Jackson Pollock and Scribbles

Today my girls were drawing pictures together. My oldest daughter admonished her younger sister that her picture "looked like scribbles" and so wasn't very good. She then tried giving her a lesson on how to draw.

To this our younger daughter (who was really concentrating on her picture) replied that the picture was how it was supposed to look and it reminded her of England. Her big sister wasn't convinced yet because it didn't look like anything she remembers from England.

We took the opportunity to show them a picture of a Jackson Pollock painting. As soon as I pulled up the picture, the six-year-old exclaimed, "that's splatter painting! That's one of my favorite types of painting!". We discussed how splatter paintings are "awesome" and some of our favorites, even though they aren't lifelike depictions. Then we looked at our drawing of England again and talked about how it can represent England in how it makes you feel rather than just how it looks.

Jackson Pollock is a very accessible artist for children and a great way for them to become interested in art theory.

"England", Anya Withington, 08/27/12, black marker on paper

Back to School Meals

Home made bread fresh from the oven (the kids helped make it)

I would like to think that it's still summer time, but I'm increasingly reminded that school will be starting back up again soon (and already has in some places).  The stores are full of school supplies and the TV is full of commercials about back to school fashion.

There are a lot of things to think about with school starting back up that go beyond new backpacks.

For most families (mine included), bedtimes become more lax when school's out.  It's a good idea to start getting into bedtime and morning routines again before school starts back up.  Also, I know that our meal times have changed over the summer months.  I am a firm believer that good nutrition and eating habits aid learning and behavior in school, so it's important to pay attention to having good meal times (especially during the school year).

Packing a school lunch doesn't have to just mean a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a brown bag.  In fact, many schools no longer allow peanut butter at all.  For my back to school lunch ideas, click here.

Dinner is also important and often overlooked.  For ideas on making delicious and nutritious school year dinners, click here.