November 2012 Updates: Alma’s artistic adventures

As Alma and I spend a lot of time together, it is no surprise we do a lot of arts and crafts together. Unlike Hahgoot, Alma is the one that drives forward most of the activities, with great enthusiasm and positive energy.

Alma has proved that you can get amazingly dirty from plain watercolours... But she had a great time exploring mark making, and she knows I don’t mind.

Alma decided to transfer her new skills in tracing to chalk, so we found many things she could trace (and Hahgoot tried too).

Left: Alma wanted to make a drawing for dad Top, right: Alma made a drawing and then made up her first story: about a girl with a banana, and a monster that wanted it. The girl said “no” and the monster cried. So the girl gave the monster a bite and the monster felt better. Not bad for a two years old! The picture is crumpled as she insisted on “folding” it herself.

Alma has been showing a lot of “pre-writing” awareness signs like circling items, not drawing on text (notices it is important), having different lines for “writing” and “drawing” etc.

Another of Alma’s initiatives: She “hid” the stickers by drawing on them and then “played hide and seek” and found them. Cute and creative!

When she saw Hahgoot was drawing and writing in speech bubbles, she wanted some too... Hahgoot made a worksheet for Alma, to teach her Hebrew and colours (not sure how much of it Alma actually did herself...)

Stamping is a favourite

Making a mobile, using transparent CD discs as bases: Part 1: Cover a disc with cellophane pieces

Part 2: Cover a disc with various stickers

Part 3: Cover a disc with crape stripes

Part 4: Cover a disc with wool Part 5: Attach all discs with strings to a coat hanger.

We made a little “amusement park” using recycled materials. The park had a swimming pool, trampoline, hiding places for games and small people to enjoy the fun.

Alma spent a lot of time building it with me, decorating, constructing her name from stickers and playing with the dolls.

Alma made a few detailed collages, using sticky transparent sheets to put everything together.

She also made a collage on paper. It was her idea to have a 3D butterfly.

And the last project for the month, with egg cartons: Alma painted inside the carton, then decorated the “monster” and finally helped me stick cellophane on the other side so she could look through. See you soon, in our next presentations, which will be all about our big trip abroad!