The other night I chopped up peppers to serve with dinner.  I started by chopping  the tops off horizontally . As I set the tops on the counter, I thought they looked like flowers.  I knew that I needed to save them. So I stuck them in a plastic bag and tossed them back in the fridge, because Mama had an idea.















It's two days later, and I'm finally getting around to the peppers I shoved in the back of the fridge. They still look just as pretty and vibrant as when I first cut them.  So what did I save them for? Painting with Peppers!!

With the help of my two youngest, we gathered up finger paints, paper, newspaper, a Styrofoam tray and smocks.  My youngest also found a green Bingo dauber and an ink pad and stamp that he had to have too.  But he was being a forward thinker because the green stamper was quite coveted and came in handy.

After setting up a painting area in the kitchen and getting my 3 year old into her painting smock we were ready! My toddler was not interested in a smock.  He just wanted the mysterious green bingo dauber to play with.

My daughter loves to paint and she took right to messing about with the peppers.  Because little brother was coveting the green bingo dauber, she of course had to use it too! So there were a few tiffs with little brother over the green bingo stamper, and a few talks about sharing along the way.  But otherwise there was a lot of creating going on.

Seeing them getting into the paint and exploring different ways to use the materials inspired me.  I used the peppers to stamp out flower heads, then used the green stamper to make stems, leaves and grass.  My daughter saw what I was up to, but I didn't force her to partake in my project. She did ask me what I was doing though.


I think using the peppers to stamp out flowers would make a nice Mother's Day or Spring art project. You could add embellishments, attach a poem or even make a greeting card. Just putting that out there.

All in all both my littles had a good time messing about with the paint and peppers.  I even got to get a little creative myself. It was an easy activity to pull together, and it gave us something to do together.

I hope you find something that inspires you to do with your kids.  Remember sometimes the little things, like the tops of peppers, can lead to bigger things, like making memories with your kids.  Happy Mother's Day!

• 

My 3 year old Daughter loves when we tell her stories. As I craft an original tale, I usually take a moment to let her have an input in our storytelling adventure.  I might ask her what the name of a character should be or where they are going to go or who they will encounter.  There are times when she just wants stories told about characters from her favorite children's show.  One day I started telling her a story about a pesky cat who loves to pester the neighbor dog.  She loves to name dolls and cats Bob, so the cat became Bob and I named the dog, Barkley.  Since that first story I have told her a zillion stories about these beloved (by us) fictional pets.  Below I have included one sample story about Bob the Cat and Barkley the Dog. I encourage you to create stories with your child too. Enjoy!
Bob the Cat woke up from a nap and arched his back.  He hopped off the windowsill and sauntered into the kitchen. After getting a drink and something to eat, he decided to go outside. Out the cat door he went and peered through the garden fence.  He saw Barkley pacing around his house.  Bob shook his head.  'What is that dog up to now?' he wondered.  Bob loved to irritate Barkley, it was almost his sole purpose since he moved in next door.