Beating the Rainy Day Blues

This past week started off gorgeous, but very quickly the rain came and put a damper on things. If your child is anything like my toddler, then they've been suffering from the rainy day blues syndrome. Today  we've been focusing our energy on beating the rainy day blues.

We've been channeling our inner picasso's by painting with oatmeal and exploring the textures of dried pasta.

To do this activity all you need is:

• Construction paper
• Oatmeal
• Water
• Food colouring
• Dried pasta
• Glue
• Paint brushes

Simply make the oatmeal, add in a bit of glue and food colouring and let your child get as messy or artistic as their heart desires!

Once we finished up with our impromptu picassos session, we decided to have a dance party. My toddler enjoyed busting a move and tearing up the dance floor to some top 40 music.

It's been such a fun morning, and even better we've burned off so much energy that nap time is bound to be a huge success this afternoon... Leaving time for Momma to enjoy a much deserved break!

Want to check out some more fun ways to beat the rainy day blues, head on over to momstown Arts & Crafts. Get inspired and have lots of fun!

Little Picasso's

Now that the warmer weather has returned, so has the momstown famous Picasso's In The Park. Picasso's in the Park gives children the chance to get outside and enjoy the sunshine; all whilst letting their imaginations run wild and their creative juices flowing. At the odd occasion we will host Picasso's in someones yard or indoors, all depending on availability and the weather.

Today momstown Whitby-Ajax mamas took the Picasso's event indoors. It's a scorcher out there, and we didn't want to risk the youngsters overheating. We wanted them to be comfortable and having fun. And so they did!

This month's curriculum was based around Butterflies & Bullfrogs. We set up two different crafts, as well as lined the tables with paper so the toddlers could let loose and paint.

The first craft was painting butterflies.

For the second craft we set-up stations for children to design and decorate a caterpillar. For this craft you need: scissors, washable paint, glitter paint, pom poms, glue, foam butterflies, 2 different colours of construction paper.

First you'll want to assemble the caterpillar. Choose a construction paper as the base, and use the other colour to cut out 3 circles. Glue those circles to the main sheet of paper. From there have your child draw on the feet, and whatever other 'parts' they wish for their caterpillar to have. Once done let your child run wild making their caterpillar colourful through the use of paints. There is no limitations on how much paint or colour to use!

It's so much fun to watch the children's minds flow when they are partaking in crafts. They really come alive in their creative and artistic moments.

I captured one child interested in the paint that was all over their hands as they finger painted.

Adorable.

Be sure to check out our calendar, and sign-up to take part in our next Picasso's event. We'd love to see you there. Not from the Whitby-Ajax community? Check out momstown.ca to find the community nearest you! Other chapters like momstown Guelph are hosting similar events all summer long.