Lu got her first "real" lesson in using water colors. Usually I just let the girls have at it with minimal intrusion. This time I showed her a little bit of technique. How to load the brush (letting the paint suck up in the bristles versus scrubbing it all around to pick up the paint.) I showed her how to hold the brush gently. We experimented with working on wet paper and on dry. I showed her how to use scrunched up paper towel to make clouds and what happens when you sprinkle salt onto a wet painting.
A little technique goes a long way and definitely helps a child like Lu. She is someone who knows what she wants to achieve and if she can't do it she gets a bit frustrated. Afterwards she had fun experimenting on her own. This is what she created.
Some of you may wonder why Lu's crafts are featured a lot and not Em's. Usually, Lu and I like to do crafts while Em is napping. It is a quiet time during our day perfect for some one on one attention, conversation and of course crafting (or baking.) Don't worry, Em gets craft time too. She just happens to like to do the same thing over and over...gluing down pictures of dogs. Every time I get a magazine, catalog, circular in the mail she says, "Doggie. Find doggies."