By Emmie Leigh
Have you ever attended the Idaho Falls Sidewalk Chalk Festival? If not, you need to mark the experience down in your calendar for next year. The festival occurs every summer and is currently hosted at The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho along the Snake River.
Artists travel from throughout Idaho and sometimes neighboring states to demonstrate their talents and compete for cash prizes. Categories for artists of varying ages and abilities allow for all who come to participate and show off their talents. Dedicated artists bring tents to stave off the heat as they sit on the concrete, designing their creations, and many bring preplanned sketches to map their course.
My small family braved the summer heat wave to admire the art. Although I’m not certain our one year old understood the great amount of technique and local talent we witnessed, I am sure she understood our appreciation for the works we stopped to admire.
Teaching our children about art doesn’t have to be complicated. Attending free activities around town such as the Sidewalk Chalk Festival and art displays allows them to see it is something important, even if they haven't been able to form the complex reasons why yet.
Artsy Book Recommendations:
Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood By Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell
Beautiful Oops! By Barney Saltzberg
Scribble Stones By Diane Alber
Simple Home Craft:
Salt Art
This simple activity can be completed with supplies you already have around the home: Glue, a note card, paint or food coloring, a paint brush, and paper.
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Put glue on the edge of card stock and draw patterns with the glue onto paper.
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Sprinkle salt onto the glue.
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Trace the salt with the paint brush, using different colors.
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Let it dry.
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Enjoy your masterpiece!