Wall Mural

Materials:

• Large sheets of paper
• masking tape
• art supplies

Do you sometimes wish you had different views from the windows in your house? Why not have your kids create a trompe l'oeil wall mural of the vista of their choice? Trompe l'oeil means "fool the eye" in French, but in your playroom it means making a wall-sized picture, complete with door and windows through which some magnificent outdoor scenery is visible, like mountains or a rain forest.

Begin by taping pieces of paper together to form a larger sheet to tape to the wall. Have your kids decide what they want to draw, then perhaps start with a light pencil sketch of their idea before adding color. In addition to including a window or door on their mural, your children might add other details to make it look like part of the room.

For instance, they can draw a picture on the picture, complete with a frame. They can also add touches like a crack in the wall, a light switch, or "paintings of paintings" and other artwork.

Or suggest this one: a magic button that, when pressed, will instantly clean up a playroom and make the sun come out!

More on: Arts & Crafts Activities for Kids: Project Ideas

Excerpted from:

© 2005 by Steve and Ruth Bennett. Excerpted from 365 Unplugged Family Fun Activities with permission of its publisher, Perseus Books Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

To order this book visit perseusbooksgroup.com.