Chalk Pastels and Character Training

Our library has lots of book/puppet combo’s to check out.  I’d wanted to do a few fun art projects with the girls, so I randomly picked the book I Wish I Were a Butterfly, simply because it had a cool puppet with it.

See what I mean?  Isn’t this a great puppet?

Once the girls and I sat down on the sofa and began to read, I realized what a great little book this was.  We had the opportunity to discuss how each of us is different and how God has put different gifts and talents into each of us.

We discussed how you can’t listen to the negative comments around you, like when the toad told the cricket it was the ugliest thing on earth.  Some people just say mean things, and we need to learn not to listen to those things.  We also don’t want to be the one who says mean things and crushes someone else.

We talked about perspective and how all through the book the cricket had wanted to be a butterfly….but at the end the butterfly wanted to be a cricket so it could make beautiful music.   We shouldn’t envy the gifts in others, and we shouldn’t  despise the gifts He’s placed in us.   Pretty cool topics to cover on a rainy afternoon.

Then we broke out the chalk pastels and worked on some artwork.  We applied those topics we’d discussed  earlier, as some were able to do better or worse jobs with the project…but we all had fun.

The finished products.

What fun, creative things have you done with your children recently?