Please, please, zhoozh me!

Last week we were so peed off about Spring's late arrival, we took matters into our hands and got busy making our own blooms. It lasted us all week long and the bigger kiddos (5 & 7) even invented their own game.

We also used the opportunity to explore flowers in art, which took us on a totally #artskicking trip from Kahlo to Van Gogh, Matisse and Monet. (Reading back that sentence makes me sound so up my own #arts, I am in fact a rather lazy mother, but when I bother my #arts to do stuff with them it just seems to spark discussions we wouldn't otherwise have.) I basically got the phone out (between taking all these pictures) and got them looking at images and talking about flowers in art. Simples.

To make your own blooms, you will need:

⚡️old plastic bags - the flimsier the better and scented nappy bags are brilliant too!

⚡️yellow napkins / tissue paper (or just use newspaper, or colour in some old paper))

⚡️clothespegs (£1 for fifty at Poundland)

⚡️scissors  

⚡️darning needle and thread
⚡️crunchie (optional)

⚡️plenty of imagination

1. Cut the handles and bottoms (!) off the bags, flatten them out then cut into squares. You should get about 10 per bag.

To make circles (optional, this requires more scissors action, scrunched up square work just as well). - Take 2 squares and place on top of each other.

- Fold twice to make into a smaller square, then once more so you have a triangle shape.

- Snip the open end off the triangle, along a curved line. 

- Open up and you'll have a circle. Ta Da!

You can get really creative with your cutting - cut your triangle into a heart shape, or cut into the triangle to create a "hairy" flower. Use pinking shears for an even frillier effect.

2. Cut the tissue paper / napkins into smaller squares for the flower centres (or as per above, cut them into circles)

3. Layer up your plastic and paper, with the yellow centre on top - we used 2 plastic and one paper, the more you use the fuller your blooms.

4. SCRUNCH and ZHOOZH to create a flower, then hold it all together with a clothes peg. Zhoozhing is crucial!

Make as many flowers as you want, the more mine made, the more confident and creative they got. I had to give plenty of scissors help to both of them (they’re 5 & 7) but they loved cutting up the bags and using the pegs to hold it all together. 

5. Line up your peggy blooms on a flat surface - this may take a while and requires patience and balancing skills!

6. On the count of three, everyone shouts “Bloooow Me Down!”... You get the idea. SO much craic, we did it over and over again. It’s coming to all good kids stores soon... 

A couple of days later, we took the flowers and made a gorgeous (weatherproof) garland for our wendy house. You just remove from the pegs and thread through some string with a nice big darning needle. Simples. 

Also got to teach the Girlchild about the importance of "zhoozhing". Priceless learning right there.

They were definitely inspired and up for it in a whole new way last week, so much so that Spring showed up on Friday. Yay! As a result, there's a bit of a floral theme going on this week on on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, hope you find something to inspire you. Feel free to share ;)

Swoosh!
The Arts Crusader ⚡️

P.S. Join the crusade on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and give yourself a #KickUpTheArts

Cross that bridge when you come to it - Ben Wilson, Chewing Gum Man

Like many parents, I encourage my kids to look UP - so they don't miss out on beauty and because it's a proven mood enhancing technique. Despite my entreaties, the Boychild still spends a lot of time looking down. At his white patent leather shoes, at the ground, in kerb corners, down drains, counting dog poos, finding chewing gum splats... anything ground-level and manky fascinates him.

The first time I took him to Tate we crossed the Millennium Bridge to St. Paul's and he ran in front all the way, zigzagging and peering into the metal rails. Half way over, he pointed out tiny little pictures in the structure of the bridge. By the time we got to the St. Paul's side, we must've counted 50. An artyfarty treasure hunt for kids - "how very Tate" - I thought.

Every time I cross that bridge now, I look for the pictures and they make me smile. Little pops of colour that, once you see one, they start popping up everywhere.

