First Face-to-Face Painting Class with Homeschoolers

Has it been two months since I last wrote here? Whew! I had not realized it’s been that long but I have been so busy as a homeschooling mom while also pursuing my Master’s degree in Geology. I also find a blank page of a WordPress blog daunting these days since I have been doing a lot of academic writing. Today I just want to share that I managed to squeeze in this free painting class session in my tight schedule because you know me, I love painting. While I often paint out of my imagination and reference photos, I’ve always dreamed of going places and painting en plein air. I got the chance to do so during our trip in Boracay last year but that was the last time. I had an idea of hosting an event for our fellow homeschoolers as a chance to finally meet-up and let the kids play with each other instead of just interacting virtually via Zoom. It was also a chance to finally meet the kids I taught in my virtual watercolor lessons and do painting together, face-to-face.

In order for the kids and parents to warm up towards each other, we started the rendezvous with an egg hunt play where the parents planted eggs around UP lagoon. We did this while the kids were distracted with getting to know each other through singing and running around (how they manage to do both is also beyond me). The parents then give each child a basket or toy pail and asked everyone to hunt for the eggs. The photo below is the kids opening each egg and enjoying the treats the parents put inside. Some of the kids also exchanged eggs.

We then proceeded to paint using the watercolor kits I asked the kids to bring. The subject was acacia trees around the academic oval and paper tree (first photo above) near where the kids had their picnic. I taught the kids about where the light is coming that should reflect in their artwork as well as how various shades of greens can be mixed with primary colors. Of course kids being kids, most of them just painted the way they want to and thus, we all ended up with amazing and unique artworks. 🙂

It was altogether a very happy experience for everyone. All parents hoped that I host another one so I am now in the process of cooking up another event to get the kids and parents together again. For now, here’s a photo of the artists and their artworks.

Take note, this class was free. The whole thing would not have been possible without the help of my fellow parents. I thank them all for this successful play date. Have a happy day, everyone!