Creative fun on the North Shore

Our family went on vacation to the north shore of Lake Superior recently. My husband's parents came along with us, and we all had a fabulous time despite the chilly northern Minnesota weather.

We spent a lot of time chillin' out at the beach, enjoying the waves and relaxing near a bon fire. On the first day, Abuelo (that's Spanish for Grandpa) built this for the kids:

Now, that's what I call creative outdoor fun!

Playing in the leaves

Today was an unseasonably GORGEOUS fall day. 

We spent it raking and playing with leaves! We have the misfortune of having no trees in our yard, so we traipsed across the street to an elderly neighbor's house and asked if we could have their leaves. They seemed happy to oblige.... we cleaned up their yard and brought the piles home! 

All kids like to jump in a pile of leaves. Now, what else can they think of? 

My kids played a game they invented, like a combination of duck-duck-goose and tag, with some leaf-throwing and pile jumping involved. They also:

were eggs in a nest

made leaf-angels

target-practiced with foam swords

and, oh yeah: they did plenty of jumping!

Happy raking!

What do you see?

A heart

It's fun to look for patterns in nature. We may see elephants in the clouds, dragons in a fallen log, or shapes in clusters of leaves.

The next time you and your kiddos are out walking in the park, take a closer look at the things around you. What patterns do you and your children see?

Who knows? Maybe there is a goblin in a tree stump just waiting to be discovered!

A dragon or sea serpent?

Add to this creative endeavor by turning your discovery walk into a scrapbooking or journaling project. Your kiddos might enjoy creating captions for the photos you snapped while you explored.

What do you see?

Give your kid a camera!

One day last summer my family had a photography contest. Each of us (except Dad--he was the judge) took a series of pictures at a nearby park. When we were done, I loaded the pictures onto the computer and each of us chose two to enter into our friendly little contest. Dad, the judge, chose one of my oldest daughter's close-ups as the winning photograph. But there was no award besides bragging rights.

What was the purpose of that venture?

The primary purpose was simply to have a little fun. It gave us something to do that we had never done before and was a fresh excuse to get the family out of the house and out into the summer sun. But it was also an opportunity for my kids to explore a creative art form--photography--in a relaxed, non-threatening way.

Giving your child a camera and letting them go a little crazy with it (Ah, the wonders of going digital!) is a fabulous way to encourage them to look a little closer at their world. Some kids might experiment with close-ups, like in my daughter's photo of a thistle blossom:

They might try looking at the world at a slightly different angle, like my other daughter's shot of Lake Superior:

Or they might find something of interest in something that most of us wouldn't look twice at, like my son did when he took this photo:

Do you see the bee?

Give your kid a camera, and you just might be surprised at what they see, and how they see it!

Other tips for sharing photography with your kids:

• Look for photography at art shows and galleries. Talk about the photos with your kids. What do they like or dislike? What, in their view, makes a good photograph?
• Sort through old photographs at antique stores (or in family albums--ha) and use it as an opportunity to talk about how photography has changed over the years.
• Talk about the different ways photographers can earn a living.
• Consider encouraging your child to enter a real photography contest. 

Some photography resources:

• http://www.betterphoto.com/photography-for-kids.asp
• Photography for Kids: Tips from the Pros -- National Geographic Kids
• Thomas D. Mangelsen -- Images of Nature Gallery

The Outdoor Canvas

Making a mess with paint can be fabulous fun at any age, but bringing the mess outside is a great way to encourage expression without worrying about the clean-up! And with summer upon us, it is another way to get the kids outside for some sun and fresh air. Here are some ideas to get your kids creating outside:

• Grab a large bucket of sidewalk chalk and set them loose on the driveway. Nothing forces creativity quite like a blank canvas--especially an outdoor one!
• Another way to temporarily decorate your driveway is with sidewalk paint. Just mix together 1/4 cup of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and add a few drops of food coloring. The kids will love it and, best of all, it washes right off. Tip: save used applesauce cups and use them for mixing the paints.

The yellow paint spilled, but it looked interesting anyway.

• Smooth the sand in the sandbox and have your kids draw in it with their fingers.
• Gather items from nature (sticks, leaves, etc.) and have your children arrange them as a picture or collage. When you're done, the items can be thrown in the yard waste or compost pile.

Have fun, and don't forget to grab your camera!