Painting Spring

I have folders and folders of creations from all three of my sons from over the years.  All three of them loved being creative and when they were at nursery, rarely a day went by when they didn’t come out clutching at least one masterpiece in their paint covered little hands.  So much so, with L and R, we bought special star pegs with ‘This Week’s Masterpiece’ emblazoned upon them to hang in the kitchen and show their efforts off.

As they get older of course, the amount of pictures does get less but we still have the stars and there will always be something on it; whether it be a picture, a piece of writing or even a certificate.

Now A is very different.  She loves making things and recently insisted on spending a whole day making a Hama Bead mobile and she loves doing anything crafty but painting just isn’t her thing.  She rarely brings home a painting and it is even rarer that she asks to do painting at home.  When she does paint, it is often one colour and nothing recognisable.  I will always ask her what it is and will either get a ‘its’ paint’ type response or she will wax lyrical about a vivid scene that she has created.

So the March Center Parcs challenge really was going to be a challenge.  This month they want us and you if you want to join in, to paint a Spring picture with the children.  They are kind enough to offer some tips and I particularly liked the idea of using potatoes to print the different shapes or finger printing flowers.

As per usual, my determined daughter had other ideas.

I told her that we were going to paint a picture of Spring.  She asked what she should paint and I suggested flowers in grass with maybe a nice yellow sun in the sky and she did it.  I was amazed.  She spent ages making the flower shapes and the sun and even put clouds in the sky.

She is four and so it is no real surprise that she should be able to paint an actual picture, but I was completely amazed and it is a really sweet painting; our first proper painting and it has gone up on her peg which is the same as the boys except it is pink and has a flower instead of a star.  Her first little masterpiece.

I’m a Center Parcs Family Blogger and will be visiting Longleat village with my family. If you want to enter to win a place as a wildcard winner just go to the challenge page to find out how http://bit.ly/1kAhiA1