Kid Art Part 2

More art from around our house, made by my two favorite artists:

Handprints traced and colored in oil pastel

The girls used a box from our last IKEA trip to create a big triptych.  Each took a side and then they collaborated on the middle section.

I pulled out the watercolor paper and oil pastels and the girls immediately decided that they would make self portraits.  So, I was surprised to see these when they were finished.  When I asked, Willow said that her she had drawn a portrait of herself as a potato (on the right).  Julia had drawn a portrait of herself as a monster (on the left).  Love it!

Sweet drawings on the refrigerator.

I began this large painting and then realized that the kind of primitive style looked a lot like the way the girls draw now, so I invited them to add their special touches.  Julia Indigo added the drawing of the person on the center left and Willow added the bird flying in the sky.

You can see another person and bird in this detail.  Love making art with my girls!

Elm Bank

The weirdly awesome winter continues!  Yesterday, I took the girls to a favorite spot-- Elm Bank Reservation.  We went for a nice hike and dreamed about the trails we'd explore this Spring and Summer.

Indigo hanging out in the nests in the natural children's playground.

Checking out one of the many petrified stumps ringing the children's playground.

Peeking in to one of the buckets collecting sap to be made in to maple syrup.

Willow enjoying a quiet moment along the Charles River.

Willow spotted this tree and thought it looked like a face in profile.  I think she is right!

The girls were dramatically exhausted at the end of our hike.

This is February???

Not only is this a holiday weekend, but it is also the start of the dreaded (for me) February school vacation.  I wouldn't mind so much, but we just finished winter vacation and have spring break in only a couple of months.  Plus, it is usually too cold at this time of year for us to have any outdoor fun over the break.  Luckily, that is not the case this year.  We have no snow on the ground and temperatures have been consistently above normal.  So, today we headed to Marblehead, a pretty town on the North Coast of Massachusetts.  There, we played on the beach, oohed and ahhhed over the mansions lining the coast, and went for a little hike in Marblehead Neck, a Mass. Audubon wildlife sanctuary.  What a great way to spend a sunny Sunday!

It was a little chilly at first.  It felt a little like a visit to the Oregon coast!  Luckily, the sunshine warmed the day nicely.

Chandler-Hovey Park was pretty but the lighthouse looked more like an oil derrick than the pretty New England lighthouses we are used to seeing.

The view East of the very tip of Marblehead Neck.  Not a cloud in the sky!

Happy Valentine's Day

Julia's valentine for her classmates at her little preschool.  This idea wasn't my idea-- it is all over the blog world.  I think it turned out cute, though.

On the back of each valentine, we attached a little note with a heart and signature hand drawn by miss Julia Indigo, herself. 

One of Willow's valentines.  She really wanted to hand draw a unique one for each classmate and teacher.  She was so sweet, creating the perfect picture for each of her friends based on what she knows their interests to be. 

I hope the kids like their home made cards.  She worked so hard on them!