How To Make Amazing Crafts With Kids

The education benefit of arts & crafts

Arts and crafts can be used to apply hands-on learning to any subject. Using crafts this way helps kids think more in-depth about the subject of their artwork or craft projects. Virtually any subject matter can be taught using arts & crafts with a little creativity. For instance, if you are learning about world geography, you could have the kids make a tissue paper globe.
Learn about holidays, history, and any other topic your kids should study. Even math can be enriched through arts and crafts. Remember that school isn’t the only place kids should be learning; your kids will be much more willing and excited to learn if you make learning fun with interactive arts and crafts projects.

Some ideas for kids’ arts & crafts

Kids’ arts and crafts can be quick and simple to keep the attention of on-the-go toddlers. They can also be sophisticated and complex for older kids who are up to a challenge. To get an idea of the scope of arts and crafts projects out there, take a trip to your local arts and crafts store or teacher’s supply shop. These stores will have pre-designed craft kits, including jewelry art, painting kits, and other craft ideas. Each kit will come with instructions and all of the materials you require.

Another good idea, once you have gained some experience, is to walk arts and craft stores to shop for kids’ art ideas. Here are some ideas: try rock painting, where kids can create arts and crafts by designing something unique. A ladybug, bird, lizard, butterfly, the possibilities are endless. They can start out by painting on poster board or construction paper to perfect their design. Or jump right in and beautify their hand picked rock with their own unique design and color scheme. Its fun, its challenging, and I must say quite rewarding when the project is finished. Dad would love the paperweight and Mom would love the decorative keepsake.

This is a great craft because kids of all ages can join in. Young children can use their imaginations to create simple objects on a rock formation. Older kids may enjoy incorporating other supplies such as beads, or gemstones, onto their art.

Arts and crafts allows kids to openly express themselves, even at very young ages. Despite all these positives, the best reason for getting your kids involved in arts and crafts is that it is fun!

Pauline Libutti

Artist & Writer

http://www.RiverRockCritters.com/

Dogs Are Our Best Friends and with Good Reason

Dogs and Their Faithful Companionship

Why are there so many dog lovers out there? Dogs share our lives in a way that most other animals can't, and they're so commonplace that it's easy to take their faithful companionship for granted.

Dogs are friendly and they love human companionship. Whose ego would not be gratified at the sight of a happy dog that can't wait to greet you at the end of a hard day? Your dog waits for you by the door, face smiling, mouth open and tail wagging, ready to dote on you, his best friend in the world.

Dogs are loyal and, as pack animals, they respond to the presence of a leader - you! Dogs are eager to please you in any way they can. When you're feeling blue your dog will remain by your side silently comforting you. When you're happy and excited, your dog will leap about you and share in your joy.

Dogs are playful. They love physical activity such as going for walks, fetching sticks, leaping into ponds, and racing wildly to and fro. Dogs will join you for a jog or for a day in the park or even for an exuberant game of frisbee. Yet dogs can also be soft and cuddly and ready at anytime for a loving pat and a reassuring hug. They're affectionate and they're soothing to stroke.

Dogs can be trained so that they can easily cohabitate with us in our human-built dwellings. They can also be trusted to act appropriately around other people and in public. Dogs can learn to save nature's call for outdoor walks, to walk on a leash when on public roads where cars lurk, and to sit and to stay whenever and wherever necessary.

The family dog is as much a part of daily life within a home as is any human household member. Our dogs are always there for us, day and night, sharing in every activity from breakfast time through a cozy evening spent watching TV. They can share both our indoor and many of our local outdoor activities, but that's not all. Dogs also play a big part in family life even when the family isn't at home. They can readily go places with us in cars, everywhere from a romp in the local park to a family vacation. Because they can travel with us, they can be a part of our lives in a way that most other companion animals can't. As dogs can participate in many of our most unusual experiences and outdoor adventures, they become forever associated with many of our most treasured memories.

Dogs, in all of their various shapes and sizes, are also beautiful animals to admire and to look at. From their big beautiful eyes and lovely faces, to their soft, sleek, shiny coats, to the tips of their joyfully wagging tails, dogs are a pleasure to behold. With so many different breeds to choose from, everyone can choose the dog whose appearance most appeals to them, whether large or small, short or long-muzzled, short-haired or long-haired or curly or straight-haired, with a muscular build or a slim build, with an elegant face or a comical face, and in any number of colors.

