When kids are little, they are sponges when it comes to art projects. I remember my daughter cutting construction paper into squares for over an hour one day. It doesn’t take much, but they just love it. And then…they get older.
My 8-year old is still on the fringe, but my 11-year old’s artistic creativity has been limited to monsters, sports, and skulls. There was a time when any one of these rooms would have been a perfect fit for my little ones, but now they’re just…well…for little ones.
I decided something needed to be done. I’m not overly impressed with the art teacher/class at their school, so I took matters into my own hands. I shopped the house to see what I could come up with that would spur some creativity in my kids. And….I came up with this!
The paint, the paper, the glue, the scissors—that’s a given. I felt like they needed some sort of embellishment tray to jumpstart their artwork.
My local grocery store (Meijer) had this outdoor tray, and I found a circle placemat that fits perfectly inside. I thought it would be good to keep things from sliding around, and it would prevent some major scratches on the surface. Plus, it adds a nice pop of color!
The little glasses were found at Goodwill for $.49 cents a piece. Cute! The larger jars are Mason jars I already had on hand. All the art supplies—already had them.
When I set the tray on the table, my son said, “Wow! You bought a bunch of new art supplies!” Uhhh no. So maybe that’s it? Maybe kids just need things in front of them? Maybe the inspiration comes from accessibility and a colorful display? We’ll see.
I thought I’d be able to show you some picture evidence of its success. You know, pics of my kids frolicking in pom poms and skipping through fields of foam letters. Alas, it decided to be 80 degrees here today, so they opted to watch my husband burn the Christmas tree in the backyard.
That may have been cooler, but my option was MUCH prettier. Just sayin’.
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