We’ve been getting crafty. The girls had a few friends over and we worked on some holiday decor. Using several wood-framed 8 x 10 pieces of canvas, we got started…
We painted. Kids can paint for hours …
and hours!
Each of them made very different, individual Christmas trees with an assortment of ribbon and glue sticks, topping each tree with a button. They were pretty pleased with themselves! And us moms were happy to have entertained them for the day.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
How precious! I bet those pictures will go up EVERY Christmas with lots of GREAT memories!
They’re hanging on the wall and every time my littlest, Mia, walks by she acts like she is seeing it for the first time. 🙂
Such a neat idea Megan. The girls look blissfully content. And the sunlight streaming through the window adds that special touch….everything looks so calm & peaceful (that really is the best time to create).
You have actually given me a couple ideas. My sister has a beautiful painting on canvas that she bought a long time ago after she moved into her (then) new house. And for many years now, I have considered having one of my favorite pictures transferred to canvas but have yet to do so? I love to paint but haven’t in quite awhile…? Think I may look for a sunny nook today & see what inspires me.
Another fun thing I find young & even older kids enjoy is starting seeds inside. This is my busy season for indoor seed starting & every room with a window or sliding glass door has peat pellets ~with seeds inside~ pressed up against them. When little ones are visiting I usually have them choose the type of seeds they would like to start. I have over a 100 packets of seeds for them to choose from. Most packets show a picture of what the full grown plant should look like in a few months from planting time. If the child is old enough to read, I ask them to read the planting directions out loud. Then they can plant the seed at the level recommended & have a general idea of when it should bloom or produce fruit. I also keep a little journal which each child signs their full name, date of when they started which seeds. But will also ask the older kids to help the younger with reading & writing if necessary. Also keep sticky sheets available for easy marking & plant ID.
It’s actually a fun project. And it almost never fails that whenever or wherever I see a child that has planted a seed here, they will ask, how their seedling is coming along & ask me when can they come & visit again:-) When the plant has reached maturity (all the better if it’s an annual or a quick or first year blooming biennial/perennial) I will inform the child & parent so they can visit while it’s in bloom & I can take a picture of them with their blooming/fruiting plant.
We LOVE growing things! The look on a little one’s face when that tiny little plant breaks through the dirt is priceless! I love it when one of my girls asks who grew this or that vegetable. Makes me proud that they know where their food comes from and the process it takes to grow it. So wonderful to share with them. 🙂
These trees turned out really cute. What a perfect project for the girls with stunning results. I am thinking this would be fun for “big girls” too!
I think it would be a perfect “big girls” project! Who doesn’t love lots of ribbon??