American Girl class: Rebecca Week 2

We had another fun American Girl class this past Tuesday!

We discussed our second book in the series, Rebecca and Ana.  Each girl got an American flag, which I got on July 4th clearance! Then they waved their U.S. flag just like Ana did in our book!

We went on to our craft, which was quite an undertaking for 12 girls ages 6-11 to accomplish in one hour or less! We painted Russian nesting dolls, or Matryoshka dolls. I found sets of 6 at our local Hobby Lobby. I looked online and found a better deal per set, but the shipping was the same as the subtotal amount! The local craft store ended up being the less expensive option. I also bought acrylic paints and cheap paintbrushes at Wal-mart. I had a  box of my own paints, so I went through them and added to the stash with new colors I needed-- such as a flesh color. I did bring my own samples of Matryoshka dolls for the girls to see too- some whimsical snowmen and some realistic Russian painted ones.

I had red plastic bowls for the paint to go in, and that helped contain it to the bowl. Most of the girls painted with flesh colored paint first, and painted all six dolls that way, then added hair and facial features. A few took a while to paint them slowly, and several girls painted them quickly. It was interesting to see the difference in how they painted.

 Love seeing the dolls all lined up...

 The tables got messier-- I should have brought newspaper to cover the tables and a smock for myself to wear. I did bring aprons from home for the girls to wear, and the girls brought paint shirts too. Hopefully nobody ruined any clothes-- I tried to warn the moms in advance! (If you did get acrylic paint on clothes, Pine-Sol in a scrub will get it out.) I know I need to do that on some of my daughter's clothes!

 Painting pants and shirts-- such detail! We had bagels for snack, the girls loved them! The mom who brought them also brought cream cheese and cinnamon sugar butter- it was a hit!

 The 2:00 class....

 I had cups for water to rinse the brushes...

 The tables are getting messier... wish I brought wet washrags to wipe the tables!

 My daughter (above) painted her dolls all one color each, and then added eyes with the bottom of her paintbrush. It makes the perfect dot! She has carried them around ever since they dried. :-D

I loved how cute they are and how the girls worked on them. I know some girls didn't have time to finish them in class, so hopefully you can find some supplies at Wal-mart to allow them to finish painting the six dolls. I think they will be a treasure for years to come! Many of the girls took a red bowl full of drying dolls home with them. It worked ok to have some of them left on a shelf for a few hours to dry.

I am thankful that we did it, even though it was messy. I learned from it, and will change a few things for next time. I am thankful for the moms who helped me and scrubbed the tables with cleaner at the end of class. I hope the girls all enjoyed it too!


Genesis 1:27, 30-31

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. ...And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Exodus 16:29
Bear in mind that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.”