This summer, try telling mixed-up fairy tales!  Recommended for road trips, plane trips, camping trips, bedtime and waiting rooms.

From three different fairy tales, pick a character, a setting and a plot.  Put it all together in your own unique way and voila — you have a mixed-up fairy tale.  You are now a storyteller. 

For example:

- Goldilocks

- in a candy house

- big bad wolf wants to blow her house down

Hmmm . . . what will happen?

Here’s a printable list of fairy tale characters, settings and plots you can cut up and mix up.  I’ve done this with my writing classes and it’s lots of fun.  The more you practice telling stories, the better the stories get.  It’s fun to write the best stories down and illustrate them!

Fairy Tale Characters,  Settings and Plots:
Mix and Stir for a Good Story!

Artist Date guest post by Mary-Frances Main, writer, crafter, blogger and mama.

We’re enjoying a warm summer but spending a lot of it inside in the air conditioning. If you think about it, it’s a lot like being snowed in – but lazier! Of course there are the rainy days, too where you must find something NEW to do around the house. So, why not get out the crafting supplies and do something fun with your kids? (aka. artist’s dates with your kids?)

Here are some of my favorite “go-to” ideas that I return to again and again.

Homemade play dough

I love this because it’s a budget helper AND the world’s most fun thing.  The dough is non-toxic (although it tastes disgusting) and you can use any brand unsweetened drink mix.

Yes, you can buy the little tins of play dough at the store, but I’ve had this Kool-Aid recipe for years and it smells fantastic and costs pennies to make:

Ingredients:

• 1 c flour, sifted
• 1/2 c salt
• 3 T cooking oil
• 1 pkg Koolaid (unsweet)
• 1 c boiling water

1. Mix together flour, salt, and Kool-aid (picking the kool aid is half the fun – smell and color!) in a medium size saucepan.
2. Then add the oil and stir until the ingredients are well mixed.
3. Turn on the heat.
4. Add the cup water.
5. Stir with a metal spoon until the dough starts to pull away from the side of the pan.
6. Pull out of pan
7. Knead the mixture until it forms a soft dough.
8. Have fun!
9. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Stitch a simple pencil case (5 years plus):

This requires a few supplies, but if you have tons of fabric around (yes, I do),  some pinking shears and optional quilt batting, it’s simple and fun. It’s really simple and fun to pick out fabrics. Draw out 2 long triangles of fabric, making the short length (the width) about the length of a pencil, plus an inch (for the seam).  Then stitch a “quilt sandwich” – this isn’t hard, just two pieces of fabric with a piece of batting in the center (cut the batting a bit smaller than the fabric if you don’t want it to show out the sides.

Fold one third up into a pocket and the other third down into a little flap (see picture).

You can put Velcro, a button or a snap or whatever you want to close it shut.

Have your little one do the stitching all around and they will feel a HUGE accomplishment! My daughter still uses hers!

Paper/Felt Dolls.

This is a new one for us, but I recently found these dolls that I grew up with.

The idea is so simple and so creative, I can see a little fashion designer getting very “into” decorating the clothes etc.

Hint: The Goodwill or ARC carries bags of little trims (lace, etc) so you don’t have to spend any money on the extras for these dolls. And felt is really inexpensive at your local fabric or craft store.

I’ve attached a .pdf to trace, but have some fun with the faces and clothes. My doll (from the 1970’s I might add) is backed with a cereal box – so again, recycle, recycle! Trace, the doll out on the cereal box, if your kiddo is old enough have them cut out the felt pieces and help you glue to make the doll.

The second .pdf is the clothes. I’m hoping the picture will get your creativity started, but again, use any buttons, felt, lace or ric rac you have around the house to make your clothes as cute as you want!

If  you come up with something adorable, I’d love to see the results!

Have fun and enjoy the hot or rainy days as much as the gorgeous summer days and of course, have fun creating!

