Erin and the Art Project.

Focus Anna...

 

They are working hard!
    

Grey wants some action with the scissors.
 

The look I always get when I point the camera at Grey...and the finished chain!

 
The other night when we were at our friend Russ's house, Anna spotted a picture of the fastest roller coaster in the world on the fridge.  She, of course, shouted, "I wanna ride THAT!"  We had a lengthy conversation about the roller coaster and that we'd be going to our local amusement park sometime in mid-August.  Anna kept saying, "I go ride that roller coaster tomorrow!"  Everyone kept telling her that it would be a few days until she'd get to ride the roller coaster.  And it definitely wouldn't be the fastest one in the world.  Erin told her to make a calendar to let her know how long she had to wait until she got to ride the roller coaster.  I was thinking, "Right, Erin...MAKE a calendar that Anna could understand?"  You'd think that Anna and I would be masters at art projects since I have a degree in Art.  Well, my degree isn't in Art Education...it's in Studio.  Therefore, I must me meticulous, efficient, and perfect at my "art projects."  Which means I don't have much patience when it comes to working with a two year old and kid sized scissors.  So when we do "art projects" they are not together.  What kind of a mom AM I?!  I think I need to leave Anna with Cousin Kelly or Erica for a couple of days to get all those "projects" out of her system.  

Back to the calendar...  Erin told me yesterday that she'd be stopping by to help Anna make something.  The calendar.  "Good luck," I thought.  But then I remembered that Erin is the genius when it comes to the two year old mind.  That sounds weird, but it's true.  She came over armed with a stack of scrapbook paper and photos of a roller coaster and told Anna to start cutting out strips.  Anna had never really had a "job" to do with scissors.  They made a cool paper chain calendar.  The kind where you cute strips, make circles, then make a chain.  She told Anna to pull off one circle every day until the chain is gone and that's the day she gets to ride the roller coaster.  They made the entire thing together (amazing, since I would have just told Anna to go find something else to do while I finished it).  They hung it up in the bathroom along with the pictures of the roller coaster to remind the scatter-brain what the chain was for each day.  What a fun idea.  Erin is hired.