Art Museum

Long and windy but a family memory:

Several weeks ago the kids (Jackson and Abygail) were fighting. Abygail was putting construction paper on the fridge and Jackson was taking them all down. To stop the fight I quickly suggested that we play.... (thinking, thinking) ART Museum! I explained to them that we could make pictures on all the construction papers and then hang them all over (in my mind it was to just be in the kitchen with a few pieces of paper). Then we could walk around and make interesting poses as we looked at the pictures and say funny things. They were excited and agreed to play

They colored on EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF CONSTRUCTION PAPER we had and then they were ready to hang them up. While in the process of hanging them up ALL OVER THE HOUSE their friend James came over and he was excited to play too. (scene, I was at home with all the kids and watching James, I knew that Jason would be home soon...hopefully) They had more fun hanging up the pictures than they did making them!

Once all the pictures were hung we walked around the house just as if we were in the art museum (which they have never been to...yet). Our front entrance has a mud room and there were several pictures in that small room so we called it the HALL OF HONOR, or something like that. There was a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pizza (that's what we called it) and the Leaning House of Carrot (James suggestion), and even the House of Brocolli (also James).

After a short while the three of them began fighting again so I quickly suggested that we make a PICTURE OF HONOR and hang it in the FRAME OF HONOR (right on the TV). They agreed and I proceeded to fold a piece of paper in to fours then we each made a picture in one of the squares. They loved it. Then we put it on the TV. They were convenced that playing Art Museum and making pictures of honor was the best game ever, we even pretended to drive to and from the museum. Abygail and James drove and let me tell you, they are two crazy drivers!

Well, We made a few more pictures of honor later that week with Daddy instead of James and we decided that a trip to the real art museum was in order. Luckily every Friday is free and they have special programs on Fridays too. We missed several Fridays because of being sick.

Finally this last Friday we/they went. It was late and it was the girls bed time so we decided that I would stay home with them and Jason and the big kids would go. It was also a hit. Jackson liked the bell they heard before going in from the bell tower across the street and the hip hop dance program that had really loud music. Abygail's favorite was the 'Silly Mommy' picture that was a naked woman (nice huh?!).

Saturday they wanted to paint so Jason took them to the craft store and bought lots of paint and things that they could stick to the pictures; puff balls, pipe cleaners, foam letters, etc. They picked out some colored poster board and painted to their hearts content and then got a bath, which is one of their favorite things about painting.



All in all I would say we had a successful Art Museum experience. This is something that just came on the fly and it's probably one of their most memorable things. I'm so glad this idea came up and that they love art even more now.

I'll upload a picture of their paintings once I get a chance.