Friday Fun

  Another toy of my youth was Lincoln Logs.  There's something about these logs that are very entertaining. Endless opportunities to build.

  The easiest thing I have found for construction of a log home is to get the pieces assorted.

  I will admit that there was initially a fight to grab all the big pieces because that's a requirement for a house but surprisingly one child took off in a different creative spin.

A rocket was made!

Then all of a sudden I had a parking lot full of cars.    My imagination as a child never went to these two creative spots.

 Let's decide what is going to be built and get building!

The foundation needs to be laid down.

Keep in mind where your property is going to be because you can't move the structure very easily once it's built.

More then one house can be built and located anywhere.  This one was not built under a table it was on a hill under the trees. 

Every town needs a store!

Now I have had these toys since childhood and they have survived.  The kids love when I pull them out because it's a new toy to them and it's fun to build.  Its neat to watch them figure out where to put pieces.  They haven't seen a real log cabin home in person that would be a fun family trip! After that experience they may ask for more logs to build more variations.

Were Lincoln Logs in your home? I think I even seem them in the store so that's nice that they are still selling them!

A Trip to Virginia MOCA

  MOCA stands for Museum Of Contemporary Art!  Contemporary is defined is art that is the product and reflection of the culture in which we live.


  My daughter and I visited the Virginia Moca last weekend on a free weekend!  What a great way to introduce us to an art museum we had never been to and to a different style of art my daughter has never seen. 

My favorite thing about an art museum is not the creativity behind it although that is spectacular but, that it changes.  You can always go and see something new.

This art featured was so amazing to look at.  I had to refrain from touching it because it was so unbelievable.  Cardboard was constructed into shapes and positions.

Cardboard!!!! These were just the start.  These were made by art students in high school.  This wasn't even the main event!

Right this way!!

My daughter told me to go first.   I mean who knows what's beyond that black hole.

Magic! Art is magic!  

The Monitorium exhibit was created by artist, puppeteer and more Wayne White.  Here he focused on the history of the Battle of Hampton Roads with the Ironclad ships.  In this exhibit you see sailors, ship related objects and there is even some fun hands on experiences.  You can read more about the artist here.

Next stop we got to see all things "don't touch"!

The objects in the next room were made up of wires or glass but we're on stands or tables.  So they were very tempting. If she saw something, she got excited and immediately wanted to point it out.

I think her favorite after all that we saw was the art lab area.  This area encouraged people both young and old to leave your art.  You know after seeing everything you have become inspired! 

First stop was a picture on a piece of paper stuck on to the wall.

Next stop was cardboard!!! Behold the community board of artistic creativity!

I would say we stayed at least an hour and a half or so.  She had fun looking at all the different pieces of art and creating her own.

It was definitely a great way to spend an afternoon.  We had time together. We experienced a new place and some new art together! I'm glad she is open to visiting different places.  

Driving down Candy Lane

  There I was with my kids enjoying the movie Wreck-It Ralph when I released what a perfect idea it would be to make a car based on the fun candy car that Vanellope (The Glitch) raced with!

   Her car was made up with the gummy worm wheels, sprinkles, chocolate syrup, gumdrops, cookies and all other yummy things.  I thought how fun it would be to make one.  Enter Halloween candy! 

  Yep, and surprisingly my daughter had more then I thought!  I don't know how she managed to have so much.  When it was candy time I clearly asked her brother for candy and not her.  We will remedy this situation now.

  I let the kids grab whatever they wanted to use to make their car.  My daughter grabbed her one and only Rice Krispy treat. My son had to take more time and be creative with his.  I also joined in the fun with my own idea.

  My daughter had a head start on her car.  It was coming out great.  She had wheels, a driver, steering wheel.

 My son decided he was making a car boat!  He was the one guilty of the most candy consumption during this process but, definitely the one with the biggest imagination!

  After all my suggestions I had to jump into the fun too.  I had so many endless wheel suggestions but changed it up based on limited options.

 We all used a variety of candy to assemble our cars!  Tootsie Rolls, Gobstoppers, candy bars, lifesavers, gummy bears, Dots, Nerds and more 

Even though my son's surrounded his boat with water.

We had a race!

I applaud my kids for the good time they gave me.  They had fun, helped each other with suggestions for parts and there was no arguing!

The race was a three way tie but, our bellies won in the end!

When we were making these I thought what a fun idea for a birthday party activity or movie theme activity!

I'm not going to assume everyone else still has Halloween candy but, do you have Christmas candy left?  

Brickfest Live in Richmond

  This weekend Oct 7 and 8 from 8 am -6pm at the Richmond Convention Center located at 403 N. 3rd St. Richmond, VA 23219 is the Brickfest Live event!

  If you love to see sculptures come for the artistic beauty of it.  If your looking for a hands on experience bring your imagination!  

This will be a fun event for the whole family.  Plan on staying awhile as in addition to the sculptures you can see and build there are many interactive areas to include a Brickfest Derby and mini golf.  There will also be shopping available to add to your home Lego collection.

