Our Craft Sheet

Those who have been reading Magical Childhood for a while know that I often recommend sheet painting.  It’s even one of the first crafts I put up on the original Magical Childhood site.

We have been using an old white bed sheet for crafts and sheet painting for over a dozen years now. 

In the summer time, we hang it on the clothes line and the kids use paint to decorate it. 

Sometimes we put it on the ground and they decorate it with their feet. 

Sometimes it’s washable paint, sometimes not. 

The sheet looks different every year and every project. 

In the winter time and on rainy days, the sheet is our art tablecloth.  It doesn’t matter how messy or staining an activity is, because if it stains the craft sheet it just adds more character and another memory. 

I love my craft sheet and it makes me smile every time I spread it on the table or hang it on the line for another round of staining. 

It’s so amazing to look at little one year old Fiona using it now and remembering when her teenage sisters were making those stains. 

You can use any old flat bed sheet for an art cloth or pick one up for a dollar or two from a thrift store. 

I highly recommend starting your own. 

You’ll never find another bunch of stains to make you smile more.  🙂

 

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10 Ways to Make Today Magical

Happy Monday!

Sorry for my terrible absences.  We’ve been quite busy with late spring busywork like putting in gardens and some fun adventures like a quick trip to the Badlands.

If you’ve never been to that magical place in South Dakota, I highly recommend it.

We made “home”-cooked meals in the microwave at night for supper and had picnic lunches in order to do it on a budget, and it was just an amazing experience.  We can’t wait to go back!

If you don’t have giant rock structures to climb near you, here’s a few super simple ways to make some magic this week….

1.  Find a new-to-you park to go play at.

2.  Make easy microwave puffy paint, and come up with fun projects to make with it.  Yes, you can make it in the oven, too, if you don’t have a microwave.  🙂

3.  Feeling worn out, fighting morning sickness or otherwise not feeling up to much in the way of magic-making?  Let the kids use markers and decorate mama.  🙂

(taken when I was quite pregnant with Fiona, and another child gave me the lovely pedicure!)

4.  Get out the hose and make a fabulous mud pit for the kids to play in.  Every child should get to go wild in the mud at least once per summer (hopefully lots more!), and they can just rinse off in the sprinkler when done.

5.  Let the kids experiment with temporary hair dye.  You too, if you’re brave enough!

6.  Head to a science museum.

7.  Find a living history event to go visit.  Either tour a permanent site or look for a Renaissance Festival or Civil War event coming to the area.  Dress up, if possible!

(Look what I get to wear for a Civil War event later this month!)

8.  Bake bread together.

9.  Try preserving some of your garden or neighborhood flowers in homemade perfume.

10.  Make watermelon playdough.

And with that, I’m off again, hopefully for less time this time!

Have a magical week. 

Don’t forget to take care of you!  🙂