The Gift of Art

Hmm... what to give a young girl we've never met before?  A collage pack, of course!  Instinct had to guide me here as I searched through my papers and images, so I was happy to see her birthday cake was covered in animals and her Mom say her favorite color was green (I chose a card made of green handmade paper for her.)  Turns out, as her Mom also told me, that she loves all things artsy and crafty, so yay!  

A Science Center meet up set up by a homeschooler I know turned into a birthday party since the gal knew everyone else going, if you were curious at to how we ended up at a birthday party for someone we didn't know.  In any case, I thought I should explain myself. ;)

I hope your Independence Day was great and that you enjoy your weekend!

Feeling Grateful

My Mother's Day gift to myself.  Thank you, Self!!

We didn't know until we were in the car which museum we were going to that day.  We "by chance" went to the art studio first where these kind Tibetan monks were and sculpted alongside them.  I don't know if Angelo fully understood what an amazing thing this was (which is great in it's own way), but I am so grateful that we were able to hang with these peaceful guys who laughed so easily.

After the monks left, it was on to the museum playground, which we hadn't been to yet.  I am so grateful that we have places like this so close and can fully explore each one, one trip at a time.

Birthday Things

A birthday banner A and I made DH for his birthday.  A cut all the triangles out of scrapbook paper, put the stickers on and stapled the triangles to the ribbon.  He also used a sharpie ultra fine tipped pen to draw a border triangle around each piece.

A wooden frame A painted and put stickers on for DH's b-day.  He picked the color and everything!

A rotating tumbler A painted for DH's b-day.  He chose the heart stamp and color himself!  The pictures were chosen and cut by me in the interest of time.

A with the play town I made him for his b-day.  Oliver + S Little Things to Sew has the instructions and templates.  Instead of using foam as it suggested, I stuffed them with 90% organic cotton and 10% polyfill. I used the polyfill because I ran out of the organic cotton stuffing, but it really did give them more form, so I would consider it again.  The material is naturally dyed organic cotton, and is slightly heavier than the average quilter's cotton.  The windows are wool felt from A Child's Dream Come True, and the rich colors really made these buildings pop.  

This art satchel, made with a linen/cotton blend was made from instructions in Growing Up Sew Liberated.  Everything always takes longer than you think, but in this case, that's an understatement.  Whew!  But, I'm glad we'll have this, especially for traveling. The material is under Japanese fabrics over at Alewives Fabrics.



A birthday banner I made for A's b-day, the same way as mentioned above for DH's banner.

This is a bad picture of a really cool map.  The fabric panel, "What a World", is from Alewives fabrics.  I backed it with muslin and added ribbon loops at the top in case he wants to hang it up.  Maybe it will work more as a play mat.  We will see.  Right now, it is draped over the settee where he can check it out as he likes.  There are little people in local dress (or folk costume) in different regions as well as things that are common or known in certain places; like alpacas in South America and the Space Needle in Seattle.  Plus, the flags and time zones offer all kinds of learning opportunities.  The only thing missing is Antarctica, but we'll deal with that.  A fun intro to geography in any case! 

Haven't gotten to my weekly drawing exercise yet, but it's coming soon!

An Almost 4 year old Boy

We have decided to home school. I had hoped that my visit to the school would blow me away one way or another, but no such luck. So, it was up to the good ol' pros/cons list. The Montessori school, though it has the potential to be wonderful, also has the potential to be a huge financial strain, a source of extra stress (especially with getting out the door by a certain time), and a host of unknown problems because I couldn't guarantee they would educate my son the same way I would. I got _no_ reviews on this particular school, though I asked a list of very active and vocal Pittsburgh Mamas (who have been around a while and appreciate home schooling, alternative schooling, attachment parenting, natural health, etc.). I also have at best only heard mixed reviews for Montessori schools in general (lots of "my kid loves it, but I have problem with x, y and z.", "they think my 3 year old has ADHD" [though no one would/ at least should _ever_ diagnose it that early, and I know this because of my experience in the medical field; young children just don't have long attention spans, even the "advanced" ones! This clearly speaks of teacher ignorance and an absence of Montessori principles.] I don't know if people who are 100% satisfied with the experience simply don't report that or if mixed reviews or worse are what you get (or if I just haven't found the 100% positive reviews). I love the Montessori philosophy, but I can only guarantee it as far as I can guarantee the way it is filtered through modern individuals... and it's a big financial investment and other physical and mental strains that I can't justify for our family. Besides, I have all these skills, many of which I'm still paying for (OT student loans) and have already bought all these museum memberships (which would not get used as often if he were in school). So, if we sent him to school, not only would we be straining to pay tuition, we would be wasting money on top of it.

