Arts and Crafts

My new favorite thing to do with Audrey is craft projects.  Now, we all know that I am seriously lacking the artistic gene.  I don't make those cute Pinterest wreaths like everyone else, I have no interest in art museums, and I begrudgingly plan an Art Station for my kids each week.  (And when I do it's not at the level of the other classes.  This was the first year ever that I let my kids sponge paint!!)  But slowly I'm learning that I really do love doing artsy things.  Well, artsy things at a 3 1/2 year old level.  ;)  Audrey is her father's daughter, so we know she's bound to wind up being pretty artistic.  She's always been into coloring here and there, but lately it's become her THING to do.  I can always find her coloring in her coloring books, putting stickers on her papers, or just plain doodling in her notepad.  I tended to join in here and there, but ya know, it wasn't really my thing like reading books with her.  And then she got the Star Student poster a few weeks ago.  And we had to color and decorate it.  And that took some serious time and dedication.  But it was FUN.  Serious fun.  I got to sit and just talk with Auds while creating something.  And she LOVED it.  But I didn't really think more about it or take it to the next level (like a Super Mommy would have, but there's always tomorrow) until her teachers sent home her school's annual Thanksgiving Family Turkey project.  It's a turkey that the kiddos have to work on at home and decorate using something other than crayons or markers.

Usually I dread this project because I usually just end up doing most of it and it's just something else to cross off the list, but when I got it this year I was so excited!  Audrey and I talked about ideas the whole way home from school.  I threw a few ideas out there and Audrey decided she wanted to use Fruit Loops.  (We had the multi-colored Cheerios at home - perfect.)  

When we sat down to work on it, she was all organized about it.  "Momma, let's use purple ones for this feather, and then yellow for the next one.  Ok?  You do this one and I'll work on this."  Again, it was a serious good time.  We sat and glued cereal and talked.  She told me all the random little things that popped into her head (like "Hey Momma, I really like Fifi at school.  We play school in the home center.  Fifi has to bring the babies to school and I bring them home.)  It also is a good time for her to learn about hard work and finishing what she starts.  Halfway through she got tired and said she was done.  But we talked about how she had to finish it and why, and she got right back to work.

But the BEST part of the project was the random "I love you Momma.  This is fun!"  Seriously.  I think we'll be adding craft projects to our weekend schedule . . . 

Here's the little artist hard at work:  

The finished project.  Pretty good if I do say so myself!

Yay!