Dogs give us the best of themselves: their love, loyalty, unconditional acceptance and affection, playfulness and companionship. In return, we owe them our best and the best care that we can give them.

Above all else, dogs deserve gentle handling and an abundance of our time and attention. Love can make a dog's world go round as much as love makes our world go round. When we give our love freely to our dogs, we receive their love in return. Dogs can truly be man's and woman's and children's best friends, and we should feel honored to be theirs, as well.

Author: becker

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock Critters.com
Copyright 2008 CraftyCritters Newsletter

How to Paint a River Rock

Painting on a River Rock

Painting a river rock can give you a fun way to preserve a rock you brought home from a favorite trip. It is also a fantastic hobby, that has become extremely popular. You do not have to take lessons, or be an artist to enjoy painting rocks and the only think you have to do to start, is find rocks, or all shapes and sizes. Just make sure that they are shapped well enough to be decorated.

Steps to paint on a river rock:

1. Clean your river rock, making sure that no dirt is attached to it and that it is not flaking off in any place. An old toothbrush that no one's using any more is a great cleaning tool. After it is completely dry, lightly sketch the design you plan to paint on the surface. Use a light pencil as it may show through under lighter paint.


2. Assemble your paints. Use acrylic paints from a tube, such as Liquitex, or a paint made for outdoor use such as Plaid paint. (It has a bird house shape on the top to indicate that the paint is outdoor safe.


3. Use an old plate, wax paper, or foil folded around a piece of cardboard for a palette to mix paint on.


4. Use acrylic paint brushes, semi stiff. Get several sizes to use for larger areas, then details can be painted with a smaller brush. Some prefer to use flat brushes to paint bigger areas, switching to a pointed brush for finishing touches.


5. Begin by painting large areas in. A common problem is wanting to start on the fun little stuff and then having to paint around it. Remember big to little. When large areas are finished let them dry before trying to paint next to or on top of them.


6. Paint smaller areas and add finishing touches. Layer colors or add texture. You can also do this with Sharpie or other permanent markers. When the rock has had at least a day to dry, spray it with a clear urethane finish. Do this outdoors or in a well ventilated area so you do not breathe the vapors. This should be done by an adult or older child under adult supervision.
   

Tips & Tricks:

1. Use a palette knife or craft stick to mix paint.
2. A palette can be made out of an old plate, wax paper, or by folding aluminum foil around a piece of cardboard.
3. Brushes need to be washed well with soap and water when you are finished. While painting do not store brush in water, as that damages the tip. Rinse and lay flat on table.
4. Do not allow brush to dry with paint in it.
5. River rocks have many different shapes. They are a craft for artists, who draw and paint them instead of a canvas. They make beautiful gifts. These are not 'pet rocks', but an artistic craft.
6. Find any rocks or large stones from any source. Clean them and decorate them. Use Acrylic pain, sign your name and date, and allow them to dry.

Warnings!

1. Acrylic paint does not wash out of clothing well. Wear a paint shirt, apron or old clothing you don't care about. Wash a spot immediately and you may be able to get it out.
   
2. Some colors of tube paint may not be suitable for young children to handle. Always look to see if there is a health label on the tube.
   
3. If you plan to do this project with very young children use tempera paint and spray varnish yourself or paint with polymer medium. Not as permanent but OK for indoor use.
   

Things You'll Need:

• Smooth clean rock
• Acrylic paint, or outdoor craft paint
• Brushes
• Palette
• Clear finishing spray varnish

Related Articles:

• How to Paint With Granite Paint
• How to Paint Miniatures
• How to Paint by Number
• How to Paint With Granite Paint

Sources and Citations: ↑ http://linwellford.com

The Stone Age: Rock Painting in Caves

Cave Painting
Cave or Rock Paintings are paintings on cave or rock walls and ceilings, usually dating to prehistoric times. The earliest known rock paintings are dated to the Upper Paleolithic, 40,000 years ago, while the earliest European cave paintings date to 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the cave paintings is not known, and may never be. The evidence suggests that they weren't merely decorations of living areas, since the caves in which they've been found don't have signs of ongoing habitation. Also, they are often in areas of caves that aren't easily accessed. Some theories hold that they may have been a way of transmitting information, while other theories ascribe them a religious or ceremonial purpose.

