Kids Love Newspaper

Here's something you can do before recycling your newspaper ('cuz we all do that, right?) :) Tape a few pieces together to match your child's length, have them lay on it and take a marker and draw their body line. It's hilarious to see them squirm and wiggle because they say it tickles - so note that this might take a little longer than you planned. But I think it's adorable.

Anyways, after you've drawn their outline, you'll proably have to draw in their shoes. These shoes I drew are a little clownish, but my 4 year old got a kick out of it. He said they looked like shoes that would make him play basketball like Dwight Howard (Lordy be don't I wish!).

Anyhoo, after you draw their shoes, have them take markers or crayons or whatever you wish and have them draw their face and hair and clothes and shorts and shirt and...you get the picture. Mind you, my 18 month old had absolutely no interest in this until he saw me pull out markers - so he and I drew on our own seperate sheet of newspaper that you see in the background. Yes, it's taped together because I fully intended on him laying down for me to draw him - but what was I thinking? How could I ever believe that MY 18 month old would lay still for more than 3 1/2 seconds. Crazy me, eh?

After we were done, we hung this in his room and he was amazed at how big he actually was. It was a 4 year old ephiphany...he was in heaven.

Here are some other variations that we thought of...

You could go outside and do this with chalk. (we intended on doing the chalk but it was raining, which is no surprise here on Florida afternoons in the summer)

You could also tape up a piece of newspaper on the wall and drawn their shadow or profile or even shadows of other ojects that you're shining with a flashlight on. (oh the myriad of possibilities with the flashlight - that'll be a post for another day).

Just a note...I'll be at my MOPS Leadership Retreat this weekend, so you may not see any posts for a couple of days. Have a great weekend everyone! MUAH!

D