Yesterday, I crossed the bridge and saw a smiling man in a high viz jacket speaking to a Japanese journalist (she had a camera and a surgical mask...). His jacket was daubed with paint and they were talking about the little pictures.

"Ben Wilson, Chewing Gum Man, pleased to meet you." I nearly toppled off my bike!

Ben Wilson is an artist who paints on chewing gum splats. His work has graced the streets of London and the pages of the New York Times. He's passionate about the environment and thinks chewing gum's disgusting. We swallow the messages of huge corporations, chewing petrochemicals laced with sugar and then we spew it out, defacing streets and bridges. So he pretties it up and makes people smile.

As he painted his latest little masterpiece, Ben filled me in on his pursuit of creating beauty from the beastly and his brushes with the law. Seriously - he beautifies our litter and he's the one who gets in trouble for it? Twisted. Turns out, he has nothing to do with Tate, although from time to time he leaves a hidden art trail in there for people to discover (Banksy, eat your heart out).

Ben softens the gum with a blowtorch, sprays it with some kind of lacquer and then applies three coats of acrylic enamel. He uses tiny brushes and his paint "muffin", quick-drying his work with a lighter as he goes along, and then seals it with clear lacquer to 'fix' it.

By the time he was done with his latest piece - a commission by me with my kids' names on - it was school pick up time and I left him amid a swarm of tourists, all eager to chat and commission his next work.

The Boychild's going to get the surprise of his life next time we cross that bridge.

Swoosh!
The Arts Crusader ⚡️

P.S. Join my crusade on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and give yourself a #KickUpTheArts

P.S. You can commission Ben to create a painting for you - miniature or life size, by emailing him. Or catch him on the bridge if you can. What a gent.

The best thing about going to see art? Definitely NOT just the coffee...

 

You gotta love Banksy - he says whatever he wants, no holds barred. This quote's from an interview he did with The Guardian just before the launch of Dismaland, his revival of a deserted theme park in Weston-Super-Mare. I heard from friends who managed to get tickets that it was a really fun, challenging, new experience of art, with an excellent bar. Mind you, they didn't say anything about the coffee...

Anyhoo, it got me thinking of what I like best about going to galleries and museums, particularly with smallies in tow. To be honest, I often find the gallery experience intimidating and prefer to pound the streets of Hackney with the kiddos, browsing the streetart and not worrying about them getting fingerprints on the fine prints, crumbs on the cabinets or doodoos on the dados!

Then, Zabou announced on twitter that she was working on a mural in the Saatchi Gallery, where she is currently exhibiting her work with other female streetartists. If you're a Hackney local, you'll definitely have come across her work - it's bright, funny and bold and seems never to be painted over by anyone other than herself (respect).

It's her kids in the header bar here and here are some more of my favourites...

Her announcement gave me a right good #KickUpTheArts and I immediately got the babychild all packed up and ventured west to the King's Road.

It was a pain in the #arts getting there, but all in all, it was totally ‪#‎artskicking‬ and definitely NOT intimidating. Saatchi Gallery had a very relaxed approach to the babychild and to the art in general - no barriers or ropes here, which seemed to make all the smallies behave better than they normally would in a gallery situation... Good ol' reverse psychology, works like a charm ;)

It's a beautiful space, entry is FREE, the exhibition is beeyoot and I can't believe it took me 15 years to visit. Here's what Zabou painted by the way - "In Art We Trust". It's in the gift shop, go have a looksee if you can.

So what am I trying to say here? A couple of things I suppose...

Firstly - Streetart is powerful when it comes to challenging perceptions about art:
- It's definitely not posh.
- Anyone with talent, a can of paint and a ‪#‎kickarts‬ attitude can do it.
- It's explosion into the mainstream and the demand for prints has made it possible for many streetartists to make a very decent living, so there's less pressure on "The Bank Of Mum & Dad". (Read all about the growth of the streetart industry here)

The move into galleries is hotly debated within the streetart community as a sellout, but I think it's a good thing. So long as our streets don't suffer ;)

Secondly - Galleries are great. Get over your fears and get into them. I've been collecting hints and tips about getting the most out of your visits with the kiddos - find them here.