Bio: In 1999, my husband crossed the ocean from Australia to meet me for the first time after corresponding for 14 years. We were married after 10 days – his visit was supposed to be 2 weeks. Ten years later, we have two wonderful kids….Missy C and Matey Moo, both in Elementary school and our pride and joy! I adore my kids and would rather spend time with them than anything else.

We love our 1950’s ranch, which exists – out of sheer dumb luck – in a really cool neighborhood in Denver – we blog about it at Midcenturystyle.net. My husband now works with me at my company Widget Inc . . . and so we work out of our cool house doing web design and programming!

Seven years ago, I found my grandmother’s worn crazy quilt and started researching “fixing” it. This started my long exploration of embroidery, quilting, crazy quilting and all things fiber arts – as well as my blog, I Am Not a Handbag. For more information, please visit IAmNotaHandbag.com

Melissa’s Note: I’m so in awe of Mary-Frances’ crafty ability! As most of you know by now, I’m a word crafter NOT a materials crafter.  But, oh, I do wish and hope that some day the craft fairy will bless me like Mary-Frances.  I promise I will try the dolls because I’ll try anything and of course, the play-dough can’t go too wrong if I just follow the directions.  Right?  (M.-F., please come over and hold my hand!?)

THANK you so much, Mary-Frances!  I excited to try these ideas!!

Artist Date guest post by mom and author of Spilling Ink and other books, Anne Mazer.

Years before I read Julia Cameron, I was doing artist dates with my kids. It was called “writing with mom” and for years, it was a nightly ritual. Like many good things, it happened by accident, almost unconsciously, and without any intimation of how important it would become in our family life.

It began with my six-year-old son watching me at the computer. I don’t remember what inspired me to say, “Want to write a story? You tell it to me and I’ll type it up for you.” But my son immediately began to dictate a story that borrowed heavily from his favorite television show. I was astonished by his ability to play with and embellish a structure, to juggle ideas in his head. And he came back the next day to dictate more, picking up seamlessly where he had left off.  Short pieces turned into story cycles, starring his classmates. His little sister also dictated some very memorable poems and short stories. Sometimes we wrote with their friends.  Eventually, years later, one of my son’s best friends became his writing partner, allowing me to “retire” from my role as typist.

Here are the basics that made this work for all of us:

1. Respect their authorship.

Your kids have the right to explore their ideas in any way they see fit. Unless they asked (which they usually didn’t), I didn’t suggest endings or approaches, or try to direct their imagination. They were in charge of their own stories.

2. Feed their imaginations.

We read lots of books together. I was fascinated to see how my son incorporated ideas from them. For example, we all loved Sid Fleischman’s McBroom books, which inspired him to begin a whole story cycle of tall tales.

3. Celebrate their stories.

I always printed out their stories, so they could see them typed up like real books and illustrate them, if they wished.

We also shared the stories – giving copies to friends and relatives, reading them out loud, and bringing them to school.

And here are a few more ideas to get started…

1. Try an “I Dare You” from Spilling Ink: A Handbook for Young Writers, or check out one of the free downloads at www.spillinginkthebook.com
2. Make it special! For my kids, “special” was writing on a computer like Mom. But “special” could also mean a designated writing notebook, or a favorite pen or a cozy writing chair.
3. And make it fun. Your kids might like to pretend to write in blood (red ink) on a scroll of parchment, or on charcoal on a large piece of drawing paper. Or in colored chalk on a sidewalk. Or write on napkins. Or on a large white t-shirt.
4. If your child gets stuck in the middle of a story, ask questions. Recap what they’ve already written and ask them what happens next. Be curious about the world they’ve created.

Bio: Anne Mazer is the author of 44 books, including The Salamander Room, The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes (series) and the Sister Magic series. She co-authored Spilling Ink with her friend Ellen Potter. Her kids are adults now and they’re both fabulous writers.

