a year of birds

There are a handful of these still needing to be gifted, but I think they're all non-blog readers so I'm safe in sharing this now. This was our little gift for the holidays - a calendar of birds!

This project began in the spring, with the arrival of our first robins of the year. The pile of bird drawings starting growing...and the boys started dreaming up what they wanted to make with all of their bird love. Publish a book, make a movie - oh, the list went on and on. And they set to work - creating bird drawings, learning about birds, writing the names, and mostly - thinking, dreaming and watching the birds. Oh yeah, and there was a lot of screaming for me and my camera whenever a new one came by that we didn't yet have a photograph of.

By September, I had gently talked them into chanelling the book ideas (for now ...I'm fully anticipating the "bird book" idea being resurrected in the spring by these ambitious little ones) into a calendar, which thankfully, they loved the idea of as well. Each month's page features a photograph by Steve or I, drawings of the birds, lettering of the birds, and little commentary by the babes.

The piles of stuff floating around here for this were plentiful - hundreds of drawings, folders everywhere. At one point, Calvin was using an Excel spreadsheet to keep it all organized. Love that.

I created the images for each month in Photoshop, and then uploaded it all to Lulu.com for publishing. That end of the process was smooth and easy. I am so thrilled with the quality of the calendars - it was even better than I expected. We printed these on the over-sized (13 X 19") premium calendars - the size is perfect for this kind of project.

I seriously don't think any project has caused me so much frustration (okay...boredom is really the word - I scanned no less than 58 images), nor nail biting (as we waited for UPS to deliver it ... on the 21st!). But I can also say that few projects have been such a joy to be a part of. The kids worked SO hard on dreaming this up, putting it all together, and sharing it with those they love - watching them see it through to fruition was pretty awesome. It felt like a wonderful way to share something 'handmade' with those we love, as well as serve as a little record of how very much of our year was spent with the birds.

Comments

[~liz]

amazing. i'm totally "stealing" this idea for next christmas!! :) what beautiful drawings!
~liz

[Kristin]

These are so beautiful! Really an amazing mix of children's artwork and words with your photograghy and a really usable calender. What A great gift, the recipents must have loved their presents.

[jean]

how much do I love this calendar? So so much. It is, for me, what homeschooling is all about. Watching them fly with something that excites them. Calvin, Ezra, and Adelaide, (steve and amanda), that was tons of work. It is gorgeous.

[qalballah]

I knew those packages were calenders. But wow what great idea. Please pass my admiration onto the resident artists.

[bellablue]

These look AMAZING!!!

[emily]

absolutely stunning. the calendar, the idea, the work that went into it - from all of you. the turning of a passion into something so practical and thoughtful and gift-able. beyond words.

[amy]

great example of rich learning for yr kids!
As an educator- I loved letting the kids lead me to projects and follow the spirit :)
Love it

[Alicia A.]

you people are downright brilliant!

[Eren]

Im with Alicia...brilliant! And stunning!

[CrystalT]

I am in awe... Really. That is an awsome idea for Christmas gifts. Those boys of yours sure have a spark. Thanks so much for sharing this. Next time I sit down to watch the news or discuss some vileness that is going on in our world I will think to myself, 'There are two boys out there dreaming of birds and what they can make including those birds'. That's it. That's the simple wonderfulness of it and it makes me feel better about the world.

I hope that didn't sound cheesey. I mean ever word. :)

[Victoria]

That is absolutely fantastic! As a bird lover I would die if I got that gift.

[Ram in the Thicket]

That is really cool! What a great gift;o)
Amanda, I would be honored if you could take a minute and stop by and read my blog today, since you are one of the people currently inspiring me :o) http://raminthethicket.typepad.com/ram_in_the_thicket/2008/01/my-crafting-jou.html

[Martha]

WOW! Another amazing idea to put on the list. Your little ones did a wonderful job...and how good it is that they stayed enthusiastic from begininng to end. Love the spreadsheet visual. :o)

[Melanie]

What an amazing idea, I can really appreciate how excited the "elves" were deliving the parcels, and how appropriate the bird decorations were on them. What an amazing family you have!

[Lisa L.]

just awesome work! what a wonderful idea!

[Melissa]

Oh those are just beautiful - what creative little ones you have! Definitely something everyone will cherish forever!

[Ingrid]

What a great idea! The calendars look very sharp.

[Sara]

fabulous idea! I love it when kids are involved/invested in the gift making - so much more special!

[Christi]

What a lovely, fun idea!

We're just starting to bird-watch around here - gotta keep this project in mind!

