Paint and Pixels

Arts and Crafts?? Czech!!

As you may or may not know, in exactly one week from today I will be traveling to the Czech Republic with a group of teenagers to work at an English camp for 2.5 weeks. Incase you're wondering, no, I don't speak Czech, but apparently you only have to be able to speak English to teach it (I guess we'll see). The past couple of months I have been occupied with planning curriculum, activities and art projects for the kids that will come to the camp. My favorite part has been planning the crafts. My second favorite part has been shopping online for all the supplies (on someone elses CC) and ending up with mounds of packages on my front step!... well... except for the temporary tattoo package that did NOT end up on my front step like it was supposed to... but that story I will save for my next blog post. My THIRD favorite part was getting to create samples of all the crafts we will be doing together. As soon as I return, I plan on doing all the crafts all over again with my own kids, who I will have most definately missed with all my heart!

Here are some of my favorite crafts I have planned: The teenagers wanted to do a tiedye project, so that is what this is. I couldn't find blank t-shirts for under a dollar each, but I did find these totebags for a dollar each, which works better anyways, because then we don't have to worry about size differences. The black dye (which typically doesn't come in store bought kits) gives it a mudmee tie dye look- a tie dye form that actually requires more skills than I have.

I remember doing this craft when I was a kid (and way less creative). I found this "solar nature print" paper online with 40 sheets for $8. At first, I was determined to figure out how to "skeletonize" leaves on my own. Just so you know, every single recipe and method on the internet DOES NOT work. I tried the boiling baking soda method, the bleach method, the stippling method- none work. Then I found that pre-skeletonized leaves are pretty cheap, so I just bought them. But THEN, one night while trying to unclog my kitchen sink (which is still clogged, by the way), I discovered a method that works! Draino. Soak a leaf overnight in Draino, and in the morning it will be skeletonized.
The solar paper develops in the sun leaving the silhouette of whatever was put on top of it. Then I added some color with watercolor paints. I can't wait to see what the kids in the Czech come up with!

Supposedly, hat painting was a big hit last year, so we're doing it again this year. We found these hats (in varying colors) at the dollar shop. Nothing too special about it, but my kids are still dying to do their own. And Roxanne has claimed my sample hat.

I am a decoupaging queen. I love love love to decoupage. For this craft, we got these 12X12 inch frames at Michaels for $1 each. Then I will bring my gigantic collection of things I've cut out of magazines and the kids can decoupage them onto their wooden frames. Brandi and I created this frame together, and we are also seen together in the photo displayed by the frame!

This craft goes along with the "fashion" lesson. I have been requesting free clothing catalogues which have been stuffing my mailbox for months now. I've clipped tons of clothing items out of the catalogues which the kids can collage into little people (as seen). Then they will have to demonstrate their fashion vocabulary by presenting it to the group and describing the clothing.

This necklace activity is also part of the English lesson. I bought these "woodsie" wooden dog tags online. The kids will go through magazines and cut out words that they think describe themselves and paste them onto the tag, which they can wear around their neck. This will help their English reading and comprehension skills (or so I think).

So, if you happen to think of me in the next couple of weeks, pray that I am making a difference in the Czech (for the teenagers I am going with and for the ones we'll be teaching), so that I won't be abondoning my children and husband in vain! Also pray that all the Czech kids will make wonderful beautiful crafts that I can take lots of pictures of and post on here (I should have internet connection while there)! Also, pray that when I come back, I can be an extra super fun awesome amazing mom, to make up for my absense while I am gone, and also to make up for all the neglecting I have been doing during preparation. And, finally, pray that my husband will miss me terribly and want me to never ever leave him again because he realizes how much he needs, loves, and cherishes me! And pray that I won't miss him too much.