Melissa’s Note: Wow!  Thanks, Anne! I’m going to try the t-shirt writing this week — my girls might not like the blood one but I bet I have some students who would!  Thanks for mentioning letting kids be totally in charge of the story, even if it’s from a t.v. show or needs some work. MANY times I need to remember that. Sigh.

Spilling Ink, Anne’s book with co-author Ellen Potter, is an amazing resource for all ages and levels of writers.  Read my review and enter to WIN SPILLING INK!

Guest post by Melanie Sklarz of A Dose of Creativity.

Part II:  Encourage Your Child’s Creativity

As I mentioned in my last post (Part I), creativity allows children to develop skills for life. So how can you encourage creativity in your child?

First of all, you don’t even have to consider yourself creative. Raising a creative kid is more about the attitude you have toward your child than your actual skills as an artist or innovator. Some of the attitudes that parents can focus on include, respecting the freedom to think and question, valuing creativity, appreciating creative achievements, and encouraging independent ideas.

So, if we were to sum up these, it would seem that the most important role as a parent to supporting your child’s creativity would be to encourage curiosity and openness.

Here are some examples of specific creative activities divided by discipline that work well with children of all ages. I encourage you to make it an entire family event.

Art

Create an art studio in your home: It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. It could just be a box of crayons, pencils, markers, and paper. You could keep it in their room or a spare corner. Encourage them to spend some time each day just creating for the fun of it.

Go on a color/texture/pattern scavenger hunt: This could be done at home, while shopping, or outside. Ask kids to find and identify different types of each of these. It helps kids to become more observant.

Collect the work they create: You can hang it on your refrigerator to create a mini-gallery. Encourage them to look over previous works to see how far they’ve come creatively. Plus, looking back at prior works gives them inspiration for future art.

Music

Play instruments: Recycle household materials to make instruments. For instance, plastic tubs can be cleaned out, turned over, and used as drums. Or try filling empty plastic jugs with dried beans.

Sing together: Find music you can sing along to. Or create your own silly songs by having kids choose rhyming words.

Theater

Make a stage in your home: This can be as simple as hanging a curtain or a blanket over some chairs. Encourage kids to act out stories from their favorite books or tv shows.

Put on a puppet show: Using the already created stage, decorate old socks by adding a face with markers.

Dance

Designate a dance studio: Use a small space to allow kids to express themselves through movement. Provide them with scarves and music to encourage their creativity.

Discover new movements: Have kids make shapes or animals with their bodies.

Move to music: Encourage kids to run, skip, or walk to music. This allows them to increase their listening skills and physical creativity.

Other

Play the “what if” game: Ask children fun questions to stimulate their creativity, like ‘what if our clothes were edible?’ See what creative answers they come up with.

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Melanie Sklarz leads innovative programs for museums as a teacher and curator, most recently in Washington, DC. Also an informative speaker, she has facilitated workshops for creative women entrepreneurs and led a parent workshop on raising creative kids.

Melanie is also a mixed media artist specializing in collage. Her artwork has been exhibited at the FAVA Gallery in Oberlin, Ohio, the Dialogue Gallery in Buffalo and The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, Virginia.

Finally, as a blogger, she has been a panelist on a women bloggers discussion and her blog has been added to Creativity-Portal.com’s creative journey blogs.

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Melissa’s Note: Aren’t you so glad I convinced Melanie to guest blog?  She’s so encouraging for us as parents who seek to develop young creative spirits, isn’t she!?  Thanks so much, Melanie for your creative inspiration!

Guest post by artist, educator and blogger, Melanie Sklarz.

Part I: 3 Reasons for Creativity

Did you know that as humans we have the unique ability to make connections between different ideas and things, understand symbols and metaphors, and use our imagination? By tapping into our personal creativity and imagination we help our brain and positively affect our heart and spirit.

So why should you encourage creative expression in your child? Here are my top 3 reasons.

