The Write Start

Blank Paper

As someone who writes about writing, there is something that gets me wildly fired-up:

A blank piece of paper.

Really. I'm passionate about blank paper.

How does one get all passionate about a blank page, you ask? Let me tell you. My head just gets all spinny when I imagine the endless possibilities that a blank piece of paper represents.

When and where did this condition of mine start? I have to say, it probably all started about a year ago in the mission control room of NASA.

You see, one day my space-obsessed son and I were watching the first test launch of a newly-designed rocket ship on television. Luckily this trial flight was scheduled to be brief (about 2 minutes, I think) because we were holding our breath the entire time. When all signs pointed to success, the cameras turned to the mission control room where steely-eyed rocket scientists were cheering, hugging, and even tearing up. Then, someone official, maybe the mission commander, stood up to address the team. He started off by saying something to the effect of, "...and to think that only two years ago this whole thing started out with a blank piece of paper...."

[insert jaw drop here.]

I remember that morning so clearly because Jack and I stood side-by-side, staring at that screen, both blown away by what had just happened. He, awestruck by the magnitude of this mighty piece of engineering going to infinity and beyond. And me, reeling from the realization that blank pieces of paper have quite possibly launched nearly an infinite number of ideas into the universe.

I mean, how many great events in history, and in life, have started with a blank piece of paper? It truly boggles the mind.

That's why, despite so much competing for my kids' attention these days, I'm committed to making sure they have the write stuff. And I'm not talking about anything out-of-this world either. I'm talking about a steady supply of blank paper and the skills and confidence to know what to do with it. My hope is that a love of writing, learned early, will help them turn all of their Big Ideas into a reality.

Yup. Some people see a blank piece of paper. Me, I see unlimited possibility.

How about you? Are you on the same page with me on this one?

Nature Table

We've had a nature table on our back porch for a few years now. In its former life, it was actually a shoe bench in an old office of mine. (I got it from IKEA years ago, I don't see it there now, but this bench looks like its cubby-less cousin.) It changes with the season, of course, but this summer it has gotten so much use as a sorting station for all of our beach booty. 

The basket-filled cubbies are perfect for storing other nature finds, such as acorns, pine cones, bird nests, egg shells, and rocks. We also keep important nature-related tools in the baskets, such as binoculars, magnifying glasses, a flashlight, a jar with holes for bug catch-and-release, and little notebooks for recording observations.

Recently I added the little chalkboards for labeling flora and fauna and flotsam and jetsam.

A little nature-lovin' + a little learnin' = so. much. fun.

By the way, I'm in total denial that summer is drawing to a close. You might have to indulge me with my backyard posts until December....

Alfresco Art

A group art project was on the agenda at Camp Mom the other day. It was Baba's birthday, and I planted the seed for the three grandkids to work together to make her a piece of original art. I bought a large artist's canvas at the craft store (thanks to a handy-dandy 40% off coupon). Gracie, a mixologist-in-training, helped me with some color-mixing. I had some mixed media on my mind...

First, some bubble painting. I prepped for this by adding a little food coloring to some bubble solution (or bubble juice, as we call it around here). We added wands, blew, and enjoyed watching the bubbles add pops of color to the canvas. The effect reminds me of fireworks: the paint bursts from the bubbles, then drips down a little bit, and finally disappears. A definite crowd pleaser!

Then on to marble painting. The kids dropped marbles into paint that we mixed in small jars, swirled them around, and rolled them across the canvas. We used a kiddie pool to contain the canvas, when we found that we kept loosing our marbles in the grass. This was a fun-filled, free-for-all of color and movement and action. It kept their interest for a long time as they experimented with different colors, re-positioned the canvas to change the direction of the streaks, and tried single vs. multiple marble combinations. This effect reminded me of streamers across the canvas: full of intense color and motion.

Finally, we dipped one finger at a time into paint, and made little tiny fingerprints all over the canvas. One one hand, it was a way for the kids to "sign" their art. On the other hand, it was a great way to work on some more refined control after all of that big movement. In my eyes, these tiny fingerprints looked liked confetti on our "Carnival of Color" canvas. Simply beautiful. 

The biggest challenge with group art is finding a balance among the different ages and stages of the young artists. I found that all it took were a few easy yet creative techniques to equalize the art, and keep it engaging for all. In the backyard that day we erased the artistic differences between an abstract expressionist (Gracie, age 2), a budding impressionist (Courtney, age 4), and a realist (Jack, age 6). We created both a unified piece of art and a great cooperative experience. We gifted the painting to Baba along with a picture of the young artists. I hope she loves it as much as we loved making it for her.

Spelling in the Grass

Apparently the only thing better than playing with alpha rocks on the back deck...

is playing with alpha rocks in the grass.

Enough said. 

Alpha Rocks

We made some alpha rocks at Camp Mom last week, an idea that has been floating around in my head since I saw this post last summer. We prepared by picking up all of the smoothest pebbles we could find, and giving them a quick wash and dry. Instead of stamping letters on the rocks, however, I decided to show the kids how to use rub-on letters to 'up' the fine motor challenge a notch. (I grabbed the letters for 99 cents at Michaels; I see they're also available here.)

I cut out the individual letters. The kids took each letter, placed it on a rock (shiny side up) and rubbed over the letter with a stick until it "magically" transferred on to the stone. There is a momentary wow! factor which is quite reinforcing. Especially since it takes a bit of effort for little hands to stabilize the small rock in one hand while moving the stick with the other. This requires some coordination, but, once mastered, the kids are off and running. And you can feel great knowing that this kind of coordination also prepares them for other fine motor tasks that require one hand to take the lead while the other hand assists, such as stabilizing the paper while writing, cutting paper with scissors, buttoning and zippering, and so on, and so on.

And once you're done with all of that work you have a great set of alpha rocks which doubles as pretty, playful, and practical decor. Ours are planted on the backyard table right now for some naturally-occurring word play. So. Much. Fun. Especially when you find messages like this one...

This rocked my world the other day. Gotta love it!