  They pretty much just had to show up to be entered once and got a second entry for a correct answer to a trivia question.

Questions to Get 'Em Thinking
Any strange collections?  Maybe she collects dryer lint or price tags.
Does he have surprising dreams for the future?  He'd like to be President or invent a new soap?
Any odd food combinations?  Ice cream with ketchup and that sort of thing.
Has he experienced anything unusual such as visiting 20 countries or being abducted by aliens?
Does she have extraordinary abilities?  Maybe she can do handstands while bicycling.
Has he had some surprising forms of employment or volunteer work?
Funny nicknames?
Habits such as avoiding cracks in the floor?
An unusual interest or hobby?
An obsession of some sort?  Maybe a fascination with ants or likes to stare at the wall for hours?
Terrified of butterflies?  Has 20 pet tarantulas?  Once sneezed 50 times in a row?  Can blow a bubble larger than a microwave?  Nearly got ran over by a buffalo?  Can't stand it when people hum?  Typically goes to bed past 4 a.m.?

It took an hour to get through about 40 questions, one per student.  I had a second set prepared we didn't get to. As an extra diversion, I brought a squiggle pad and invited them to do drawings while we played. They could give me their drawing at the end for a chance to win a small prize.  We chose the winners at home and sent them ice cream gift cards through the mail.

CONCLUSION
This was a labor intensive party, but it was very well received.  There were minimum 50 signed up for each craft, and they took a week to prepare, not counting making demos and figuring out pricing. Most of the games were much easier, although the trivia game was pretty time-consuming. After the party, it took three days to unpack everything, which is like getting back from a two week trip!  I'm glad I did it, but I'm looking forward to an easier party next year!

Aluminum Casting of Ant Colony

Making a Glass Float

Ever since I visited the Museum of Glass in Seattle and saw how glass sculptures are created, I've wanted to experience it firsthand.  So I was very excited when I found out Lincoln City had lessons.  In a half hour, your instructor walks you through the process of creating your own piece of art to take home.  All three of us chose the glass float, and we all had different instructors.  Mine was a colorful character with dreadlocks.  I found out he likes to play pool and make his own beer.  We couldn't be more different!  But I could tell he really knew his craft.  He was an excellent teacher and helped me turn out a beautiful float I'm proud to display in our home.

First, Gloves

Preparing the Stick

Getting the Color On.  Thanks to Holly for taking pictures of the steps for me!

Andrew (Instructor) and Me

Cooling the Rod In Water

Into the Fiery Furnace

Stretching the Blob Out

I didn't get pictures after this point, but the instructor had me blow air into a tube that forced it inside the glass, expanding it into a sphere.  The sphere was then broken off with a tap and stamped on the bottom with "Oregon Coast 2014."  We had to leave them overnight to bake.

Holly picked them up next morning.  Mine's the blue.  Cool keepsake, huh?

A couple pics I got from inside the work area.  I'm thinking they made the handles on these lights.

Someone had fun experimenting on an old classroom desk!



Pics from inside their gift shop.  I purchased one of those metal stands for displaying my float at home.

Bowl of Pretty Glass Stones

Painting with Glass

Left-Handedness

I read an article on yahoo this week about lefties, and it reminded me all over again of how interesting I find the subject.  It was so uppermost on my mind, I decided to talk about it in our co-op's newsletter introduction.  We homeschoolers are always up for trivia, right?  :-)  Thought I'd share it here on my blog as well, especially since I haven't been around much lately!
 
I have a very important topic to discuss today.  I would like to acquaint everyone with left-handedness.  You see, I've been left-handed my whole life.  My WHOLE life!  My mom told me that when I was learning to eat, she'd catch me holding the utensil in my left hand.  She'd come over, gently transfer it to my right, and before she knew it that stubborn spoon had made it's way back to the left again.  Eventually she had to accept that we had a southpaw in the family!

A few years back I came upon a fascinating article with statistics and theories on lefties.  I was surprised to find how accurately the data described me!  Here's some trivia I hope you find interesting (with colorful commentary added where applicable).

Power tools, can openers, hole punchers, children's desks, and staircases are among the items designed for a right-handed person.  My dad always said he knew when I'd gotten bread - the twisty was wound backwards.

They still aren't sure what causes left-handedness, and there are many theories.  One is that a specific gene called LRRTM1, passed from the father, tends to increase the chances.  I like this one better than the theory that the child suffered brain damage in the womb!

