This past week I finally got around to breaking out the watercolor paints. It’s been a while. We usually don’t get around to much of that kind of thing in the summer time. There is to much to do outdoors to bother. And it seems to be the last thing that I’m getting around to, in slowly getting back into a rhythm with this school year (hey, I’m doing language arts, social studies, math, reading, science, recorder, form drawing, and hand-crafts, as well as an array of other outside activities, all while entertaining a toddler and growing an entire person, so give me a break).

They were really excited to have a chance to paint again and it ended up being an all afternoon affair.

First they did paintings for their main lesson books. This one is Noah’s Ark, by Iain. Elijah painted “M” shaped mountains on one paper and a “D” shaped door on another to go with the letter story I’ve been telling him. We later cut out the door and glued the edge to the mountains so that it could open and close.

We has some issues with these paintings being moved a little too soon, causing lines to blur, so they went back in with colored pencils and crayons to fill in the lost details, after the paintings were dry.

Inspired by this post, over at Small Wonders, the little one and I painted a bunch of unfinished wooden beads to add to his collection of wooden spools for threading.

I’m very pleased with how they turned out. They look so pretty in their little basket and it was so much fun to have a little craft project, just the two of us together.

Next, the big boys made pumpkins to decorate the house…
These cheerful little jack ‘o lanterns are by Elijah.

And some more of their homemade “fancy” colored paper…

The beads were a huge hit. I’ve added them to Galen’s school time basket. They are a popular project for while the bigger boys are doing work at the table. Also a favorite for when Mommy is making dinner!

He really loves them!