Looking for a creative birthday gift for a budding artist? Check out the Little Crayon Roll-Up from A.B. Baby Boutique.

Available in six fun and funky fabrics, the roll-up comes with 10 crayons and has room for 36. Each crayon slides individually into crayon pockets (great for fine motor skill development). Two larger pockets are perfect for a glue stick, scissors or other small items.

Have a little more money to spend? Pick up a Little Artist Gift Set which includes a crayon roll-up and a matching apron. The apron ties at the neck and has two front pockets. Both items are machine washable (the apron is stain-treated).

Find these items and more at the A.B. Baby Boutique – www.abbabyboutique.com

It’s easy to pop in a DVD when you need to get dinner made or fold another load of clothes without “help” from your toddler. And if you’re like me, you’ve noticed it’s rare that you will find a DVD that doesn’t just require your child to sit on the couch.

Tot-a-doodle-do has created entire kits that include education DVDs and a fun hands-on activity for your kids. We got the Animal set which included the 30 minute DVD and a craft kit with everything we needed to make animal masks.

The DVD walks your child through the mask making step-by-step. It also includes other sections like Hop-n-Bop that encourage movement and hand-eye coordination. SuperSnack shows your child how to make a fun, creative snack that makes healthy eating fun.

I found the DVD to be a little dry and forced but the craft portion of the set is fantastic. They give you everything you need right down to the scissors and a bottle of glue. My two-year-old made the sheep mask while my four-year-old made the rabbit. The kit is for ages 3-7 and I would recommend it for the older end of that range. My husband and I had to pretty much do everything for my kids. They certainly enjoyed the project, but it wasn’t as hands on for them as it would’ve been for an older child.

The masks are a huge hit and we were woken up this morning to a rabbit and sheep parading around our bedroom. It’s given our daughters’ imagination a spark of creativity that has encouraged other conversations like why do sheep have wool, and what else do rabbits eat besides carrots.

The craft and DVD kits would be a perfect birthday gift and certainly offer an escape from the same old, same old things that keep piling up in toy boxes everywhere.

www.totadoodledo.com

The Newspaper Tree
This one is really easy. All you need is newspaper and a paper towel roll.

For younger children: Roll up the newspaper and insert it into paper towel tube. Have children tear the newspaper to make leaves. (In the photo the tree with ripped leaves is on the left.)

For children who can use scissors: Roll up the newspaper and insert it into the paper towel tube. Have children cut the newspaper to make leaves. You can fold the leaves like an accordion for a cool effect (pictured right).

Shaving Cream Table
One of my favorite summer time activities is a shaving cream table. It’s fun and easy to clean.

Spray shaving cream (not the gel kind) over a low table or on the ground. Let the children have at it with trucks, cars, spatulas, craft sticks or with their hands. You’ll provide hours of fun and take only minutes to clean. Add food coloring to the shaving cream to jazz things up.

Visit FunWellDone.com for great projects with all the fixins included.

Keep Old Magazines on Hand
Trying to clean out some of that clutter in ‘07 and don’t know what to do with all of your old magazines? Save them in your children’s creativity corner and bring them out for an indoor “scavenger hunt” while learning what makes your child “tick.”

Ask your child to find pictures of his favorite foods, favorite activities, favorite places or even favorite colors and glue them to construction paper.

Create one about you so that your child can get to know you a little bit better as well.

You can also have your child cut small shapes of different colors and textures and sort them into Ziploc bags for creating mosaics. If your child has trouble using scissors, have them show you the objects that they would like to cut out for their collage OR teach them to tear around the object. Not only is this a great bonding activity on a rainy day, but your child will also develop her sorting and fine motor skills along the way.

Puppet gloves: Reenact your favorite storybook or song. Using a glove, construction paper, glue, markers, yarn (etc.) make a face (from the story/song) for each finger. Your child will love acting out their favorite story/song.

Handprint: Make a handprint (or footprint) of your child using Plaster of Paris. When dries, let them paint it. Hang it up or give it to someone special.

Valentine’s Day Heart: Cut a large heart out of paper. Punch holes out along the edge of the heart. Let your child lace the heart with ribbon or string. Then, in the center of the heart make a picture for someone you love.

Modern art: Take several tubes of colored glue (any craft store) and drizzle one at a time onto a piece of paper. Let dry and hang up your masterpiece.

Family tree: Find a twig with several branches outside and place the end of the twig in a lump of clay. Place it in a sturdy cup. Now, using green construction paper cut out leaves for your tree and punch a hole at one end of the leaf. Write the names of each person in your family on a leaf and tie a piece of string to it. Hang your leaves on the tree (start at the bottom with the grandparents and work your way up).

Bird Feeder: Find some pinecones outside and tie a piece of string on one end of the pinecone. Spread peanut butter on the pinecones and roll in birdseed, sunflower seeds, cornmeal or oats. Hang on a tree and watch the birds enjoy!

Edible Aquarium: Make blue Jell-O and pour into clear cups. When the Jell-O has almost set, place some gummy fish into your blue sea. Allow the Jell-O to completely set and enjoy!

