Last night before bed I told the little ones I would read them each a story of their choosing as well as a story of my choosing.  The book ds chose was The Magic School Bus On the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole.  He just loves the Magic School Bus books - they are long reads but they get so much out of them!  Of course when we finished the book they were dying to make a big picture of the ocean themselves but it was 8:30 so I promised we would color together in the morning.

I think they forgot by morning but dd4yo asked to do school this morning which reminded me of the mural.  They were so excited when I told them we could draw the ocean just like the Magic School Bus kids.    I pulled out the long old rolls of fax paper my Dad had given me a couple years back and dc helped me tape a strip to the floor.  I let them choose between crayons and colored pencils and they chose the pencils.  I'm so glad the children enjoy using pencils now - it took some time to break them from markers but I think that's a subject for another blog post. 

Here's the finished product.  You'll have to imagine it all in one long strip mural.  DS suggested we hang it at the foot of the stairs so Daddy will see it when he wakes up tonight.

I wish the photo had come out clearer.  The kids really put a ton of detail into it with jellyfish and sharks in the water.  DS colored in some lava for a hot water vent as well as coral next to his island castle in the lowest photo.  I realize now that I was sitting in the middle so most of that picture I did with some coloring help from dd.  Oh but she did the octopus and ds drew some fish and a shark.  He's got people on the beach, some other small doodads that wash up and a huge oyster in the top section.

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