The (occasionally dreaded) Christmas run up and Let's get making. Starry Stars for the Christmas Tree! (Tres simple I promise!)

It's coming, we all know it.  

Sadly, I catch myself going off on my instant reaction to Christmas.  You know the old 'Oh Blimey no...already?  Am not ready...where are we going to find the extra few hundred that dribbles out of my wallet into someone's else's, etc etc etc...in short, proper MRS MINUS thoughts about the forthcoming Season)  Easily done and with good reason, especially in current climates with two freelance parents.

BUT, dear readers it doesn't have to be this way.  Christmas day is really just a day, when thought of as a proper snuggly Sunday, we get to be with those that we love, eat good nosh, play games, watch movies and lounge en famille under a duvet on the new (second hand) sofa that now seats all of us (at a real push!)

Hmmm, am beginning to feel a flicker of excitement.

My children now are 8 and nearly 5 years of age.  This means that they have now reached an age where they can actually get involved, get excited and get making independently given the materials, some instructions and a finished article to work to.  

I don't know about you but previous to this age, when doing creative activities with my babes, the art session was much more of a 'damage limitation' hour that involved, setting up, manhandling the mess created by the (very happy it has to be said) children and then another hour clearing up.  All for the five minutes of actually doing the activity, until darling children lose interest and off they go - I know ALL about that trust me.  

But, once again dearest reader, for however long, for very little thanks and in the name of creativity...puhleeze continue with said activities for all ages of your babes.  They LOVE it, will remember it and guaranteed when they are older (like me now with DS) you look at the odd thing that we haven't lobbed out as it was broken (& quite crap) and think aww...I loved doing that with them, its a trick of parenthood, you may have a rubbish time making with them but guaranteed you won't remember it this way!

So...onward to making.

Dead simple to start with.

'A Starry Christmas Tree Decoration'

You will need:

3 x lollypop sticks

Lashings of glue

Sequins or can be made perfectly nicely too with buttons.

Cotton or fishing wire (to hang star on the tree with)

1.

Take your lollies and glue together one on top of another in starry-like fashion.

2.

Apply lashings (love that word) of glue, stick by stick.  Take your sequins and place on one by one.  I wouldn't try the glitter effect (that is pouring the sequins over the glue) as they stick in all the wrong places.  I did it by hand but with the help of a wee pen (with the lid on) just to help me place them.  Once your lolly sticks are covered, step away from the decoration and leave to dry for a good 24hrs...

Tada!

The only thing left to do with this baby is to hang my cotton from the top of one end of the sticks and  it's all done and ready to hang on the tree.

Well done everyone!

Making idly-biddy tiny nativity sets with the children (magic for Granny's Christmas pressie)

It's coming around to that time again.

If I were to come on strong dear reader, I could fool you into thinking that my perfectly pointing (Farrow & Ball) painted house was having a retouch before the silly season comes around again, whereby my beautiful house will be smelling of cinnamon & orange and my 'warm glow' fairy lights on my perfectly John Lewis Christmas-decked tree sat oh-so-beautifully in the window.  Yeah right.

Meanwhile in the real world, the babes have been murmuring more about Christmas and dh & I are beginning that - Oh gosh..where are we going to find that extra £200 for the presses and another £200 on nosh and a couple of stunning bottles of vino.  Fret not, we will find them...we always do somehow or another.

For my after-school art class group of 8 little faces (I love doing them) I realise that my minor punters have to take home somethings Christmassy, preferably made over two weeks to enhance the anticipation of their delivering it on Christmas morning...queue...clay.

Researching through my books, I found the sweetest little nativity set in my '101 things to make a do' book, by Parragon.    I love this book, given to DS around his 5th birthday, we dip in every so years and find motivation to make all sorts of things I wouldn't normally dream of.  One Christmas we made everyone in the family a velvet-fabric crown...this was quite probably the dawning of my realising that I rather enjoyed making things with children...who knew?!

So...in preparation for my art-class, I decided to test out said project with my own.  Both DS and DD loved it from start to finish.  My question really was air-drying clay or air model-fix (more expensive) so we made two (like we said..perfecto for the grannies gifts from the babes)

How to make an 'IDDY BIDDY LITTLE NATIVITY SCENE'

Things needed:

Air Clay or Air Modelling Clay.    A good handful

Paint, the list states acrylic but I used thickish watercolour too.

Black marker pen...(not essential but handy if to hand)

1.

Warm up your clay/substance in your hand for a good while until its soft to play with and shape.

2.

Firstly make the cave, shape the arch to be about the size of your hand cupped.  The figures should be about thumb sized and quite rounded.  Baby Jesus is fantastic, to make said figure, roll your clay to a thickish flat oval about the size of a 50p coin at the largest and give it a push with your thumb...thats it!   The cot is to be big enough to fit the baby in and bed-ish!    

To begin with we made Mary & Joseph, the cot and baby Jesus, along with 3 sheep, Granny will be delighted with that!  On later models (ahem) I will add in the Three Wise Men and some more animals me thinks.

3.

Once you have your wee figures, stand back!  Put onto a tray or a plate and leave in the airing cupboard overnight (it's quite exciting)

4.

Time to paint.  Here is the interesting bit.  I had expected the clay to be much easier to paint but the modelling air stuff was good too.  Either is fine.

Am sure you don't need me to tell you that you need a face, some arms, a head scarf and a headband on your wee figure.   The sheep were fab...will draw up a simple template this afternoon and scan it in...for now...herewith one two we made earlier (have ALWAYS wanted to say that!)

Well done everybody, dead simple, very engaging and perfect for doing together.

Enjoy x 

Fab Christmas Pressies for Arty Children. 'Art in a Box' by the wonderful Sarah Richardson & The Tate.

Quite frankly I have to ask myself 'whats not to like' about 'Art in a Box'  by the wonderful Sarah Richardson & The Tate (Darling).  

If ever I run dry'ish of ideas of things to do with my children and those in my children's art classes I head straight for the Tate (Modern normally) as they are stuffed to the brim with innovative ideas of high creativity for children.  Learning by mistake as it were - actually is this not the holy grail of teaching?  

I digress.  Inside of this natty little magnetic box (very Tate sweetie) are 20 cards with well known and mainly contemporary Artists work on. Peter Blake, Chris Offili, Cornelia Parker cards sit alongside Picasso and Albert Irving.  On one side of the A5 card is a well known work, covering the whole side bar a couple of mm at the edge.  On the reverse are the Artist's details, birth, death etc and up to 8 bullet points about their work and thought provoking questions for for the children to read and think about themselves.

Lastly, the 'Your Turn' section.  An activity to make something along the lines of said Artist.  For example, Albert Irvin.  'Make your own abstract painting in the style of Albert Irvin'.  Using suggested materials that are easy to grab, using two colours from the included colour chart in the box (LOVELY touch) and suggested materials, we are guided to produce something akin to the Artist's work itself.

Tactile, easy to comprehend and frankly delicious for parents and children to work on together I fully endorse this pressie.  Enjoy. 

Sam

ps.  Find it here  for £9.76.  nice.