 My readers get to save $3 off your tickets with promo code  USFGTHREE.

Spring Foam Fun

  It's spring time and that gives us a chance to take a closer look at little creatures and appreciate colors and flowers.   I thought it would be nice to make our own spring scene on the window.

  I thought about what spring meant to me.  Flowers, sun, birds, clouds, ladybugs and spiders.  I am working on a couple more pieces that I'll add to it and I'm sure I will get special requests.

  I cut out pieces out of foam and colored some of them to fit my image.  I had foam on hand from separate purchases at The Dollar Store and Walmart.

  I was busy cutting and making details on like things like spots for the ladybug and legs for the spider to list a few.  It didn't take that much more effort but sometimes it makes me feel better when things I make can be identified without questions.

For these to stick on the window they need a little water. To minimize mess I added a small amount of water into a medicine cup and added a paper napkin. Just dip your finger in.

The medicine cup is just the right size for little fingers.  Dip your finger in the cup then wipe the water onto the foam.

Stick the foam piece on the window. It's all about the placement. So of course the clouds are getting placed in the sky.

This is a super inexpensive way to keep your kids constructively busy.  I will be using this as a learning tool for my son.

What color is this flower?

How many legs are on the spider?

What are the leaves attached to?

What shape is the sunrays?

We have previously played with foam pieces in the bathtub as well check that out here.

Next up I will be making a foam garden with vegetables! It will probably do better then a real garden tended by me. 

Getting creative with chalk markers (review)

  Say hello to the new markers in town.  I have been eyeing these chalk markers for a while and got to try them out.

  Think of art.  Think of bright colors. Think of your art being enhanced to another level.  All of that can happen with these markers. You can make your statement with these marker!

  12 colors to include gold and silver have you covered for all your coloring needs.

 The marker also have a 2 tip option. 6mm point allowing for a thin outline or a thick shade.

The reversible tips are easy to pull out and flip over in order to change the tip out.

  To get started with the markers you need to push the tip down first, followed by shaking them then press tip down to fill with ink on surface.

  These markers perform best on nonporous areas.  It is suggested to test on small areas prior to using them.

  I used them on a chalkboard! Tried on the corner with a successful removal when I wiped it off.

This is the board after I wiped off the marker.

Everything came off but the gold lettering was a little harder to get off. You can still see traces of it after I scrubbed it off.  

You can also use it for special messages on your mirror!

Grab some velcro and leave a pen there for those times when grocery items pop in.

Overall I think the markers are great.  They are a fun item to use on anything and I really like the bright colors.  I can't wait till I get some blackboard labels and I will be labeling everything.

I received this product for a discount on exchange for my honest review and all opinions are my own. 

Pick up a pack or two for stocking stuffers here! Kids, adults and all aspiring adults will appreciate these.  

#artcolors

Turkey Day

A turkey day from nature.

Grab a pinecone, leaves in different shapes and colors, and glue!

I drizzled glue into the crevices of the pinecone and then inserted the leaves.  Stack the leaves in largest to smallest from the back working your way forward.  See how I added my bigger leaves in the back and even added the colored ones in the front.

I cut out the head, beak and wattle and glued them together; then added the eyes.  Again you can add a drizzle of glue in the pinecone or just wedge it in.

I obviously skipped the feet part but I did use the caps of a milk container to prop them up or even angle them and it worked out perfect! 

Great project for kids and the uniqueness  of  their turkeys will shine through.

Gobble, gobble

#Nablopomo

Chalk One Up (review)

  A few weeks ago we visited a sidewalk art festival.  My kids enjoyed seeing what people had drawn on the sidewalk as much as I did.  They even saw a few artist still in action which helped to solidify that they were drawn by people and it was possible for them to do the same thing.

I am  not sure what the theme was but they were able to pick out familiar things to them.  It was definitely a family event as there was something for everyone to see. Musicians depicted as well as cartoon characters.

I don't know about you but when I was a child growing up sidewalk chalk was cut and dry. You had a package of a few colors and that was it.  Now the kids have so many options available to them that our neighborhoods should never be boring again!

We picked up this bucket full of sidewalk fun for hours.

  The bucket has 4 stencils.  They are made of a nice durable plastic and easy enough for little ones to shade in for a picture.

  A variety of egg shaped chalk pieces.

Look, creating that rainbow just got easier with this 3 in 1 chalk holder.

 Multiple colors and styles of straight chalk pieces. All thick and easy to grab for all fingers. Of course they have yet to make chalk indestructible; see the red one.

4 colorful chalk grips.  One for a few different shades or one for each child.

The grips I thought were neat because if your child hates to get chalk on their hands, needs a little extra help holding them or for that genius artist in your house to fine tune their artwork with precision.

Talk about a bucket of endless possibilities.  The age is 4+ and I would say that any age would enjoy the different tools and colors available to them.  The bucket is nice in itself that everything does fit back nicely and readily available for next time.

I picked this bucket up at Walmart.  I was not paid nor was this a free item.  I am merely sharing my opinion of a great outside activity item for your child.  All opinions mentioned are solely mine.