Mondays

We are participating with a local homeschooling group, on various activities they offer on Mondays. This group has a great relationship with their local library (librarian is a homeschooling mom) and has access to a room there as often as they'd like. So on our first visit last week, they did ATC's; Artist Trading Cards, which they will be working on every third Monday of the week. The boys had a good time working on their ATC's. They had made some at a birthday party a couple of years ago, but weren't into it at all. Perhaps it was simply because it was a party?

Here is a short article I wrote about ATC's for the CT Homeschool Network newsletter about a year and a half ago:

Artist Trading Cards
Artist Trading Cards are a variation of the popular mass-produced trading cards available for sale all over the world. The difference is rather than buying them, you make them. This means that each card is an original work of art, or one of a small edition run that you can trade with other people who have created their own cards.

Any and all materials and techniques are encouraged (drawing in pencil, pen, marker, chalk or crayon etc., painting, photographs, collage, found materials, mixed media - anything!). There are only two rules:
1. the cards should be the same size as traditional collector cards:
2.5 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall (64mm x 89mm).
2. They are for trading only - no selling!

How you trade is entirely up to you...1 for 1, 2 for 1, whatever you feel they are worth. You can trade cards on, that is you can trade cards you have received in previous trades (known as a "second generation trade" or "trading forward"). Of course you are not compelled to trade with someone if you do not like their cards.

The Trading Session or "TS" (when two or more people meet in person to trade cards face-to-face) lies at the heart of the ATC concept. There is also a thriving community of people who trade by mail.

On the back you should sign and date your cards. If they are part of an edition you should number them as well. Additionally, some people include e-mail addresses. A Google search for "Artist Trading Cards" will find you over 300,000 places to learn more about them. However one website in particular gives great ideas on how to use different types of media to create them.

Creating and trading Artist Trading Cards has become a very popular pastime for many people; providing a relaxing craft with meaningful expression for both adults and children. There is even a yahoo group for kids who'd like to be involved.

So anyway, they did have fun working on their cards. Here are R's:
And here are E's:
E is hoping that Aunt Debbie will make some to trade with him. We tried trading with some of the kids in the group, but most of the kids became pretty attached to their creations. One kid wanted one of mine bad enough to make a trade, but otherwise we went home with the ones we made.

Overall the boys had a fun time. R kept looking longingly over at the table full of boys his age though. I'm hoping that in the next few weeks he makes his way over there.

Not this week though. We arrived early thinking that maybe some of the kids would be there hanging out before they started and he'd be able to talk with them. But the woman running the thing had everyone sit down right away, and when a couple of boys came and sat together he refused to go over and ask if he could sit with them.

This week, the fourth Monday of each month, was an art class. The mother who was running it had everyone practice shading with a pencil, and later gave out charcoal for the kids to use. The boys really enjoyed using the charcoal since it blends so nicely. And they liked each getting a sketch pad to keep for themselves and bring back each month. They used their materials to draw apples. I was glad to be there to help them understand why shading happens and how to best draw it.

Afterwards we went to check out the library itself. Boy I really begin to appreciate our library when I visit others - it was really small. R got a chance to intermingle with some of the kids though, which was definitely good.