As ever, I'd love to know what you think - comment here or join in on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. AND don't forget the streetart pic competition is now on!

Oh yeah, getting back to Banksy's point... there was NO COFFEE!!! If anyone can recommend a proper barista in the King's Road neighbourhood, please do - us Hackney folk are spoiled rotten on this front too. I'm off to Climpson's for my daily dose.  

Swoosh!
The Arts Crusader ⚡️

P.S. Join my crusade on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and give yourself a #KickUpTheArts

Hackney Street Art Trail - COMPETITION now on!

Hackney is a treasure trove of #streetart masterpieces. From Shoreditch to Hackney Wick, London Fields to Clapton, the borough is awash with #artskicking gems.

My kiddos love this one by French artist Zabou off Broadway Market

For the next 3 weeks, I'm offering you the chance to win your very own StreetArt Beginners Kit. It's got everything you need to beautifully graffiti an imaginary city, while sitting at your table! Includes 20 city wall images to decorate, 2 differently style lettering sheets, 4 felt pens, and instructions.

All you have to do is this...

1. Take the kids* on a #streetart treasure hunt
2. Find and photograph your favourite #streetart
3. Pop your best pics on social media (Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest) using the #KickUpTheArts hashtag  

*your own, or someone else's - their parents will love you for it!

Closing date: March 17 (St. Patrick's Day)

May the best pic win!

You'll find plenty of inspiration HERE to get you started. In the meantime, I'll leave you to ponder this quote by the mysterious mister Banksy...

Now get your coats on and go kick some #arts ;)

Swoosh!
The Arts Crusader ⚡️


As ever... I'd love to hear your stories and suggestions, feel free to comment, to follow the Arts Crusade on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and to give yourself a #KickUpTheArts

The most #ArtsKicking list of free stuff to do this half term. Boom!

It's all about #halfterm this week Crusaders and I'm giving you a daily #KickUpTheArts. One simple suggestion each day for STAYing local to Hackney, GOing further afield and DOing #artyfarty stuff with the kids you love at home.

All the activities are FREE unless otherwise stated. Yes really!

For the DO suggestions, if you haven't got paints, pens and papers on hand, pop into your local Tiger Store (Islington & Westfield) or Poundshop (Kingsland Road, Narrowway, Hoxton Market...) to stock up on some supplies. A tenner will see you through for the whole week if you do some advance planning.

This list is not just for parents - I'm hoping my sisters find it useful when I hand over my kids for "aunty time"... Please pass it on, share on FaceBook / Twitter / WherEver and let your mates know that I'll be giving all my fans n followers a right good #KickUpTheArts this #halfterm.

Scroll on down for the longest blogpost ever or click the dates to jump to the relevant day. Happy half term y'all! ⚡️

Saturday, February 13
Sunday, February 14 - Valentine's Day
Monday, February 15
Tuesday, February 16
Wednesday, February 17
Thursday, February 18
Friday, February 19
Saturday, February 20
Sunday, February 21

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Saturday, Feb 13

STAY: It's BookSwap Day at the Geffrye Museum. Get the kids to do a clearout and head on down for some swappage. Also at the Discover Story Centre in Stratford, but I reckon that one's gonna be bizzzeeeeee...

Alternatively, engage in some imaginative fun at The Institute of Imagination's very first festival on all this weekend at Chat's Palace.

GO: It's Saturday, transport'll be a nightmare! There's SO much do do locally today, I recommend staying right here in #Hackney. Innit.

DO:Make windmills. Or do it with others at The Old Church in Stoke Newington from 2-4pm today.
 

 ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Sunday, February 14 - Valentine's Day!

STAY: Swing by Sutton House for a dose of local culture and there's a musical performance at 3pm. One does not need to be posh to participate.

