paint cut paste

i guess we couldn’t wait until halloween… or perhaps we just got really into the summer spirit since watermelon festivals are popping up in cities across the U.S. right now. maybe we were just hungry for fruit salad. but for whatever reason, today we carved a jack-o-melon!

no, not that jacko... a jack-o-melon!

i saw this idea in family fun magazine and thought it would be a cool way to spend a summery afternoon with novi. it’s super simple (and much softer to carve than a pumpkin!) first we made a thin slice from the bottom of our round watermelon so it can sit on a stable base. then we cut the top off for the lid, much like carving a pumpkin, and scooped out the flesh with a melon baller.

novi got busy drawing her ideas for faces to put on the watermelon while my husband did the carving. (i was the creative supervisor?) i drew one of the faces onto the melon with a ball-point pen and then we cut out the features and snacked on melon balls.

dreaming up melon faces

scooping the melon balls

let's face it... this is cute!

soon our jack-o-melon was finished and brought to light with a candle inside. we put it out on the porch for the neighbors to see… though we can’t leave it out there too long. watermelon season is also ant season, and this would be an ant feast!

proud on the porch

a jack-o-melon would also be a really cute centerpiece for a summer luncheon, shower, or picnic! you and your kids could make a whole jack-o-melon family… and i bet this would work well with cantaloupe and honeydew melons, too. so, the next time you want to make a fruit salad, have a little creative fun with it! happy summer!

today’s art activity was as simple as a summer morning. sidewalk chalk + toddler = instant fun. it’s one of those art supplies you can break out at almost any age, and make an ordinary sidewalk into something much more vibrant!

sidewalk chalk

the thing is, our driveway is gravel, so we opted to decorate the stepping stones in our backyard. with a 2.5-year-old, you could create a hopscotch board and teach her about jumping into the squares (if you have a driveway or sidewalk) or draw circles in which your child can make faces or any other picture. ooooh, early childhood mandalas! [art therapists: drool here.]

little tagger

i outlined a tree shape and novi added apples into it. i drew a cloud and she made rain under it and lightening in the sky. we traced novi’s foot and gwee’s (her grandmommy) foot, and then “painted” the toenails. sidewalk chalk is a lot of fun on a nice day, but i also enjoy drawing on wet concrete when it has just rained, as the chalks come out more vibrant and can create delightfully impressionistic images.

it feels almost too simple to blog about, but sidewalk chalk is one of the joys of childhood that should rightfully be documented. let this be a reminder that even the simplest things can entertain your kids and engage their imaginations.

our decorated stepping stones