Paper Mache Madness

This week can only be described as "paper mache madness". I have lost track of how many trips to Walmart this project has taken....it has reached grand proportions. We are in the final weeks of school which means only 3 more weeks of teaching at the HomeSchool Co-op for me. After avoiding it all year long, I decided to take the plunge into paper mache. It seemed like such a great idea...a lesson on Russian Art and Architecture, a replication of the Russian "onion domes" seen brightly displayed on some of Russia's finest architecture. We'd make several domes, varying heights and structure them all together with cardboard and masking tape, paper mache, coat with a solid white and then paint with stripes and checks and ornamentation.....they would be glorious! And best of all, take up the 3 final weeks of Co-op classes. So I gathered materials with the help of my family, Lowes, JoAnn's & Walmart. I enlisted Ethan to chop saw 120 cardboard tubes. We loaded up my truck and teaching Tuesday arrived. And then came first period......

"Mrs. Keyser, Mrs. Keyser, Mrs, Keyser!..." Sloppy, messy, squatting in the blaring sun in the parking lot of the Co-op building........"it's all over my hands, it's in my hair, I NEED HELP!" OK, maybe we'd just be making one dome per student. Globs of newspaper drowning in the soupy paper mache mixture, wind blowing strips of paper away, balloons popping......yep, just one dome each.

When I agreed to teach art to 3rd and 4th graders at the HomeSchool Co-op this year, and double my classes, I had no idea we'd be getting Ana so soon. I had taught the previous year, just 2 periods and it was great. The students were wonderful, my kids were there doing science labs and writing classes already, so it made sense. I love art, I love teaching. I'd make a little income. Besides, heading into this school year, we had just turned in our adoption paperwork; and we were hunkering down for what we expected to be the long wait. So, flying home on November 5th with our dear sweet under 2 year old was not exactly "on plan"...but we were rejoicing to have her so soon, of course!