Beading Tips For Kids

We always do a lot of projects around our house.  My oldest daughter Emma loves to do anything that involves beading.  She works a lot with clear elastic and makes bracelets to give her friends.  Instead of tying knots at the end, try this technique.  Attach a heavy duty chip clip to the end of the elastic.  I like the ones with the magnets because they are heavier and have the extra weight which is nice.  Make sure that elastic is secure and is in the teeth of the clip before you start beading.  Just give it a good yank and then start beading.  It makes for a good anchor too and is much for manageable for kids.

Here's one of her bracelets with the clip attached.

You can also attach another one at the end if you need to stop before the bracelet is finished.  Happy Beading!

Teen Truth Live-Presentation on Bullying

                                                       

 Photo From The Team Truth Live Website-Speaker JC Pohl

I haven't done a post in a while and that is going to change.  I'm off to a fresh new start for the year and have many ideas that I want to share.  But first, I have to comment about an assembly that was just featured at my school.  The presentation was called Teen Truth Live.  All I have to say is, "WOW!".  Of all my 15 years of teaching, I've never seen a more powerful presentation about bullying or any presentation that has impacted the students the way this one did.  This presentation is about how bullying has basically effected everyone at some point in the life.  This goes for adults too.  This assembly address how the impact of bullying can lead to students to take dramatic measures that result in terrible and life altering results.  For example, Columbine High School and the students who killed other students and teachers as a result of bullying.  This presentation focused on bullying and how it effects other students.  Real students were given cameras for a year and documented how bullying has effected them and gave real life examples through the footage they shot.  Footage of the horrible event of Columbine and the aftermath were shown.  The 911 call was played out where you hear the teacher on the phone to the 911 operator saying the shooter was outside the library.  Then you hear the gun shots.  The teacher tells of how the shooter enters the library and then all you hear is nothing.  Silence.  The operator speaks again and says several times, "Hello?  Hello?   Hello?".  No response.  I heard this and tears immediately came to my eyes.  This completely hit home to me being a teacher.  Wow.  That could've been me.  What if that is me some day?  Gosh, I hope I never ever have to be in that position ever in life and trust me out of all my years in the profession some unpredictable things have happened.

The presentation goes from the negative to the positive.  It tells of a story of a learning disabled student who all he wants to do is make the basketball team.  The student tries out and doesn't make it.  However, the coach asks him to be manager of the team and if he works hard maybe some day he might just make it.  I wish I could remember the name of this student.  Anyhow, this student works hard and makes the team his senior year.  The team is going to play the last game of the season that determines whether or not they continue in the playoffs.  All of the players asked if this student could play in the game.  The coach said, "I don't think so.  This is a playoff game."   Then the coach makes a deal with the player.  He said if they were to  get ahead by 15 points.  He would put that student in.  Last minute of the game.  The student goes in the game.  They receive the ball.  The teams members dribble it done the court and as they do the shot clock ticks down.  One team member hands the ball to the student.  Last 3 seconds of the game he shoots for a 3 pointer.  He makes it.  Football players rush the court and lift the student in the air and carry him around in a victory celebration.  It was an incredible story.  This story was broadcast everywhere.  Nationwide people heard this story.  

The presenter goes on to stress to the students and the audience that everyone can make the choice and decision every day to make a difference.  Making a difference every day even if it is small can have a huge impact.  This presentation got students thinking.  Got students thinking of how their actions whether big or small, mean or nice effect people.  Students and teachers were crying.  Students were hugging one another.  Dialogue took place afterwards about being bullied and how that made students feel.  Huge is all I can say.  This was huge.  I wish every school campus nationwide could hear this presentation.  With all of the societal pressures students undergo, it gets tougher and tougher for them each and everyday.   How can you make a difference today?  This is the question I will keep asking my students.  Thank you Teen Truth Live.  You made a difference with us.

If you would like more information on this presentation, please visit www.teentruthlive.com. 

Thanksgiving!

My parents came to visit us during Thanksgiving Break and it was awesome!  My parents live back in the Midwest so we don't get to see them very often.  My Dad wanted to go to the beach.  So, we spent a couple of hours playing and walking the beach.

Mom and Dad at the beach!