Reduces Stress

Creating art or engaging in some other form of creativity, even if done poorly, reduces stress. At the core of the creative act is flow, an automatic and effortless yet highly focused state known to reduce stress and tension. This state includes a complete awareness and lack of self-consciousness. If you’ve ever lost yourself engaging in a creative pursuit then you’ve experienced flow.

Let me give you a specific example of how this works. In 2003, a study followed 16 singers. Half of them were professional singers with a natural talent. The other half were amateurs with just an interest in signing. Both groups were given singing lessons and both groups reported that they were more relaxed afterward because of the lessons, even though half of them had never sung before!

Boosts Self-Esteem

When you take a chance and learn something new and then look back at your creative progress, your self-esteem naturally increases.  This also gives you the confidence to look for new solutions in all aspects of your life. Basically, it gives you a sense of self-pride.

According to Sandra Russ, a professor who specializes in early-childhood play at Case Western Reserve University, “Self-expression feels good and it’s reinforcing.” She added, “When kids play creatively and make up things they are expressing who they are and learning social skills.” Creative activities help children to communicate and express themselves in new ways to build self discipline which leads to an overall improved self-image.

Increases Success

Creativity helps children understand and appreciate other cultures, people, and the past and increases tolerance to new ideas and thoughts. When kids study the arts, for instance, they learn about difference in a non-threatening, often enjoyable way. Studying art or engaging in another creative pursuit encourages critical thinking and problem solving. These learned skills can be used to create everyday solutions to common problems. When combined they are an asset to the new global economy. Because technology connects us to all parts of the world now, these skills will be needed in the future in order to succeed.

In 2002, the National Governor’s Association issued a brief indicating that arts education and the skills gained from engaging in creative pursuits offers states a good way to build their workforce. Today, now more than ever we must use imagination and creative thinking to succeed.

Read Part II: 3 Ways to Encourage Creativity in Kids.

Melissa’s Note: Wow!  Melanie, I’m thrilled to know how important creativity is for our lives.  You’ve inspiring us all with this post — I can’t wait to read Part II!

Artist Date Guest Post from Debi Huang of Go Explore Nature.

I love to seek creative inspiration from nature. Now that I have kids, I encourage them to do the same. Nature provides an endless and ever-changing landscape with an array of free tools and resources right at your fingertips. What better place to enjoy an artist’s date with your kids this summer than in nature?

Create Your Own Rock Art

This date starts with a stroll around your neighborhood, beach, local park, backyard or other favorite nature spot. Your goal? To gather up as many rocks as possible!

Little hands and eyes come in handy while hunting. Encourage your kiddos to look for all sorts of rocks – big rocks, small rocks, wet rocks, dirty rocks and more. A bucket is the perfect place to store them while you walk. (See picture above.)

Once you’ve collected your rocks (and any other bits of nature you might have found along the way like sticks, seeds or flower petals), you’re ready to start creating your own rock art.

Find yourself a nice quiet spot outside and pick your canvass. My 5-½-year-old and I plopped down on the grass in our backyard and made some creations on the pavement and others on the grass. A sandy surface would be fun for this project, too!

With nature as your guide, it’s easy to dream up things like this tree my son made – complete with his favorite sea creatures hanging in the branches.

My favorite part of our artist’s date was working on creations together. First, we made mom’s favorite – a flower. I formed the basic shape while my son grabbed some petals to add to the center. Voila!

Then my son found his own inspiration – a leaf. Together we created one just like it with rocks and a stick for the stem. My son was sure to add in all the details, including leaf veins, just like on the real one! Here’s the result.

More Ideas for Fun With Rocks

There are plenty of other simple ways to have some creative fun with rocks. Here’s a little inspiration:

• Make rock rubbings, then transform them into works of art
• Turn rocks into favorite bugs, animals or even garden markers with the help of a little acrylic paint
• Design your own rock garden
• Create rock sculptures

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy your time together outside!