Rock Painting
Rock paintings were "painted" on rock and were more naturalistic depictions than petroglyphs. In Paleolithic times, the representation of humans in cave paintings was rare. Mostly, animals were painted, not only animals that were used as food but also animals that represented strength like the rhinoceros or large Felidae, as in the Chauvet Cave. Signs like dots were sometimes drawn. Rare human representations include handprints and half-human / animal figures. The Chauveyt Cave in the Ardèche Departments of France contains the most important preserved cave paintings of the Paleolithic era, painted around 31,000 BC. The Altamira cave paintings in Spain were done 14,000 to 12,000 BC and show, among others, bisons. The hall of bulls in Lascaux, Dordogne, France, is one of the best known cave paintings from about 15,000 to 10,000 BC.

If there is meaning to the paintings, it remains unknown. The caves were not in an inhabited area, so they may have been used for seasonal rituals. The animals are accompanied by signs which suggest a possible magic use. Arrow-like symbols in Lascaux are sometimes interpreted as calendar or almanac use. But the evidence remains inconclusive. The most important work of the Mesolithic era were the marching Warriors, a rock painting at Cingle de la Mola, Castellón, Spain dated to about 7,000 to 4,000 BC. The technique used was probably spitting or blowing the pigments onto the rock. The paintings are quite naturalistic, though stylized. The figures are not three-dimensional, even though they overlap.


Rituals and beliefs
Modern studies and the in-depth analysis of finds dating from the Stone Age indicate certain rituals and beliefs of the people in those prehistoric times. It is now believed that activities of the Stone Age humans went beyond the immediate requirements of procuring food, body coverings and shelters. Specific rites relating to death and burial were practiced, though certainly differing in style and execution between cultures. Other rituals included birth, puberty and marriage. Several Stone Age-dated sites in different parts of the world indicate traces of dancing, dancing in files and initiation rites..

Abridged: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Communication Through Art

Communication Through Art
Art is the means by which we communicate what it feels like to be alive. In the past that was mixed up with other illustrative duties but that was still its central function that has been liberated in the art called modern.

All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness. At moments of great enthusiasm it seems that no one in the world has ever made art this beautiful and important. A sincere artist is not one who makes a faithful attempt to put on to canvas what is in front of him, but one who tries to create something which is, in itself, a living thing.

Reflect On Your Surroundings
If you sometimes need inspiration, reflect on your surroundings. You might find peace and joy in an exquisite photograph of nature's wonders, or beautiful thoughts beautifully expressed. Visualize this on paper, canvas, rock, etc. and you will soon find a way to transfer that vision, that feeling, into a beautiful work of art.

Your surroundings of Nature is not landscape, but the dynamism of visual forces.. an event rather than an appearance. These forces can only be tackled by treating color and form as ultimate identities, freeing them from all descriptive or functional roles.

Immerse Yourself In Your Sensations
Imagine your surroundings as a delicious dish. Take a moment to immerse yourself in your sensations. How does the dish smell or taste? When savoring the dish in your imagination, does it make you want to stretch like a cat, dance disco, or bounce like an excited puppy?

What sounds or music or rhythm could be associated with enjoying your dish? What colors or shape would it be framed by? What feelings does this dish evoke for you -- joy, comfort, sensuality, anticipation? What memories arise as you picture this dish, your art project? Now take a deep breath and bring yourself back to your project's current form. You just reconnected with your art!

Can,you dive right in to your project! If not, what is the missing ingredient and how can you invite it into your life? Your recipe for success is in the doing of your art.

I AM Creative
Just tell yourself, I am Creative! Creativity is not about inventing something totally new, it is about making new synergistic connections. You don't have to be a special kind of person to be creative – everyone can do it. It's not about who you are, it's about what you do. You just need to start looking for multiple solutions rather than settling for just one, and give yourself permission to be playful and inquisitive, flexible and versatile. Although creative people come from varied backgrounds, they all seem to have one thing in common – they love what they are doing.

The good news is that creativity is a skill and a talent that can be learned and developed through practice. By sharpening your thinking skills and exercising your natural creative powers, you can multiply the value of your efforts and rapidly increase the quantity and quality of your rewards.