Layered paint project

I love seeing something on a design show, yep I love to watch HGTV, and then morphing it into something I can do with the boys.  A few weeks ago I was watching the High Low Project (I can't find the exact episode... sorry!), and Sabrina Soto took an expensive piece of art and recreated it herself.  Well I took the Sabrina Soto project and recreated it with the boys.

The first step of the project is to paint light colors onto your canvas, or in our case your paper.  We decided to use yellow, peach, white and blue.  I gave each of the boys a plate with these colors on it so they could mix and mash as much as they want.  The middle picture is Blake's painting and the last one is mine.

 


Next you need to let that dry.  I decided to give it a day, actually two since the next day we were busy.

The next step you need to paint over the whole painting with a dark color the will cover the color you already painted.  Therefore the lighter you do your first layer the lighter you can do your second.  We decided to do either black or mix in a bit of white and do charcoal.

Right after you cover the whole thing you need to start removing the paint.  I had paint scrapers for the boys to use.  Sabrina Soto used a knotched trowel.  You could use anything that would take the paint right off the paper: cut knotched into heavy cardboard, use silverware handles, use your imagination.

The boys had a blast doing this project.  It turned out to be more of a process project than a product project, but that didn't stop me from framing their work.  

End of the year gift

Before I became a Mommy of two, I was a kindergarten teacher.  One thing I always hated to get was "teacher gifts".  Ok hate is a strong word, but how many mugs, teacher oraments, "worlds greatest teacher" stuff do you really think a teacher can use... nevermind wants?

Now that my boys are in school, I try to do something different for the teacher that they can either use in the classroom or just use.

At meet the teacher they each brought their teacher(s) a small tote with chocolates and fun teacher things (stickers, book marks, pencils)

For teacher apprecation they each did a movie theme for their teacher(s)

Blake's had 2 boxes of popcorn, 3 kinds of movie candy and a gift card to the local movie theater.

Colby gave each of his teachers a gift card to the movies and a package of popcorn.

For the last day of school:

Colby brought ice tea jugs with two packages of single serve ice tea mixes in side

Blake gave his teacher an ice cream basket:  hot fudge, cherries, sprinkles, an ice cream scoop, popsicle makers and a gift card to the local "FroYo" shop all in a big plastic bowl.

Here is a link to the post I did this last year when Blake was in preK "End of the Year Gift"

Next time you have to get your child's teacher something... think about what you would want to get.  Gift cards, cash and fun things for the classroom and home.  And skip the "World's greatest teacher" unless it is on a card written by your child.