GO: God's Own Junkyard. I cannot think of a better place to celebrate V Day. Read about our visit here.

DO: Loo Roll Heart Prints. Aw!

 ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Monday, February 15

STAY:Dalston's Eastern Curve Garden has free artist led activities in the greenhouse every afternoon this week. Drop in, donations optional.

GO:"Drawing on Childhood" at The Foundling Museum near Russell Square is truly lovely.This exhibition brings together the work of major illustrators from the eighteenth century to the present day, who have created powerful images of characters in fiction who are orphaned, adopted, fostered or found. It's also inspired in no small part by Hackney resident Lemn Sissay, poet, University Chancellor and champion of kids in care.

DO: Get out the paints and let the kids freestyle.

 ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Tuesday, Feb 16

STAY: Take a stroll around your neighbourhood and try to find as many #streetart works as you can. It's like a #streeart museum round here! Post a pic with the hashtag #KickUpTheArts and be in with a chance to win your very own beginners #streetart kit. Inspiration and more details here.

GO: One of Hackney finest streetartist's, Zabou, has spent this week painting a mural at the Saatchi Gallery. It's now on display in the gift shop and there are limited edition signed prints on sale. Champagne Life is a brilliant exhibition for kids too. And there are "Create Your Own Creature" workshops today aswell. AND it's all FREEEEEE!

DO: Make oil pastel drawings. With oil pastels, oil and cottonbuds. They're lovely.

 ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Wednesday, February 17

STAY: Older kids (14+) can try filmmaking at Hoxton Hall, or book in for the 2 day circus workshop for ages 7+, starting tomorrow.

GO:Go try something at the Southbank Centre. There is LOADS of stuff going on as part of their annual Imagine Children's Festival. While you're there, you might like to do this costume making workshop at The National Theatre (£5 for adults, £3 per child)

DO: Get a packet of blow pens for £3 from your nearest Tiger Store and prepare to be blown away by the craic you will have making art. Brillexcellent.

 ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Thursday, February 18

STAY:It's play-doh fun all week (for all ages) at The V & A Museum of Childhood. Sessions from 10.15. BOOK IN ADVANCE! £5 per child for the workshops, museum entry is free.

GO: There's half term fun (on Wednesday too) and ace under 5s play area at the Ragged School Museum from 11-5pm. You could even walk along the canal (towards Mile End Park) if the weather's nice.

DO: Make your own playdoh. We did. It was ace.

 ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Friday, February 19

STAY:If you're not already at the Circus Workshop, there's Wildlife Arts and Crafts at Victoria Park today. Drop in, no need to book.

GO: Do you dare to venture west to Da Vinci at The Science Museum? It's £10 for adults / £8 concessions but there's also SO much to do in the museum itself, which is FREE. I am reliably informed that if you're bringing under 5s you should also bring a change of clothes...

Or cross the river to Greenwich to catch the end of Rainbow Week at the National Maritime Museum. #LGBT family activities and lots about Samuel Pepys here at the moment too, great for Year 1/2 kids to get a head start on their Great Fire of London learning. Pushy, me?? ;)

DO: Crayon Marker Resist Anyone remember this? Easy peasy magic fun.

 ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Saturday, February 20

STAY: Head to the St. Joseph's Hospice giant Jumble Sale (10 - 1pm) and pick up stuff to get all creative with. If you have not been to one of these, you have not really lived. It's bargain central and some real Hackney characters abound!

GO: Get dressed up for an Alice In Wonderland adventure at the British Museum. The exhibition itself is wonderful and it's free too.

DO: Give the kids a go on the computer / your phone (if they're anything like mine they will LOVE you for this) and let them watch this American Dad, Rob, and his kids who have some ace videos or set them loose at Tate Kids Create, another brilliexcellent site where kids can learn about artists, techniques and other fun stuff.

