On Friday, we actually did art! After a little catchup from Thursday -- Son2 read a new phonics reader, "Mom Gets Help" (very cute) -- he told me he really wants to paint. Really, really, really wants to paint. Okay, I'm pretty sure I don't know where the tempera paint is (does anyone else try to spell it 'tempura' like me and see that paint's not supposed to be a Japanese? food?? LOL), so we got out the watercolors, standard office paper, all of the watercolor paintbrushes we could find, a jelly jar for brushes and another for water, and an old Daddy shirt for a smock, and covered the table with two doubled old sheets. I just realized I forgot to set up a damp sponge in a dish, oh well.

What did I learn about watercolor painting? That Son2 loved it. That I was frustrated with copy paper and I want real watercolor paper. That the kids' watercolor book from the library has fun ideas. That I need more "how to" for the brushes, the paper, and so on.

When I was done painting (but not Son2, no way!), I figured out how to use the borrowed "sticker machine" -- a Xyron 510 machine with a permanent-adhesive cartridge that makes thin anythings into permanent stickers, without heat or electricity! I successfully sticker-ed 11 playing cards and then the cartridge ran out. I placed the cards on heavy white paper, and cut them apart. Now I have a little stack of cards ready to decorate on the white side, and I have many ideas for that. Fun!

The very last sticker-machine thing we were able to do was for Son2, actually. He cut out a section of one of his painted papers, we made it into a sticker, and he put it on another of his papers -- he loved it! Oh, the possibilities :)

I'm thinking about making Fridays an art-and-craft day.

I could throw a couple of our old-sheets-for-art-tablecloths over the dining table, maybe with a waterproof something underneath, and do watercolors with Son2. Or pastels. Or mosaic work with paper squares. Or playdough, and even try Fimo or Sculpey. We have finished concrete floors, so cleanup would be extremely easy.

In a kids art book I saw the idea of filling a box lid with paper curls set next to each other. Or we could do rubber stamping. Or paint wonderful colorful stuff on paper and then cut it out in shapes to glue onto other paper.

Sometimes a goal is good; other times the process and the play are as much as we'd need.

We could do paper arts/crafts, something I'm really interested in, and make cards for family and friends' birthdays and so on. I want to test some ideas for my Godly Play Sunday school class, and I could do this with or alongside Son2. For instance, I want to try covering playing cards and making them into a Days of Creation card set. I also want to make a wild and wonderful paper-square mosaic or two, to give the kids ideas on what to do with those colorful squares.

I borrowed a math art book from the library -- interesting! And a fun kids' book on watercolors. And MaryAnn Kohl's books have so many great ideas for art play for little kids, along with info on setup and cleanup. I am NOT an artist, but I love texture, color, form, and making things. I am definitely a beginner at everything in this area except Web design, needlework, knitting, and gardening, LOL. I would love to learn, explore, and enjoy art stuff together, and have a scheduled day to do this.

Some homeschoolers plan a Wednesday break for field trips and other things. I like the idea of art Fridays very much, because relaxed, at-home Friday mornings would work very well for this family in how our weeks go. Also, big brother, Son1, could join the fun on Saturday (we are often busy Fridays after school).

I could imagine adding some special Friday music, maybe even danceable (swing! rockabilly! Tejano!). And a readaloud to feed the imagination and the spirit (Tomie de Paola's The Parables of Jesus... The Book of Virtues... Greek & Roman myths... Sylvester and the Magic Pebble...)

Art Fridays!