I'm thinking about tomorrow's art class. We had a structured exercise the first week (color wheels and rainbows and the "Rainbow Boy," R.G. Biv). The second week we played (fanciful foil sculptures and free play time). This week it might be time for a little more structure again. Perhaps head and torso outlines on craft paper.

The colored marker will slightly tickle our head and shoulders as it makes our outline on the brown paper. We are always surprised by how big we are - how we fill our space. Then we color in our heads and upper bodies however we want to - literally or symbolically - with tempera paints, requiring a tarp on the floor and old t-shirts over our clothing. We may want to learn a little something about making a human face (the eyes are in the middle!). Then the background. Where are we? Are we in the color blue? Are we in a forest?

This is a two-hour project, meaning, in this case, two weeks - and attention spans to match. I think my girls are up to it.

Supply list:

Big tarp (got it)

Big t-shirts (got 'em)

Big paper

Washable markers (got 'em)

Tempera paint (need more colors)

Brushes

Photos to prove human eyes are in the middle of the head, not the top (got lots). There are other ways to demonstrate this. For example, I sometimes make dots by their eyes while outlining their heads. What a surprise!