Paris Party: Art studio

The blank canvases were only about a dollar each, and I already owned way too much paint for someone who is not particularly artistic, so this activity was a bargain. We hung photos from a couple of art calendars on the wall behind the "studio" for inspiration (and when we realized they were a bit too complex to be inspiring to beginners also printed a few examples from the Internet that might seem more "do-able"--Mondrian, Kandinsky, Matisse). The only hitch was that some paintings weren't dry at the end of the party, and carrying them out to the car was quite a challenge. One child asked for a piece of paper so that he could make a checklist for what to put in his painting, and we found it later--he had followed it to a T. Adorable.

Ethan's Paris Party: The Museum

As the kids arrived, they entered through a hallway with an exhibit of little art reproductions. During the meal we hid the 13 artworks in the courtyard and left clues--puzzle pieces telling them the art was hidden in the courtyard. Then partway through the party, we sent Ethan out to get the Mona Lisa (for an "art lesson") so he could discover the theft. The kids assembled the puzzle and ran out in the drizzle to hunt. The highlight for me was a boy opening his eyes very wide and telling me "This is a little bit scary!" (We assured him it was just for fun.)

Ethan's birthday afternoon

With the Paris Party postponed, we went pottery-painting at the Carnegie Art Center. Then Ethan got to choose the restaurant (Rosita's) and the dessert (Dairy Queen).