Gee, Gramps, and the girls!

The girls playing at the beach.

Lily didn't want to leave the beach.  She said it was pretty.

Fun things we collected at the beach.

What a great afternoon and so much fun!  Thanks Gramps for the great idea.

Upcycled Hydrangea Headband

I made this for my youngest daughter when she decided she needed to be like her big sister for Halloween.   Big sister was a queen with a crown so Little sister had to have a crown too.  I was scrambling to come up with and idea.  Yes, I procrastinated.   So, I upcycled an old headband that wasn't being worn.  It turned out great.  Who knew that an old headband could look so good.  

  Minimal supplies are need.  Here's what you will need:

• 1 White Hydrangea Silk Flower ( I got mine at Michael's.)
• 1 Headband in any color sitting around the house
• Large Acrylic Rhinestones (I used the 12mm size.)
• Matching Acrylic Paint (Craft Paint)
• Martha Stewart's Glitter Paint-in the color to match
• Glue Gun
• Paint Brush

Start by pulling off 8 flowers.  If the flowers are on the smaller side, you made need to use 10 to 12 flowers.  You will have to eyeball this. 

Paint the flowers with the acrylic paint.  I used the wisteria color of Americana acrylic paint.  You will have to paint on a couple of coats to make sure the paint seeps through.  I didn't paint the underside.  Let the paint dry.  You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process or put it in the sun.  I opted for the later.  

Next you will want to glue the first four acrylic flowers straight across the headband.  

Then, glue the next row right on top of one another.  When you glue the second row, I rotated each flower just a bit so they don't line up perfectly.   This will make the headband look fuller.  Add the rhinestone by hot gluing it to the center and you are finished.  It's that easy.  You now have a great looking headband.  

Now, I think I saw an old red boring headband laying around that needs a new face lift too.  I think it would be perfect for Christmas!

Dia De Los Muertos-Part II

I wanted to share some additional pictures of the more contemporary artwork found at the Day of the Dead celebration from last weekend.

This was an art piece at one of the altars of a young man who had passed away.  I don't know if he created it or someone else did in honor of him.  The detail was amazing.

These were skeletons were at least 10ft. tall.  They were in all different color in this one area.  

Here's a very large skeleton in green.

Here are some contemporary skeleton dolls and little ornaments that one of the vendors made.  

Coke can skeleton from one of the student exhibits on display.

Skeletons made by 8th and 9th grade students using clay and a method called sgraffito.

A lady and man skeleton made all out of rice by local students part of an after school program.  You can also see their sugar skulls (calavaras de azucar) they made too.

And this is my favorite piece.  Look at all of the detail and the time it must have taken to create this chair.  Hope you enjoyed all of the work from the celebration as I did.  What fun!

Dia De Los Muertos

Dia De Los Muertos

This weekend my daughter and I attended the annual Dia de Los Muertos celebration in one of the neighboring towns in southern California.  It was so much fun.  Everything from the art work, vendors, food and altars were muy authentico.  

If you don't know what Dia de los Muertos, it is a Mexican holiday that is typically celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of November to remember and celebrate loved ones and friends who are deceased.  I have always loved mexican art and the craft art produced.  Everything from tin, paper mache, and wood carvings.  I also love the Las Calaveras Catrinas or the Elegant Skulls.  Mexican printmaker Jose Guadalupe Posada create "Las Calaveras Catrina" in 1913 and this image has been incorporated into Mexican imagery ever since.

Papel Picados

(cut paper designs)

Check out all of the colors of the papel picados.  They are so pretty and definitely require a lot of patience to make.  I love how the sun light is shinning on them.

Everyone, even the vendors had their faces painted.  Look how great she looks.  A lot of people had the big flowers in their hair too.

This is one of the beautiful altars with the traditional marigolds on it.

Stay tuned.  I will do a second post with more of the traditional art work and some contemporary.

Candy Corn Nails

What great fun these were for Halloween!  I received so many compliments on them.  They have such a wide assortment of colors in nail polish these days.  I used an orange and gold glitter nail polish.  I tried using a plain white for the bottom of my nails but I didn't like the look.  It wasn't going on like I had expected.  I used an acrylic artist ink for the pearlescent color and a small paint brush.