Family in Feast and Feria

Inspired by Elizabeth Foss' preschool posts, particularly It's a Wonderful Thing, our son received a two-sided art easel for his third birthday. One side has a chalkboard, the other a whiteboard and capability of putting attaching paper and painting. By far it is one of his favorite gifts. He wants to paint all the time. He enjoys wielding the paint brush and using the brilliant primary colors. Each page is a masterpiece. Yesterday he stepped back from his work and said "I'm looking at my painting." After a little quiet surveillance, he declared: "It needs more paint."

And his cousins, near the same age, feel the same tug, the same attraction for this easel. A chalkboard has such wonderful possibilities, but the paint -- Oh! it's just wonderful. One nephew (my darling godson) spied it immediately walking into the house. There was a painting my son had already completed still hanging on the easel. Such oohs and ahhs and "He painted that? Wow, that's beautiful." And it was.

I watched another niece and nephew this week for a little while. I thought that they would be spending most of their time playing Thomas & Friends, as there was a lovely track set up and a roundhouse that was so appealing the last visit. Yes, it was attractive, but the magnetic appeal of the easel was even stronger. We ended up painting, and it was their first time, too. What concentration on their work, and what pride at the completed masterpieces!

And this is my favorite gift, too. For the first time in my memory, I am using tempera paints. Yes, you read that correctly. I mean it's MY first time. My kitchen and dining room have the wonderful odor of tempera paints. It brings back a flood of memories. I remember walking by the art supply room, smelling that aroma. I remember seeing those large jars of those brilliant colors and wondering, wishing, hoping that one day I could paint. In all those years of Catholic school, I must have teachers who didn't want the mess, because I never experienced the joy of using tempera paint. So now I have, and it's even better than I ever dreamed.

It's the olfactory sense that really triggers memories of my childhood art supplies. The smell of Crayola Crayons, PlayDoh, Paste, Elmers Glue, Construction Paper, Scotch Tape, fingerpaints, pencil leads....all have a distinct and delightful aroma. And smelling any of these takes me on a delightful trip down memory lane...and reminds me that I need to provide opportunities for my son to make these kind of memories, also.

And for ds, the chalkboard and painting have ignited other artistic pursuits. The creative floodgates have been opened. He now can't get enough of using markers and crayons...he even talks about being an artist. The artist part is in thanks to the inspiration of The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola, one of his favorite books right now.

Now, I have to admit, I have been wondering why some of these Tempera paints have labels that say "Really and Truly" washable paints. I couldn't understand, because our paint is washable. It says so...right on the label. Well, this week I figured it out. The paints don't come out as easily as just washing the clothes. But do these "really and truly" washable paints smell like traditional tempera paints? Are they as brilliant and have the same texture? Any recommendations for brands?

Next stop, fingerpainting. I'm a bit nervous on this endeavour. It's not the mess. I loved fingerpaints, mostly because of the smell (I tell you, my little nose really plays a prominent role in my life) and the lovely texture of the paints and special paper. But I had a disappointing experience with my little sister (13 years younger than I). When she was about 3 or 4, I thought she would LOVE trying her hand(s) at fingerpainting, so I bought a little kit. After setting her all up, she placed her fingers in the paint, dabbled a little and then was done. She wanted her hands cleaned. It was way too messy for her.

I can't tell if my son would have the same reaction. I thought I would start "small" and if successful, I would buy larger tubs of fingerpaint. My problem is I can't find a simple fingerpaint kit with small jars and paper. If you have a source, please share!