[Kim]

How simply beautiful! I wish I was the recipient of one of these delightful calenders.

[Kim]

oops. calendAr.

[Ilse]

What a wonderful calendar!! Wow Calvin and Ezra you are true artists. Artists with their own calendar. Isn't that lovely !
Maybe a soulemama shop idea for next year ?!!

I wish you all a very birdy new year!

[Jessica K]

What a WONDERFUL idea! The calendars look amazing. I can't imagine how much confidence and pride your boys gained from the experience. Especially since their art was deemed worthy for outside the family gifting. Great gift, to your friends and your boys.

[Andrea]

I've been a lurker for a while but I had to come out of hiding to comment on the bird calendar.
What a wonderful project! It turned out so beautifully and I'm sure was a great experience for the kids. Thanks for sharing this. :)

[betz]

Love this idea! I should try to channel my "drawers" towards a calendar this year. Of course, ours would most likely be full of pokemon and aliens. :)

[Bertha]

Such a great idea!!! Wow, the turned out so fabulous!

[Heather]

This is such a lovely idea! It is also a saving grace that there are companies out there that can do small runs of calendars, cards etc...we are all lucky for that! Thanks for sharing!

[Kim]

WOW oh WOW the calendar is so cool! I love the idea! I can't wait until my kids are old enough to do this!

[cloth.paper.string]

once again, i'm completely blown away by the magic that is the soule family!

[Stefani]

I just love love love this! I showed it my gang this morning and they are now dreaming up a whole line of calendars... bugs, flowers, recipes... goodness, we've got WORK ahead of us!

[Kate]

So incredible and completely inspiring, even from your little ones I am left in awe. Such a special gift for the recipients this year and for all of you many years from now. Where do you guys come up with all of this inspiration? If only you could bottle it....

[Denise Morrison]

This makes me so happy! Children using their creative talents and learning about something they want to. Reading your blog is so hopeful and encourageing. It helps me stop the madness!! Happy 2008! It is exciting to think of all the possibilities.

Denise

[bex]

Yay! You had me totally hanging out, waiting to see what you gave.
Well done guys! Xxx

[Mama Urchin]

This is a fantastic idea.

[Sarah]

Wow! Seriously beautiful. I wish I were one of the lucky recipients.

[wendy]

Now I see why the Eagle was such a big deal a few months ago.lol.

I love the calendars...great job!

[jen]

Wow - that calendar is soooooo amazing! I am so jealous of the people that got to receive one. If you were selling them I would buy one in a second! Tell Calvin and Ezra they did a fabulous job with the illustrations (haha not that the photos are anything less than awesome). And please ask Calvin if he could give me Excel lessons. :)

[Natalie]

Wow. This is terrific. I've let my children "publish" books at home and it's a great exercise, but I love how you took the whole concept to another level. Thank you for sharing this.

[Wendy]

Great job, Calvin and Ezra! You are quite the artists (and naturalists).

Are you members of FeederWatch.org? (It's a program where you help collect bird information for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)

[bigbucketgirl]

WoW, WoW, Wow...i could go on! That is just such a cool idea...perfect, PERFECT way of using all the little drawings. We could do a Welsh version! xxx

[Suzanne]

How beautiful! What an amazing gift of love:-)

[Kelly]

These are amazing! I loooooooove them! You never cease to amaze me! Lucky gift recipients, on your list! Absolute, joy!

[asti]

They are seriously beautiful! Everything about them is wonderful,especially their gorgeous drawings (photos aren't bad too ;)
Great idea, well executed!

[amanda]

What a beautiful & thoughtful gift! You guys are such an inspiration! :)

[Anne]

Anyone who received on of these is so lucky. Lovely and creative - I like the fact that you incorporated pictures, drawings, and thoughts on each bird.

[Jennifer]

Those are so cool! I am very impressed.
Smiles!

[Poppins]

My homeschooling kids say, "That's really cool." And, "It's very creative." And, "Maybe we could do something like that."

[mary]

Such an amazing project and gift. I am always wondering what to do with all the artwork we have. Really wonderful, as always.

[Lisa Clarke]

What a fantastic project! I put together a printed calendar every year as family gifts, but I don't usually involve my boys (aside from using them as the subjects of the photos). I love the collaborative spirit of this, though. I will need to keep my eyes open this year for opportunities to do something similar!

[Sharon]

Such a great idea! I love birds, and I LOVE the Red-Winged Blackbird. We have those here in Iowa, and I get giddy with delight at watching them return from wintering in the south.