Debi Huang is a Los Angeles-based wife, mom and adventure guide for two young boys. Her blog at Go Explore Nature is all about getting kids and families outdoors and connected to nature. You can follow her on Twitter @goexplorenature and on Facebook.

Melissa’s Note:  Thanks, Debi, for your creative ideas!  Readers, Debi’s blog Go Explore Nature is amazing, I hope you visit and enjoy it as much as me!

Guest post by Maya Bisineer, author, mom and founder of Memetales.

I do not recall making up stories until I had my kids. And then, all of a sudden I started making up stories – out of thin air. Well, not really thin air. I think the imagination spark that kids create and  the inspiration they provide really makes us all wildly creative.

In our family, we all make up stories. We have a story about a doggie we had – Charlie. My husband tells the story about how Charlie always comes down from the stars to scare Sher Khan, the tiger, when the tiger scares the girls.

We have a story about an elephant that runs away from the zoo and has fun with the kids in a village (that feed him too many bananas!)

And every single day, while we brush our hair, we talk about the “microscopy monsters” that are hiding in the kids’ hair, nails and teeth. If the kids forget to brush for a day, the microscopy monsters start to party around, eat too much and create a mess. And over time they get stronger. “Microscopy Monsters be Gone” we say, as we brush our hair and teeth.

The kids make up their own stories too – they fly all over the world to visit family and friends. Now a days, they are often the heroes of the stories they make up!

Do you have a story/stories you made up and tell your kids all the time? Have your kids made up some stories too? What are the best ones they have made up?

Giveaway with Two Winners:

WINNERS! 1.  Kelly wins the Amazon gift card 2. Jillian wins the Memetales published story!

Comment below and tell us your special story.  1.  One person will be chosen at random to win a $20 Amazon gift card, along with free online access to 3 books of your choice on Memetales.com.  2.  Another person will also be picked at random for their story to be illustrated and published on memetales.com. *Please add in your comment if you are interested in having your book illustrated and published.  (For now, the book will be published online. Very soon, you will be able to order print and get the iphone app too!) Contest ends June 30, 2010.

ABOUT MEMETALES.COM
Memetales is like a curated YouTube for children’s stories. At Memetales, you can read children’s books and find a number of activities and crafts to go with the books. Maya, the founder of Memetales is a mom and writer herself. Maya’s vision is to create a platform where quality children’s books can be easily published and shared with children’s book lovers. Memetales is a rich platform to publish and experience children’s stories. Memetales is supported by a growing community of creative bloggers and educators who contribute crafts and activities to create a rich, fun and  learning environment around the stories. As of today, you can read almost 30 stories on the site with new books added every month. The registration is free and all registered users get to read every book for free up to 8 times.

Maya, along with local authors and illustrators will also be offering workshops for children in the Seattle area. The goal of these workshops is to extend stories into real life learning for children. The upcoming summer workshops focus are   introducing far off countries and cultures as well as emotions to children. ( “Global Summer” and ” How I Feel” ) The team is working on their iphone/ipad and mobile apps as well – set to come out later this year.

ABOUT Maya Bisineer:
Maya is a mom who took a little break from her long corporate career to write children’s stories. As she wrote, she felt she wanted to support other moms and authors who wanted to do the same and hence started Memetales. You can read more about her here and follow her on Twitter.

I’ve read about dream boards and never gotten around to making one.  Basically, the idea is to find things that you’d like to see in your life, your future dreams.  But, it is also a cool, creative artist’s date you can have with your kids — although theirs will be less intentional and more whimsical which is wonderful, too!  Plus, making a dream board lets you have fun with scissors, glue, images and words.  Who doesn’t like that, big or little!?

*For young kids, this is a great activity to practice cutting and well, don’t we all love gluing?!

How to make a dream board:

• Supplies: various magazines, glue stick, scissors, poster board (NOT regular glue — too messy.  And, try to get a variety of magazines from different genres.)

