Mr. & Mrs. Bird
Posted: October 15, 2011 Filed under: Art & Healing, Child Centered Activities 3 CommentsInspired by Joel Henrique’s Wooden Spool Birds – (wine corks work just as well!)
Portable Paper Critters
Posted: October 12, 2011 Filed under: Art & Healing, Child Centered Activities 1 CommentTemplate from Joel Henrique’s Made to Play book 
I used template as reference, drew half the critter, folded paper and cut out.
Lots of Healing Going Around
Posted: October 11, 2011 Filed under: Art & Healing, Child Centered Activities 4 Comments
“The Power of Play”
Posted: October 10, 2011 Filed under: Art & Healing, Child Centered Activities 5 Commentsas so beautifully said by sister Barb when I relayed the story…
A couple nights ago when I was doing my part of the new night-night routine (reading stories from my post in bed) my daughter and I decided to make a bandage for one of her doll’s legs. The bandage on my leg is fairly large and my daughter has been told to stay clear of it. A bandage on her doll’s leg would be ok for her to touch and manipulate as she wants. With my husband’s help, we gathered some cotton balls, paper towels and tape.
Little one was so enraptured by what we were doing that she made not a peep. There was no wailing for “more tape” or “let me do it” or “it’s mine”, just sheer awe of what we were creating. Her mouth hung open the entire time. She carefully carried “big baby” back to her room and made a new bed for her. My husband said that she pulled out “little baby” and placed her alongside – much like the two of us when together in my bed.
My daughter has been through quite a bit in the last 4 weeks. We stopped nursing, her 2 year molars erupted, she decided she would not sleep in her crib anymore, became afraid of the dark, and came down with a virus. This was all while we were preparing for my surgery. Post surgery I think she is doing beautifully. She has attentive family and caregivers around to let her process as she needs to. There is daily “Dr.” play with all of her stuffed friends. She takes their temperatures, gives them shots and asks them to take deep breaths while her toy stethoscope dangles from her ears. Deep breaths indeed.
Elephant Family
Posted: October 8, 2011 Filed under: Art & Healing, Child Centered Activities 2 Comments
The Bird Family Dance
Posted: October 7, 2011 Filed under: Art & Healing, Child Centered Activities 1 Comment
Let the Games Begin!
Posted: October 6, 2011 Filed under: Art & Healing, Child Centered Activities 5 Comments
Today’s Harvest
Posted: September 27, 2011 Filed under: Farming off the Farm, Gallery - Visual, In the Kitchen Leave a comment
Plans for Healing
Posted: September 24, 2011 Filed under: Art & Healing 2 CommentsNot that I’m counting (ha ha), but I have 11 more days until I’ll be confined to bed and couch for the next 8 weeks. Blasted accident 18 years ago left me with no cartilage in both big toe joints. Time has come to fuse the bones in one, and will require lengthy time off foot to fuse properly. Shouldn’t complain as the accident took the lives of two friends. Small price for me to pay. However, feels big when I weigh in the impact on my 2 1/2 year old daughter, my husband, and the family members committed to playing nurse here (wish we all lived closer).
Sister Barb hooked me up with Joel Henriques’s Made to Play. Fabulous book of craft ideas using simple materials. Evidently Joel was inspired by watching his children interact with toys and objects and created this book of his project ideas. Things like creating a paper barn and animals using card-stocks, pen and glue, and stuffed fabric musical instruments – he even provides templates at the back of the book.
I’ve been organizing a “play bag” of materials to keep me busy during some of the recovery. My hope is to create one small art piece per day, for my daughter – something I can still do for her. This will hopefully minimize some of the helpless feelings I expect to run into and will bring a light playfulness to what might otherwise be a dreary vision for her.
an Art Farm 