Mother's Day Mugs

In France Mother's Day isn't the same day as in the UK. This year it's the 29th of May.

I wanted to do something special but not too difficult with the children I babysit. Something they'd be capable of doing that had a functional purpose, but could also be decorative if it was too sentimental or pretty to use. 

I chose painted mugs, proposed the activity to them and they happily accepted. 

Who with? 

With children aged 3 and up, I found this fun as an adult. They have to be able to hold a pen and ideally draw or write. 

Where?

Ideally outside where if they make a mess it's leas of a problem. Otherwise on a low table with plenty of sheets of paper. Ceramic paint is a nightmare to clean up. 

Materials

I found these paint liner pens in Hema for 5€50 and tested them. They seem to work as ceramic paint pens would but I got four for the price of one real ceramic paint pen.

• - Ceramic paint in pen form (or paint form with brushes for older children)
• - Pale or white mugs
• - Newspaper to protect the surfaces
• - Aprons
• - An oven to bake the paint 

Objectives

• - Make something for Mother's Day with a practical use. 
• - Involve the children in their Mother's Day presents. 

Secondary objectives

• - Drawing or writing with the kids.
• - Talking about the colours in English, as I'm meant to be teaching them basics. 

Before, preparation  

Obviously before involving the children in this activity I did a trial run to avoid any disappointment. I didn't want them making beautiful mugs and then the paint washing off. 

Once I found out it had worked we went to the shop together to choose our mugs. I asked L what kind of coffee her mum drinks in the morning (small or large) and she said large and choose a large mug. Then I asked R and he said small. L decided she preferred the small mug and wanted a small one for her mum. So we ended up with two espresso mugs which they both started calling coffees in English. 

We paid, went back to the house and the children cleared off the table. They got their drawing books, because I said where the pens were a bit difficult it would be one at a time. We also put paper on the table to avoid getting paint on it. 

I washed the mugs and the kids took off their jackets so they were in short sleeves. 

During, the activity

R went first because L was drawing out on paper what she wanted to write on her mug. 

I asked R which language he wanted to do his mug in and he said the language he speaks with his dad. I got the translation and he asked me to write it and chose a colour. Then I asked him if he wanted to draw something on the other side. He said a flower. We drew it in together and then he drew his family without any help next to the flower. I also wrote his name and year around the bottom. 

Then it was L's turn. She's much more inderpendant so wrote on "maman" with a heart for the middle m on her own. Then I wrote her name and the year on the bottom. 

I was making a mug at the same time and I'd written on the handle and they asked me to do the same on their mugs.

After, finishing 

I swore them both to secrecy and we hid the mugs in L'a room. The following day I did a second coat on the paint and baked them in the oven. 

The children actually put their own into the oven because they go into a cold oven. Warm to 180° and then leave for 30 minutes. Then turn off and leave to cool.

Once cool we filled them with sweetie hearts. 

Both children wanted to give them to their mums on the same evening we'd finished them to they did it a bit early than normal but everyone seemed happy. 

Mine is for my Italian  friend, hence the lack of sense.