• Cut or tear out the pictures and words that strike you — for any reason.

• Then, decide which picture and words you want on your dream board, arrange and glue. Consider how you’ll organize the pictures and words.  Consider your dreams and if the words and pictures fit with your goals. It’s okay to pick and choose.  I’m sure your kids, like mine will glue everything!  Let them enjoy their process.

Okay, so you’re basically making a collage which is fun, messy and creative.

Enjoy the experience and perhaps your own dream board will be inspirational for your future dreams!

Have a Dad-Style creative artist date with your kids. Guest post by Todd Davis, host of HGTV’s Over Your Head and author of Handy Dad 25 Awesome Projects for Dads and Kids.

A slip and slide is always so easy to do and guaranteed many laughs. Go to your local paint supply store and get a heavy duty plastic tarp that folds out lengthwise at least 20-100′. Then, go to your local park with a small grassy hill and stake the tarp down on both corners at both ends. No need for a large amount of water, just fill a 5 gallon bucket up a the nearest drinking fountain, and right before some poor victim is about to drink, pour about a 1/4 of the bucket on the tarp and run and go as fast as you can.  (Adding a tiny amount of bio-degradable soap to the tarp to help with any speed issues.)  This may get boring after about four hours, so try standing up and skating down, shoot water guns at people as they go by, throw soccer balls at there feet, or go right after one another and train the whole slide . . . I recommend being the caboose, so you doesn’t end up at the bottom of the pile at the bottom!

A water balloon launcher, is always fun.  Simply attach 10′ of surgical tubing, that’s doubled up, or in a circle to both sides of a funnel and send water balloons almost a half mile away. Give awards to whoever can “catch” the balloons, even a trophy who can catch it with out breaking it. Beware of up close launches, they can be deadly. . . or just aim for your big brother.

Water rockets are cool. Cut a wine cork in half, stick a ball needle through it so the end pops out on the narrower side. Fill a 20 ounce soda plastic bottle up 1/3 of water, then shove the cork and needle into the opening of the bottle. Pump up 15-25 times and watch it blast off  into the air..or on your neighbors roof, on top of your school, wherever! Try to aim it up-right with your sandals or shoes your not wearing, then have everyone try to catch it. It usually has a mind of its own so prepare to knock into one another and the launcher will be sure to get all wet from the blast spray.

Water Ramp! Always my favorite, wherever there is a pond or lake with water 5′ deep or more close to the edge. Build a ramp and huck your bmx bike and yourself as far out an

d into the pond as much as you can. Be sure to secure the ramp to the ground/sand with a broad/wide base so it doesn’t move when you hit it going 50 mph. Then send it!  The plans to build a sweet ramp are in my book, feel free to enlarge the ramp as big as you seam fit.

Monster Bubbles. Mix about 1/4 dish washing soap with 75% water in a shallow pan. Then take a wire coat hanger and bend it into a complete, closing circle, using pliers. Bigger is always better, I say. Dip the circle into the tray and run around the air will fill the bubble up and with a twist of your wrist, close the end and watch these huge bubbles dance across your yard! Try to lift a bubble up and over your friend’s entire body. Be sure that the wire circle is big enough to go around him or her. Then when it works, take a picture and call him bubble boy!

Melissa’s Note:  Thanks, Todd for the seriously awesome summer fun ideas!  Want to win a copy of Todd’s latest book, Handy Dad?  See my review and giveaway on Bookmarkable.

IDEAS AND INSPIRATION FOR SUMMER ARTISTS’ DATES

guest post by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

I loved Melissa’s summer artist’s date post so much, I was just full to bursting with new ideas and old memories. And my mind immediately went…all over the place. I don’t know if anyone out there is at all like me, but sometimes I tend to be too much of “an ideas gal”, and can overwhelm myself with unfocused thinking and planning, and while I will never underestimate the value of that, sometimes not enough doing is going on (kind of like the progress on my fiction WIP, but that’s another story. I hope.).  So, I am going to think and plan ahead — with a mind toward doing, and wanted to share some of the resources and ideas that I’m using so that our Summer Artists’ Dates have a chance of actually happening!

