SacMomsClub.com

larger view

We know inspiration when we see it: in our children's artwork and wacky inventions, in their proud smiles, and in the strata of dried paint on their smocks. But how can we, as parents, help kindle that spark? Here families share their strategies for turning a home into a creative haven and inspiring their kids to make art, make music, and even make believe.

CREATE WITH YOUR JUNK

One person's trash really is another person's treasure. The Miles family of St. Augustine, Fla., for example, stores jar lids, toy wheels, cardboard tubes and other detritus in a large plastic bin dubbed the invention box.

"I had read an article about keeping your house cleaner by throwing away fifteen things a day," says mom Jill, "but then I started looking at some of the things and thinking, oh, we could use this!"

The resulting box, which also contains tape, glue, and other basic supplies, has turned into a creative success. Her kids -- Ryan, age 11, and Shannon, 8 -- haul it out whenever they get the urge to invent. Creations so far include a hamster playground, a rocket ship, musical instruments, and free-form sculpture. The children's silence as they work speaks volumes to Jill: "It's amazing how focused and quiet they get when they're creating."

POST AN IDEA LIST

For the Moore-Gordon family of Bothell, Wash., getting creative meant first turning off the TV. Then, to fill the void, mom Mary-Leah posted a list of alternatives ("build with blocks," "bake something," "play dress-up") by the television.

"When the kids would ask if they could watch TV, I would point to the list," says Mary-Leah. "Pretty soon, I didn't have to point -- they just looked!"

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SPACE

Kids need a place to be inventive, and these families have found clever ways to give them the room they need.

-- The West family of Kissimmee, Fla., painted their kitchen cabinets with chalkboard paint so their kids can draw and play games while Mom and Dad cook.

-- The Tomeos of Denali Park, Alaska, turned a hallway into an art gallery, complete with chalkboard paintÂ-covered walls and clips for hanging kid art. The chalkboard wall is a place for reminders, quotes and drawings by Emma, age 4, and Will, 2. "A pail of water and a sponge are all it takes to wipe the wall clean and start again," says mom Martha.

-- The dining room of the Lins' Dyer, Ind., home serves as a craft studio for their 4-year-old. "Ella's projects cover the walls, the table is set with paintbrushes instead of silverware, glue and scissors instead of plates," says mom Jennifer. "But the smile on her face every time she shows her work to family and friends is worth it!"

SHOWCASE THEIR WORK

Many parents understand the link between creativity and appreciation.

-- As Danville, N.H., mom Nancy Steenson puts it, "It's so important that kids know we value what they've made." To put this belief into practice, Nancy hangs her daughters' drawings where the family can readily admire them: on a pair of clotheslines strung in front of a large bank of windows. "It really does boost their self-esteem," she says. "And I couldn't think of anything prettier to put up!"

-- The Dillons of Maple Valley, Wash., take a similar approach. They display their children's art in elegantly mismatched frames -- many of which were donated in response to an ad on the Web site Craigslist -- in their guest bathroom. "We'd moved from New York to Washington," says mom Melissa, "and I thought it was a nice way to pay homage to the famous New York museums."

HAVE AN ONGOING PROJECT

To keep her kids inspired year-round, Jill Odom of Oak Hill, Va., lets them create seasonal displays on a wall near their playroom. The girls pick a holiday, then Jill helps them make a giant paper cutout that they decorate over several weeks or months. Last year, for example, they made a Thanksgiving turkey with individually decorated construction paper feathers and a July Fourth Liberty Bell festooned with glitter-glue fireworks and paper stars. "The kids love having a project they can work on anytime," says Jill. "I love that it keeps their creativity flowing without me having to come up with new ideas all the time."

JOIN IN THE FUN

Evanston, Ill., mom Elizabeth Curry knows the secret to inspiring her seven kids.

"If I sit and paint and don't say anything, it's a guarantee that they'll want to get out their own paints," she says. "Things always seem more fun if someone else is doing them."

To stay creative even when they're away from home, the family often brings their painting bag -- a canvas tote filled with paper, watercolors, palettes, brushes, containers, and bottles of water -- on trips.

"We've painted at the zoo, the botanical gardens, the beach, and even on vacation in the Smoky Mountains!" says Elizabeth.

PUT UP PROMINENT CANVASES

Want to coax the artist out of your child? Take a cue from these readers and encourage your kids to think big.

-- Erin Johnson of North Branch, Minnesota, hangs huge sheets of paper in her dining room for crayon murals. "When the paper is full, the kids are excited to start over with new paper and have a fresh place to display their creativity," she says.

-- Melissa Angel of Romulus, Mich., doesn't fence in her children's artistic expression -- but she does cover a fence with paper for painting outdoors.

MAKE ROOM FOR MUSIC

Years ago, the Hausens of Lewiston, Idaho, made a stage for a rock-and-roll birthday party, setting up lights, a sound board, amps, guitars, and drums. After the party, they moved everything to the basement, where the stage became a permanent fixture. Over the years, they added a keyboard, chimes, cowbells, costumes, and even rows of seats from a local movie theater that had gone out of business.

The Hausen kids, Meghan and Max, are grown now, and both are musically inclined.

"That crazy stage, which started as a party prop, turned out to be a constant opportunity for learning, experimenting, and encouraging family togetherness," notes their mother, Kymberlie. "A bonus to building a rock-and-roll stage set in your basement? You always know where your kids are on Friday and Saturday nights!"

GIVE THEIR ART A SECOND LIFE

Cheryl Dorweiler of Palm Harbor, Fla., found a cuddly way to display her son Westen's artwork: she turns the characters he draws into quilts, pillows and plushies. To make them, she enlarges the drawings to create a pattern and uses it to cut out cotton quilting fabrics, which she sews together and stuffs. Westen's pictures have inspired such creations as a turtle-shaped quilt and a large pillow of Violet from "The Incredibles." As Cheryl puts it, "Just because it's drawn on paper doesn't mean it has to stop there."

___

(c) 2008, FamilyFun.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.