Watercolor painting fall leaves @WBCL

 Watercolors are always fun to do because of the oh wow factor. I sometimes worry a bit when I get the much younger children in the class How they'll do but as usual they had a fantastic time creating this project. They even learned how to shade the edges of the leaves and scribe in the veins. Initially I had planned to have them trace their leaves onto the paper but decided that it would be better if I did that part and they did the painting part. We went over having a Clear water brush and cup and a color painting brush. First I had them paint one leaf with water then get a bit of the color and trace around the outside at. Sometimes they didn't do the same leaf that they had put water on requiring a quick fix to help the paint spread. It didn't take long before everybody had it figured out. Palette knives were in short supply last night so we used a number of other items like Spoon handle's and scissor edges scribe our leaves. What a great job they did.

Making piñata for Diez y seis de Septiembre @WBCL

 This project was just a little complicated but everybody was able to complete it with very little difficulty. We began with quart milk cartons and cut the bottoms off. I cut all of the lengths of tissue paper in advance and had the kids cut their own fringes from the long strips. They first had  to glue squarish pieces across the bottom of the carton. We then added layer after layer of fringes until we got up to the top. We opened the top of the carton and punched holes on both sides to insert a cord as a hanger. Most of the kids continued their fringe up to the very top of the cart. We then added a bit of streamers to the bottom and sent them home to fill it with prizes or candies or whatever they wanted. We had a discussion about how to break the piñata to have the items fall out. We also had a discussion about Mexican Independence Day.

Sand painting a sea scene @WBCL

 This is just such a fun project. It was our end of the summer time and the kids really went after it. First they drew their idea of what a beach scene would look like. Then we gave out paint mixed with Very fine sand and had them use pallet knives to spread it onto their designs. For some it was a bit of a reach in the beginning, for others they took right to it. In order to make it even more fun, I  set out a box of seashells that had been donated for the program and let them sort through and glue them to their completed picture. Some chose to add them to the design while others just added them around the border to frame their pictures. Great job by all.

Jewelry making from recycled materials @WBCL

I saw the ring making project on Pinterest earlier this year and put the call out to the neighborhood and the parents in this class to save the little ring pulls from cardboard drink and milk boxes. Finally we had enough to do our project. In order to be sure that our sequins and jewels would stick to the plastic I gave each one a quick sanding. We used Alenes tacky glue then added sequins, beads, and big gemstones from a donation. I also had some fun foam bookmarks that I thought would be ideal as bracelets. We were not disappointed. I little Velcro on the ends then the kids covered the entire top with a variety of sequins and beads. Everyone went home wearing their creations. This was a great project as any age of child could do this with a little help from mom or dad.

Learning to weave on a frame leaves no one behind @WBCL

 This is an adaptable project that just works better each time I bring it out. I used the plastic lids from tomato boxes as they had notches along the edges to use as pins to start the weaving. We talked about warp and woof and how we were going to do the project. Everyone got a long piece to set their warp and a needle and shorter pieces to do the weaving. A lot of "over and under" was mumbled as they got the piece going and could not wait to add the beads into the design. Some got a lot, some got just a few. All were removed from the frame and tied to hang complete with beaded fringe at the bottom.

Castles, princesses and knights take center stage @WBCL

 This was an expanded project from one I did before with the summer group. We used a boutique kleenex box and 2 paper towel tubes to make the structure for the castle. I supplied paper and glue while they did all the imagination part. I also put out tp tubes to make either a knight with foil armor or princess. What a great variety we got by the end of the time. There were drawbridges, turrets, and a pair of the prettiest princesses yet with paper dresses and crowns. Another fantastic recyling project.