BOOKS:

For general inspiration, I highly recommend Ginger Carlson’s Child of Wonder: Nurturing Creative and Naturally Curious Children (tons of ideas, like “Thinking Outside The Kitchen), Lucy Calkins’ Raising Lifelong Learners (great chapters on “Playing Well” and “Helping Children Develop Good Work Habits”), Susan Striker’s Young At Art (includes fun ideas for groups and parties), and Amanda Blake Soule’s The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections (love, the sections on alternative resources, developing an appreciation of handmade, and the Family Drawing Time idea). Also peruse the older Partners in Play: A step-by-step guide to Imaginative Play in Children by Dorothy Singer, Mister Rogers’ Playtime or Mister Rogers’ Plan and Play Book.  Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit is a no-nonsense, just do it if you want to do it treasure.

WEBSITES:

• The lovely site and blog, Playful Learning is amazing.
• Laugh, Paint, Create,
• Simple Kids,
• Simple Homeschool, and
• Unplug Your Kids are literally endless for inspiration.

• One of my favourite sites is the amazing Crafty Crow. This amazing resource includes art and craft project and ideas from all over the Web. I loved the recent Crafts Around The World series (also check out Florence Temko’s older books, like Traditional Crafts from the Caribbean).

• The Artful Parent, where Jean Van Ult is so encouraging, especially about art in community. We’ve participated in her “Art Pen Pals” program for kids, and she has great posts and interviews on projects and organization, like How To Start A Children’s Art Group, How I Plan Our Art Activities, and the recent Making Homemade Watercolors.

• Kids Artists Trading Cards Swap, sponsored by two great blogs, Wisecraft, and House on Hill Road can get friends next-door or across the globe involved in your Summer Artists Dates.

• Another must-visit is Kids Craft Weekly, which delivers a big fat dose of ideas and instructions for easy-to-execute projects around myriad themes, from Bugs, Gardens, The Night Sky, and Transport.  Most projects use easy-to-find materials and are especially great for young children (also find The Little Kids Craft Book by Jackie Vermeer and Marian Lariviere).

• A site like the The Write Start is also wonderful, especially for those interested in book arts and the joy of writing. You can add multiple artistic twists to writing activities with the help of books like Rebecca Emberley’s Drawing With Numbers and Letters, Esther K. Smith’s How To Make Books, and Magic Books and Paper Toys.

TOY MAKING:

On the topic of toys, some of the most fun art activities with children can be centered around toy making. Jean Ray Laury and Ruth Law wrote one of my favourite books on the topic, Handmade Toys and Games. I’m a huge Jean Ray Laury fan, and for Summer Artists’ Dates, her Dollmaking: A Creative Approach is also a treasure.  Other great ideas can be found in Ellen and Julia Lupton’s D.I.Y Kids, and older books by Harvey Weiss (Collage and Construction, Clay, Wood, and Wire, Carving), Mary Blocksma’s (Action Contraptions: Easy To Make Toys That Really Move).  If you can get a hold of the old Ladybird little hardcovers, they are chock full of fun and easy ideas, as is the Waldorf-y Toymaking With Children by Freya Jaffke, books by Alan Dart, Jean Greenhowe, Jan Messent, Arden Newsome, and Mabs Tyler. If you want to go even further, try World of Knitted Toys by Kath Dalmeny, Sewing Tiny Toys, by Carolyn Vosburg Hall, and How To Make and Design Soft Toys by Rudi de Sarigny.