Entertaining your baby doesn’t have to be expensive or require batteries. Here are a few ideas for simple and fun activities for Clever Parents and their babies.

1. Edible Art. Place a large piece of wax paper in front of your toddler. Put some chocolate syrup or pudding on the wax paper. Allow her to create designs (letters or numbers) while enjoying a special treat. If you let it dry, you can hang the masterpiece.

2. Peek-a-boo. Place a small toy under a blanket and play peek-a-boo. Your baby will love watching it disappear.

3. Make a megaphone. Use an empty paper towel roll and have your toddler decorate it. She will love speaking through this homemade megaphone.

Running With Scissors Activity: Michelangelo Painting

Materials:

• Information on Michelangelo – use the Internet for info or check out one of these great kid-friendly books Michelangelo (Famous Children’s Series) by Tony Hart – starting at $4.36 Amazon.com or Michelangelo (Gettting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists) by Mike Venezia – starting at $3.78 at Amazon.com – or take a field trip to the local library for FREE!
• Tape
• Large sheets of drawing paper
• Low table
• Paint
• Paintbrushes
• Drop Cloth (large trashbags torn open work great)
• smock or old T-shirt

Read with your child about Michelangelo and his life as an artist. Focus on his painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Look at pictures of his artwork together.
Tape paper to the underside of the table and put the drop cloth down. Let your child lie on her back and paint on the underside of the table until her heart’s content. Hopefully this novel approach will inspire your little one to want to paint more than one painting.

Discuss what it must have been like for Michelangelo to paint this way (on his back on scaffolding) for years and years!

1. String Cheerios or Friutloops on a piece of string/yarn to make a bracelet/necklace.
2. On a special outing, like the beach, pick up beautiful seashells and other beach things and place them in a bag.� Mark the bag with the place and date and add it to a keepsake box.� You can reminisce about these things on a rainy day.
3. Grab a blanket and lie on your back to watch the clouds, birds and planes go by.
4. Plan a garden together using small pot (herb or flowers).� You can place them on the porch or near an inside window.

To the casual observer, Jackson Pollock’s (early/middle-twentieth century) work appears to be random paint splatters. In reality, this artist planned everything he put onto his canvases. The abstract designs are carefully dripped, or actively thrown, depending on the mood of the piece. There is no question that each of Pollock’s paintings is unique!

Materials: tempera poster paints (any 3 or 4 bright colors), neutral-colored construction paper, several small toy vehicles (hotwheels, matchbox-type). Styrofoam meat trays or plastic lids, one per color of paint, and tape. Plus, newspaper or some other material to cover your work surface, to supplement your supervision..!

Procedure: Lay out paper horizontally, and secure with tape. Place vehicles into a shallow puddle of paint, one color at a time. Roll the vehicles across the paper, tracking the paint in different types of lines. try different colors with different vehicles. Overlapping is good, and notice how different some of the tracks can be. Also, notice what happens when certain colors mix…

Opportunity for extension: See images of some works of Jackson Pollock here. A real lesson can be made of this project by limiting the palette to primary colors (red, yellow, and blue), with the goal of generating secondary colors (orange, green, and violet).

1. Crayons
2. Markers
3. Paper
4. Finger Paints
5. Play Dough
6. Chalk
7. Books
8. Puzzles
9. Bubbles

As a very young child, his father drew with him, inspiring creativity and confidence in art from an early age. So it just seemed natural for him to become an art teacher. Patrick, who currently teaches grades K-5, has been teaching art for thirteen years and academically gifted for five.

“Showing children that they can be successful is the best way to inspire,” says Patrick. “Modeling plus encouragement equals confidence.”

Patrick’s favorite art method is doodling, “which is technically drawing I suppose,” said Patrick.”Also I like painting and clay!” Patrick also shares his creativity with his two children, a 2 and a half year old daughter and a six month old son. “My daughter loves to draw, and we also do a lot of sculpture (mostly animals, mostly Play-doh).”

What can you look forward to Patrick sharing in the future? “I plan to share some ideas for very small groups, or one large and one small pair of hands…”

- Patrick Hitesman, Clever Parent to Emily, 2 ½, and Gabriel, 6 months, teaches art and academically gifted students in the Wake County school system and is available to paint in-home murals in nurseries and children’s rooms during the 2006 summer months. To discuss a mural project with Patrick email him here.

See Patrick’s first Clever Parents column, a wonderful painting activity for preschoolers: Jackson Pollock-Inspired Abstract Paintings.

Examples of Patrick’s Custom Mural Projects:

Mural of Monet footbridge, in Patrick’s daughter’s room, left. Painted television doors, right.

Clever Parents loves Hugh’s Room for one-of-a-kind, hand-painted pieces and custom room design. Owner, artist and art teacher, Ashley Peay-Bettini delivers on her promise, ‘If you can dream it, we can create it!’While driving home from work one day from an unsatisfying job, Ashley asked herself, “What are you passionate about?” The answer was immediately clear — children and art — and the next day she was on the phone with the Meredith College art department enrolling in classes. “Two and a half years and 72 credit hours later, I received my degree in Art Education and have been teaching ever since.”