There's a brilliant list of youtube channels here that is worth saving if your kids love the internet (includes online safety tips ;) )

 ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Sunday, February 21

Even God did nothing on this day ;)

Well done to you if you manage to give the kids you love a #KickUpTheArts this holiday. It's bloomin' tough. But it is so important that their creativity is nurtured.

Have a good one.

Swoosh!
The Arts Crusader⚡️

P.S. I'd love to hear your stories and suggestions, feel free to comment, to follow the Arts Crusade on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and to give yourself a #KickUpTheArts

P.P.S. I love this quote, so I'm just leaving it here. (image via The Artful Parent)

The wonderful wonders of Walthamstow...

This week's #KickUpTheArts was inspired by my new friend Lady Chingford, who rules her domain in Jimmy Choos. This brilliexcellent blogger led us to Walthamstow and the wonderful worlds of Bob & Roberta Smith, William Morris and Chris Bracey - #ArtsCrusaders extraordinaire.

The William Morris Gallery is a real gem - a proper child-friendly gallery without impinging on grown-ups' enjoyment of the works on display. A fifteen-minute hilly walk (or 5 minute bus ride) from Walthamstow Central station, it's been hosting Bob & Roberta Smith's exhibition, "Art is Your Human Right" and I'm so glad we caught it before it closed last weekend.

Enraged by the Government’s downgrading of art in schools, the artist Patrick Brill (aka Bob & Roberta Smith) decided to fight back. This exhibition follows his campaigns; from his furious painting, Letter to Michael Gove, to the launch of the Art Party and his attempt to be elected to parliament in 2015.

The exhibition was great for the Girlchild, she got to send a postcard to London's future Mayor, stand on a soapbox, hold a picket and let off some steam.

For me, I loved seeing the realisation dawn for her that yes, art IS important and YES, she and her friends should be doing more of it in school. It's not just her #dementedmum banging on about it, real people do it too!

It simply couldn't have been a more apt exhibition for us to visit as part of this #ArtsCrusade.

We also discovered that William Morris was "amazeballs" - designer, printer, bookmaker, philanthropist, conservationist, socialist, artsncraftcrusader, was there anything he couldn't turn his hand to?

The gallery is really hands on for kids, there was a queue in the corner where you get to lay out paper against 2 mirrors set at 90 degree angles to create a repeating pattern using stencils. Sounds complicated, but we're gonna fangle our own and do it as one of our after school craft activities. She did some weaving and stained glass making and we shared a most delicious pie.

We loved the whole experience and left feeling 'bobtimistic'.

Arts Crusader Rating ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

Up one hill and over another, we came upon a mini Stratford Upon Avon - tudor houses, a church and a cemetery perched looking down on the village, who knew such olde worlde wonders existed in Walthamstow? Worth a trip for this alone!

Next up and the highlight of our #ArtsCrusade so far, was the glorious, glittering God's Own Junkyard - "where neon never dies" - an absolute feast for the senses.

Before he passed away in November 2014, artist Chris Bracey resurrected and repaired neon and bulb lights, from movie sets, fairgrounds and far flung places. He created pieces for artists including Martin Creed and brands looking for something quirky and beautiful. He obviously loved his work because it SINGS!

We were gobsmacked. The Girlchild's chin hit the floor. She and her friend spent an hour taking photos and the staff were firm but brilliantly good humoured about having the grownups keep an eye out in case of accidents.

There's a cafe-bar on site serving delicious homemade cakes and a fine selection of beverages. With a gin-palace on one side and a brewery on the other, adults (with or without kids in tow) really have all bases covered, so GET YOURSELF DOWN HERE QUICKSMART. Thank you Chris Bracey for this inspirational place.

Arts Crusader Rating ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️+ ⚡️

Lesson learned from this week's #KickUpTheArts? My kids are the lights of my life (did I really say that???). I want them to grow up confident, happy, open to new experiences and free to express themselves. Exposure to arts and culture from the earliest stages will help make this happen. We need more art in schools. Art makes people powerful.

Art. Makes ya smart.

Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone and go all the way to Walthamstow to remind yourself of that ;)

Swoosh!
The Arts Crusader ⚡️

P.S. I'd love to hear your stories and suggestions, feel free to comment, to follow the Arts Crusade on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and to give yourself a #KickUpTheArts 

The Jackson's Pollocks. After school activities to give you a #KickUpTheArts.

With this wonderful quote in mind, this week I'm giving hoping to give you a #KickUpTheArts with some easy peasy, cheap, artyfarty activities to do at home. At Arts Crusade HQ, we've been doing one thing a week and it's been brilliexcellent. Here are some of our highlights, there's loads more fun activities and inspiration on pinterest.
 

Melty Crayons - "The Jackson's Pollocks"

It was Mr. Pollock's birthday this week, so we did this one in his honour.

 Materials:
⚡️Box of crayons (£1, Poundland)
⚡️Heavy paper or card - it needs to be heavier than average to absorb the oil (£1 or recycle old stuff)
⚡️Hairdryer - borrow someone else's if you don't have one of these...
⚡️Cotton buds - optional

Method:
1. Peel the crayons
2. Stick some crayons to a piece of paper. Stick the paper on the wall / chair / box. BLOW!
3. Watch the crayons melt and drop their gorgeous colours creating magnificent, warm, artwork...
4. Squish the melty crayon nubs onto paper to create Jackson Pollack style art. You can also achieve Jackson Pollock style by not using a nozzle on your dryer and using the highest wind setting...
5. Hang art on wall and see the kids feel well proud.

Total distraction time: 90 minutes 

What the kids learned: "Is this what artists do all day??? I'm definitely being an artist then." Nuff said.

What I learned: Hairdryer without nozzle creates wax splashes in the weirdest places. And a #KickUpTheArts is very good therapy for adults prone to OCD (that would be me...)

#KickUpTheArts rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

DIY giftwrap - "Wrapping with my homies"

With birthdays happening every weekend this month, we decided to stock up on our own wrapping paper.

Materials:
⚡️Roll of brown paper (£1 in the poundshop, or just recycle anything you have left around)
⚡️Markers, crayons, colouring pencils (found in most houses were smallies reside)
⚡️Tape and scissors (as above)

iPhone camera at the ready and here's what happened...

Total distraction time: 40 minutes
What the kids learned: It's fun to make n do
What I learned: I will never buy wrapping paper or birthday cards again. Instead, I will spend that money on shoes. Or chocolate. Or both.

#KickUpTheArts rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

Airy Fairy Play Dough

Materials:
⚡️Bottle of hair conditioner - strawberry scented (£1 in Poundland)
⚡️Box of Cornflour (£1.79, corner shop)
⚡️Food Colouring (dregs of what's left in the cupboard) & Glitter (if you have it)
⚡️Bowl, spoon, rolling pin (a bottle or mug will do), dough cutters, forks, eggcups, the possibilities are endless....

Method:
1. Squeeze all the conditioner into the bowl - FUN!
2. Add the Cornflour - POOF!
3. Mix - WHEEEEE!
4. Drop in some food colouring (glitter would also be most excellent) - OOOOH!
5. Mix again - AAAAHHH...
6. Knead, knead, knead - OH YEAH
7. Play - YAY!

Total distraction time: 90 minutes (plus extra - you keep the dough in the fridge and they can play again)

What the kids learned: Play dough is squishy. Cornflour feels like "an angel's bum". It's good to get messy.
What I learned: As above, plus... Messy play is bad for the kitchen but very good for the mind.

#KickUpTheArts rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️


Yes, I know they ALL get a 5 flash rating, but it's just because it's so much fun, good for the soul and good for the kids to do this stuff. If we encourage their creativity now, hopefully they'll maintain it as they go through life.

I'd love to hear your stories and suggestions, feel free to comment, to follow the Arts Crusade on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and to give yourself a #KickUpTheArts.

Swoosh!
The Arts Crusader ⚡️