THEMES:

A theme! Or a few themes! Right now, (as in today), I’m thinking about bookmaking or puppetry. Or both! And more! Anyway. You can choose anything, like “birds”, the outdoors (check out Jennifer Ward’s I Love Dirt!)“water”, “the beach”,  “making musical instruments, or a particular colour, art from a particular region of the world; or a particular medium or activity you’d like to explore as a family, like felt (The Felt Book, by Clare Beaton, whose board and picture books are amazing) Felt Wee Folk by Salley Mavor, Feltcraft by Petra Berger, Felt Toymaking: Advanced Techniques, Amy Van Gilder), paper arts, puppetry (The Muppets Make Puppets by Cheryl Henson, Making Puppets Come Alive, by Larry Engler and Carol Fijian) different types of clay art, photography, types of painting,  book-related art projects, or stitchery (Jacqueline Enthoven’s Stitchery for Children, The Stitchery Book by Irene Preston Miller, African Inspirations in Embroidery, by Mary Sleigh, and Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray).

LISTS:

Want to do a bunch of different things? Make a list! We all know that writing things down can help us to commit even more.  (If you’re so inclined, start a blog or keep a journal of your Summer Artists Dates.

I’m looking forward to the mother-daughter reading and crafts journal that my daughter and I are planning. In addition to accountability, I think it will be a wonderful record — maybe even an arty scrapbooky/altered book-type thing! — that we will share.)

MaryAnn F. Kohl’s amazing body of work, can make that easy, with books like Scribble Art, Science Arts, Storybook Art, and much, much, much more.  Craftypod, one of my all-time favourite podcasts and blogs, can easily be a syllabus for a summer of art exploring and beyond. (And the tutorials and ebooks are fantastic.) Visit the archives for podcasts on “Crafting Green”, “Crafting with Neckties”,  “Creating Every Day”,  “Make Your Own Clay”,  “Mosaics”…it’s an invaluable resource.

More quick ideas:

• Visit museums, pick a particular artist to study.
• Take walks together and then draw what you saw.
• Collect items from nature walks, or create an art-themed scavenger hunt.
• Sit on a bench and watch the people go by.
• Notice the colours and shapes that frequent your home or community. Make a plan to use what you already have to create your art.
• Get arty in the kitchen, or use kitchen-related materials (check out Kitchen Crafts, by Linda Cross), or
• use storytelling or other books and stories for inspiration.
• Investigate artful family traditions, and some of the artwork or art interests in your cultural or ethnic heritage.
• Set up an art working space in your home, even if it’s temporary (the kitchen table), or tiny.
• Display and celebrate your work, if you like — have an exhibit “opening” and party.

I could go on — yeah, I’m an ideas gal. And maybe I’m even more all over the place than when I began!But I’m looking forward to figuring out our Summer Artists Dates, and being flexible when what I’ve figured out or planned doesn’t go exactly as I imagined. And I do believe that the imagining is a vital and valuable part of the process, so I hope you and your family have fun with that as well.

Finally, go easy on yourself. Make your lists manageable, or include everything you want to do and don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get it all done in a certain time period. Enjoy the process, and the time together. Have fun!

(*Note: Many of the older books in my collection that I mention were from local library sales, thrift shops, and used booksellers. Also helpful are some of those giant old Woman’s Day and Better Homes and Gardens craft books. )

Melissa’s Note: Thank you so much, Olugbemisola and yes, you are an ideas gal! This will take me all summer to get through. Thank you for starting us out on our artist dates this summer. You’ve shared a rich variety of ideas and resources.  Wonderful!

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich was the ‘new kid’ at school many times over, in more than one country, and currently lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY, where she loves walking and working on crafts in many forms.  She holds a Master’s in Education, and a Professional Development Certificate from the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University, and has a great time incorporating all of her different ways of working and playing into author visits and workshops. She is a member of SCBWI, a PEN Associate Member, and a former Echoing Green Foundation Fellow.  She’s the author of the YA book, 8th Grade Super Zero. Visit her online at http://www.olugbemisola.com