I read somewhere (I believe in "Raising a Son") that around 4 boys have a rush of testosterone making them even "crazier" than before. (I wish I could think of a better word, but right now I can't.) I believe it...

He also astounds me on a daily basis with his new-found skills and affectionate sweet-boy demonstrations. He will be 4 in about a month. It never fails that I am surprised and amazed when this time of year comes around.

He took this pic of our beautiful pup, Dana. :)

He wanted to put the 4 pieces of styrofoam the insulation guy gave him "in a hole" because said guy explained that's how they insulated Daddy's office, so I made him a game from a cup, cardboard from the recycling bin and tape (one side taped with packing tape to hold more permanently and one held with freezer tape so he could pull it up and get all the stuff out and start over.) I'm not excited about him playing with styrofoam, but those 4 pieces gave us a new game and work on spatial relations, hand-eye coordination, fine motor coordination and more.

You know the pom poms had to get involved. We don't clear the table off that much and it works so very well...

Every child should be allowed to play in the mud. He's ready to go...
and the ice/melted snow...

This education decision,other not-necessarily household family issues and my father being in and out of the hospital frequently have had me pretty "full to the brim"; thus all the art lately. It has been a truly soothing balm.

Thanks for reading and allowing me to share!

Lunchtime Lessons

Angelo will be 4 in about a month and a half!! So, the great school debate is in the forefront of my mind. Public school is just not for us, despite living in an area that has a reputation for having really great schools. I believe change starts at home and the way public schools focus more on test scores and managing children rather than truly educating them just won't work for us (this is a really great speech by a Valedictorian who feels like she wasn't truly educated, just was great at doing what she was told). I really like the Montessori philosophy and have an appointment tomorrow morning with the Mt. Lebanon Montessori school to see if it is a good fit for us. Being an Occupational Therapist, especially one who's worked in the school system, I really appreciate the focus Montessori puts on learning through the senses. As a Mom and artist who admires and appreciates individuality, the Montessori method of allowing each child to go from activity to activity at their own pace and showing profound respect for each child really speaks to me. Of course, budget is always something to consider, especially here.

I'm also still considering Unschooling, especially since there are such wonderful resources here, like PALS, a group that organizes outings, classes once a week and has a resource library for home schoolers without a religious focus or those who are open minded toward those who are not religious. There is also the Children's Museum, which we've been frequenting (and have a membership for) and is completely amazing, the Carnagie Museums, the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts (which we also have a membership to thanks to a great Groupon) and more, which all have programs for home schoolers. With all these great resources, most of which we will take advantage of regardless of whether he goes to the Montessori school, I'm wondering just how impressive this school will have to be ...

In "practicing" for home schooling (we really already do Unschooling and have semi-structured activities, but I wanted to add some more in preparation for ... the "real" thing), I've added some "Lunch Time Lessons". They have been fun and have kept him engaged enough to get through lunch a little more quickly. We'll do a step or two of the activity and then he takes a bite and repeat until he's finished. We've had some physics/grammer lessons involving Thomas the Train, and the pictures below are of some sorting activities we've done. These pom poms have really gone far. First, he scooped them from one bowl to another (for dexterity and coordination, spacial relations; this one he did all on his own), another time, we sorted by size and in these pictures, we sorted by color. If you can't tell, he really enjoyed it. :)

This picture shows Angelo in his "portable safe place". He found this hamper I used to transport laundry and it has become a really fun toy for him. He walks around, bounces around and sits around in it. I think it's especially cute since I used to clear out the lower cabinets and hang out in them at his age. :)

Oh, and I found this Flicker group (via Http://www.syko.typepad.com ) all on hand made crafts for boys and it is just adorable! Very inspiring, especially since I have a ton of sewing to do for Angelo's birthday and my sewing space isn't set up. I at least brought the serger down and have thread for it now! I'll keep looking at all this cute stuff to help me brave the cold in the attic and get the material and things already cut out. :)

I'll keep you posted on the great school debate! Please comment below if you have thoughts to share! :)