Being left-handed can be advantageous in fights, where a mean left hook can come as a surprise to the opponent.  This advantage only works because lefties are a minority.  The left-handed advantage shows up in many sports, some studies suggesting that up to 45 percent of expert fencers and tennis champions are left-handed.  Yep, that's me alright.  No one can resist my left hook.  Actually, I didn't seem to have any advantage in the full-fledged cat fight back in kindergarten.  The other girl seemed to give it back as hard as I could dish it out.  Maybe she was a leftie too.  (In case you're wondering, that's the only fight I ever got into.  Once was enough!)

Only about 1 percent of the population is truly ambidextrous.  So few?  Really?

We don't know if Leonardo was left-handed, but he certainly may have been.  He wrote backwards from right to left.  His contemporaries said they saw him write and paint left-handed, but people were highly superstitious in his society and forced lefties to use their right hands in childhood.  I learned to write in the odd manner you sometimes see lefties using, with my hand twisted around awkwardly, resting on the paper and smudging everything as it goes.  It made my hobby of drawing more difficult.  Many pictures were ruined by the smudging effect until I started placing a sheet of paper under my hand.  It was incredibly inconvenient though, so I didn't make the effort often.

10 % of the world's population is left-handed, ranging between 5 and 20 percent depending on the location.  Location matters?!

Lefties tend to excel at visual and spatial tasks such as architecture and graphic design.  They are more likely to be chess masters but less likely to be scientists and mathematicians.  This is definitely me, except for the chess part.  My talent has always been in the arts.  I did well in science and math, but  those subjects sure didn't come easy!

Identical twins often have different dominant hands.  Interesting!

Lefties have higher rates of dyslexia, schizophrenia, and immune problems, such as allergies and auto-immune diseases.  Yes, I had asthma, hay fever, allergies to cats, dogs, horses, hay, cantaloupe.  After I became an adult most of those improved.  I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease around 10 years ago.

Animals such as dogs and cats tend to have "pawedness," but the distribution is about half and half.  However, chimps and gorillas tend to favor their right hand when fishing for termites, while orangutans favor their left.

Males are more likely to be lefties than females.  Must be due to that right hook advantage.

Lefties are more likely to be geniuses.  Four of the last seven presidents have been lefties, as well as Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Isaac Newton.  Sure, I'll take it!

Medieval castles usually had staircases built in a way so that defenders at the top could have their sword free to swing at opponents while invaders would have their swing impeded by the wall.  Legend says the warrior Clan Kerr trained his men to use their weapons in their left hand and had staircases that allowed their left-hand to wield a sword at invaders.

When asked to visualize space, right-handers tend to be more sensitive to their right-side and perceive a small left arm and larger, longer, stronger right arm.  Lefties don't have this bias, which may come from a lifetime of navigating in a right-handed world.  Yep, that's me.  Extraordinary ability to visualize accurately.  ;-)

Have those of you who are left-handed or have left-handed children noticed any of these tendencies firsthand?  I'd love to hear about it!  But what it all comes down to is that we came into the world with varying talents, blessings, and challenges so we can minister in different capacities.  Uniqueness in ourselves and our children will mean there are things we'll never be good at, but it also means we'll excel in other areas.  We just have to work on our weaknesses and use our strengths for God's glory, all the while thanking Him for both!

Leftie and Lovin' It,

Farrah

Art Drawing Activity and Game

One day in art class we did a drawing activity called See If You Can Draw and played a game I made up using a Squiggle Art pad.  It was fun to see what the kids came up with!

See If You Can Draw
I got the idea here.  Give each student a full sheet of paper and a pencil.  Pick ten objects and say them one at a time.  You can even have them rhyme and/or have everyone take turns saying what everyone is to draw.  Start with the teacher.  Have a timer for each item.  Warn them that they will need to fit all objects on the paper.

See if you can draw something blue.
See if you can draw an old shoe.
See if you can draw your best friend.
See if you can draw a road with no end.
See if you can draw something you can't reach.
See if you can draw a day at the beach.
See if you can draw a frog on a log.
See if you can draw a puppy dog.
See if you can draw a window with a view.
Now, see if you can draw a picture of you!

Squiggle Art Game
Give each student a pencil and sheet of paper removed from a Squiggle Art pad.  (Each sheet will have a line or "squiggle" that doesn't look like anything yet.)  Give them 30 seconds to make a drawing from the squiggle.  Whoever wins gets to spin to see which direction is up for the next round.  My assistant and I took turns standing off to the side so we could choose the winners without knowing who drew them.

Beach in a Bottle

I thought this craft had a lot of potential but didn't like the "cheap" feeling of the plastic bottle, especially with older students in the class.  I wanted something more classy and decided to try using a glass bottle with a cork.  It worked well, although a couple boys pushed the cork in too far.  Thankfully, I had a few extras.  I found the bottles at Michaels.

