The art one, I chose to focus on discussing and presenting captions for them.
Doing the paint by number reiterated that doing art is a lot of work! Even without the design component the technical act of painting is involved. You have to have a strong sense of colour, the interplay of lights and form, and even just your physical hand. I really liked seeing how the look of the painting changed with every layer added.
Painting it also gave a lot of time to sit with myself, it was an active process but at times I got ‘in the zone’ and it really did feel meditative.
I chose to do a cross stitching project because its a craft in my own family’s history. My mother especially did lots of cross stitching passed on from her grandmother. As kids we spent a few summers cross stitching pokemon! Next time I enjoyed, it reminds of digital pixel art and mosaics in a way. Next time I think I have the confidence to do my own design though.
We had a ton of fun painting a basket with my niece, inspired by this process. She was happier with it this time because we drew our plan beforehand, learned from last time! She also was fascinated with even the paint water.
My brother designed and built this adorable castle for his daughter. She loves it, he loved it, and its repairable and memorable unlike an expensive store bought playhouse.
Science learning wise, I remembered an amazing exhibit I went to in Chicago (2018). They had a fully sculpted basement where you explored the ‘world of soil’ as an ant. Way more informative and fun.
I also got to look back at some of the ‘cheesy silly’ things I’ve done in the past through a new lens. I’m actually pretty proud of this card, and my anatomical knowledge definitely helped support my weaker drawing skills.
I think making punny cards could be a good classroom activity!
Baumann Teaching 