After the birth of Ashley’s son, Hugh in 2004, she combined her love of children, painting and design to create her own business designing children’s rooms and nurseries. The result, beautiful and one-of-a-kind pieces ranging from nightlights and painted frames to shelves, tables, rocking chairs, keepsake stools and custom paintings to match your child’s room décor.

One of the unique things about Ashley’s services is that she encourages customers to be a part of the design process. Would you like to ‘immortalize’ your child’s first piece of artwork in a personalized step-stool? Perhaps you already have a theme for your room, but would like to add original and fun accessories to finish the look? Maybe you already have a piece of furniture you’d like to have personalized and spruced-up? Consult with Hugh’s Room on colors, theme and your inspirations, and watch the creativity process embark right before your eyes.

Clever Parents caught up with Ashley to talk about inspirations, do-it-yourself painting parties, involving young children in art projects and the shoebox Barbie dream house.

Clever Parents: What is your background? Have you always been creative?
Ashley Peay-Bettini: I received an English degree, with a minor in art (concentration in graphic design) and concentration in professional communications from Meredith College in Raleigh and an Art Education degree – certification K-12 – also from Meredith.

Yes, I have always been creative and have always loved working with my hands. As a child I spent more time creating Barbie furniture from shoeboxes and other household items than I did actually “playing” with the dolls. I played the flute in the band in school, so I never got the chance to participate in art classes after elementary school, but loved taking afterschool workshops and some community art classes here and there.

CP: What are your favorite mediums?
APB: As an art teacher, I must admit that I like to “dabble” in all mediums, but probably if I had to choose one or two, I would choose painting. I also enjoy creating small clay pieces and working with stained glass.

CP: Tell us about Hugh’s Room.
APB: Hugh’s Room is my small business that specializes in personalized décor for children’s rooms and nurseries. All of my services involve paint! I offer services as small as painted photo frames, wall letters, night lights, and lightswitch plates, but also paint small furniture, canvas chair covers, cornice boards, headboards, and large canvases. I am glad to paint on previously owned pieces or supply the piece myself. I love to help parents design wall art or entire nursery or kids’ room themes around inexpensive bedding or pieces that they already have on hand.

Another service that I am REALLY looking forward to is “Do-it-Yourself” painting parties. These parties will be for baby showers and mom & tot play dates or birthday parties. I bring all supplies, creative juices, and clean up all of the mess! I will consult with expectant moms ahead of time to discuss nursery colors and themes and then prepare all of the decor items that she is interested in for painting. Guest will simply show up and be prepared to paint on a “paint-by-number” designed my the new mom and myself. This way, they can be a part of helping their friend out with preparing for the new little one, but in a relaxed environment and with no pressure to be creative themselves.

CP: How did you come up with the idea for Hugh’s Room?
APB: I came up with the idea in an effort to make some extra spending money while staying at home with my son Hugh and soon-to-be new addition, Alex. I enjoyed designing Hugh’s nursery and his “big boy room” so much and have had several friends ask for my help since. A good friend of mine, Mandy Vick, was in the process of starting her own monogramming business, Mini Monograms, and she inspired me to move forward with all of my ideas. I probably owe “Hugh’s Room” to her as she has been such a huge support in this endeavor. My ideas for products are coming faster than my paintbrush can paint…So, “Hugh’s Room” was born and will hopefully grow as my boys do.

CP: Tell us about recreating a child’s artwork on a piece of furniture.
APB: I am an extremely sentimental person and love to hold onto everything of any sentimental value. This is where the idea for “Keepsake Stools” was born as I was trying to think of a way to keep, preserve, and DISPLAY Hugh’s very first painting. I thought that it would be neat to incorporate it into a piece of furniture that was “lasting” in terms of style – one that I could use for many, many years and was not necessarily “kid oriented.” So, I worked to figure out how to scan and reproduce the artwork (while preserving the original) and then incorporated the monogram in as an accent – using Hugh’s first brushstrokes as a back drop. I look forward to being able to create a stool for someone that has a “family portrait” painted by a child on it…how much fun would that be?

CP: What’s next for Hugh’s Room?
APB: I hope to eventually develop a “brother store” called Alex’s Attic that will be consignment for old nursery and children’s bedding in an effort to build up inventory in a “warehouse” that can help with the design of rooms for Hugh’s Room Designs.

CP: What are some creative ways you involve your preschooler in art projects?
APB: Preschoolers love to explore and, of course, this is how they learn. I feel that a lot of parents are “afraid” to involve their little ones in art projects too soon, probably a little bit because of the mess. I don’t think that it’s ever too soon and Hugh loves to paint! He created his first painting at 16 months. I think that the best way to involve him in art projects is to simply get out the materials, prepare myself for a mess, and let him have fun getting to know the materials. Also, if I am involved in a “craft” project and he seems interested, well, then I always allow him to join in by giving him some of the “same” items and letting him work along beside me. For example, stickers are a favorite for him when I am working on his scrapbook. By letting him work beside me, I hope to teach him that creativity is definitely contagious!

To see more of Hugh’s Room projects and furniture, visit www.hughsroom.biz.

Bettini family picture (top right) courtesy of Robin Cotten Photography, Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina.