Walk on the Wild Side

Every year, on the first Friday after Labor Day, Sioux Falls hosts chalk the walk downtown.

The first Friday each month is like a giant party in Sioux Falls, with all sorts of events and happenings. 

From the DTSF website www.dtsf.com

this one is one of my favorites. 

It's a pretty simple premise: various sites had sidewalk chalk outside to allow artistic expression. There is a professional artist that does an amazing piece.

I got a chance to explore Chalk the Walk with my son and his best friend. 

They had a great time finding new pieces on side streets. It was a chance to explore our city!

They were great artists too.

The fun doesn't have to end afterwards, either. It's super easy to make your own sidewalk chalk and have your own art show and contest.

I Heart Naptime (http://www.iheartnaptime.net/homemade-sidewalk-chalk/) has a great tutorial on how to make your own sidewalk chalk.

Homemade sidewalk chalk

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup plaster of paris
• 2-3 TB washable tempera paint
• Candy molds/ice cube trays (found mine at ikea)
• Useful to have on hand:
• Disposable bowls
• Plastic spoons
• Paper towels or newspaper

Instructions

1. Combine warm water and plaster of paris in a small bowl. Stir with spoon until clumps are removed.
2. Add paint and stir until combined.
3. Once the chalk starts to get thick (like buttercream frosting) pour mixture into molds.
4. Wipe around the edges of the mold with a damp paper towel to remove any excess paint.
5. Allow chalk to dry for at least 24 hours before using.
6. Take your chalk outside and let your kids go wild!

Drops of Jupiter

My son's current obsession is with the solar system. For Christmas he got s telescope. he checked out about a gazillion books on the different planets, asteroids and other heavenly bodies. Each night we read a kittle bit more at bedtime. I'm enjoying it as much as he is.
True confession time: I love astronomy. I love stargazing. Want to know an incredibly romantic movie scene? In a beautiful mind when Russell Crowe is tracing constellations with Jennifer Connolly's fingers. One of my favorite things to do at night in the summer was to lay out on a blanket and look up at the sky. Sometimes you can catch a shooting star (actually it's s meteor, but that doesn't have quite the same ring) rushing by.
(Since I read Neil Gaiman's Stardust, the book's plot is foremost in my mind when I see one)
I mark the Perseid & Leonids showers on my calendar and set my alarm to catch them.
Its exciting to see my son develop an interest independently in something that's one of my passions.
In fact, he's so passionate about space he can recite random facts like I can recite my chore list. Tonight in our Children's group, we took advantage of beautiful weather and spring fever to color our church courtyard with pictures of G-d's creation. My son decided to recreate the solar system out of sidewalk chalk, complete with the asteroid belt and kuiper belt. Creative genius I tell you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6IN-s_L6vs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Love, Reign O'Er Me

My son and I love to make art.

We are very lucky, because we have plenty of space in our home to create without it interfering with every day life or altering our routine.

We have a large playroom downstairs, that the Big Man built with his own two hands.

Our guest room doubles as an art studio.

Then there is the kitchen table too. That is the heart of our home, and its great when we're waiting for dinner to cook.

But there is a lot of creativity going on in our home all the  time.

My son currently loves to draw cartoons.

He even is quite fond of making gifts for the family.

My favorite is the race track he designed and drew for his hot wheels cars.

Rainy days are the perfect, tranquil days to create art. In order to do so, you need to keep some supplies on hand.

We have an art box.

It has:

crayons

Markers

Construction paper

brushes

paint

paper

Little Man is a bit big for his easel now, but we used it so much when he was younger.

from amazon.com