The first step is to remove the cork!  Using a funnel, pour 1 tbsp of course sand into the glass bottle.  Students were allowed to choose white or black.  Most picked white sand, and there are other colors available at craft stores.  Be sure to use course sand!!!  Fine will mix with the oil and produce an ugly, goopy mess that will have to be thrown out.

Students had the option of adding a small glass white or blue marble and 7 small shells.  Mix 2 drops green and blue food coloring into 2 cups of water to get turquoise.  You could mix other colors such as blue or red.  Tinted water will lighten in the bottle, so go darker than you want.  Fill the bottle half to 2/3s full using the funnel, put on the cork, and swish around.  Carefully dump water out, so most of the sand stays inside.  Pour in fresh tinted water, and repeat.  It will "clean" the sand, getting rid of some of the smaller particles that make the water cloudy.  I figured this out during class when a student noticed my example was clearer than hers.  While experimenting at home, I had emptied my water out several times to try different tints and inadvertently cleaned my sand in the process.

Next, students could add a pinch of glitter.  I had silver, gold, and red to choose from.  Fill bottle almost to the top with mineral oil, again using the funnel.  Rub tacky glue around inside top of the glass lip, just a few millimeters deep.  Press the cork in securely, and wait for glue to dry.  Turn the bottle on its side, and gently rock to create a "wave." 

The glue a little further down the cork may never dry completely and may mix with the water, but I don't think it's a problem.  The cork does a good job keeping the contents inside.  It's more of a precautionary step and probably wouldn't be needed if the students handle the bottle carefully.  Speaking of which, I can't even fathom what a big chore it would be to clean up should one of these break.  The combination of oil, dyed water, and sand isn't good for a carpet!  I emphasized to both students and parents that this isn't a toy.  It should be treated more as a breakable decoration.

Some students opted not to use the oil and instead filled the bottle all the way with tinted water.  This eliminates the "rolling waves" look but still looks pretty.  Another variation is to skip both oil and water and just use sand with the shells on top.  A small piece of paper rolled and tied with a piece of twine would make a fine addition: message in a bottle.  For that version, the shells will stay on top better if fine sand is used.

Tip: test experimental items in the water before adding the oil to make sure you like how they look.  One of my shells floated on the water instead of sinking, which was annoying.  Once the oil is added, you don't want to pour anything out or things get very messy.

Fabric Paint Decals

This was one of my favorite crafts from the art class. I found it in a book called FamilyFun Boredom Busters by Deanna F. Cook. One girl liked it so much, she made it part of her birthday party!

You need dimensional fabric paint in a variety of colors. "Scribbles" brand seemed to work better than "Puffy." I purchased a 20-pack of 1 ounce bottles and had a ton leftover. Depending on how large you make the decals, you can fit several on one plate. They were meant to be miniature, but Kylen made a large one that worked great. (It's still on his bathroom mirror after nine months!)

Tape a piece of wax paper to a flat surface (I used paper plates for easy transportation), and gently squeeze paint onto the paper. The book recommended using a toothpick for shaping, but I found it best to move the bottle around while squeezing to make the exact shape more directly. The toothpick tends to cause thin areas, especially along the edges, which makes it harder to peel off without breakage or warping. A simple, cute design to warm up with is an apple tree. Start with a brown trunk. Add the green top above and grass at bottom, making sure it's touching the trunk. Then add small dots of red for apples. Allow to dry over night. Permanent markers can be used to add very fine details. such as the pupils of eyes.

Warning: these are addictive! Greg teased me for repeatedly going back and making more after I was "done!"

Art Icebreaker: Pass Around

On the first day of art class we played an icebreaker game that was well received. I saw the idea at KinderArt: #9 on this page.

Each student is given a piece of paper with his name on the back and a pencil. They have 10 seconds to make one type of line (wavy, zigzag, curved). When the time is up, yell, "Pass!" Students pass their paper to the left, and they again put one line of some type on the new piece in front of them. This keeps going until pages are covered fairly well. Say, "Stop!" and each student has to retrieve his own paper. He then finds the most interesting section and crops it down to fit the frame. The design is colored in (we used marker for more vivid colors); and they have an instant, nonobjective, modern piece of artwork.

I found 6x4 frames at Wal-mart for $1.50 each. Most of the students chose blue, green, or black. Pink, orange, and purple were not popular (despite there being girls in the class!). To make cropping easier, we removed the clear plastic protectors from inside the frames. Their transparency allowed the students to move them around to decide more easily on the best area to keep. They could then trace a line around them, color the area inside the line, and cut that out for the frame.

Nonobjective, abstract, or nonrepresentational art is artwork that doesn't look like anything you would recognize. Usually, the work is all about colors, shapes, brushstrokes, size, scale, and, in some cases, the process of creating it!