Host a Clothesline Art Show

What better way to turn an ordinary summer night into something extra fun than by throwing a backyard art show? Whether preschooler or third grader, kids love showing off their creative efforts, and there's no easier way to honor their work than by sponsoring a clothesline gallery. All you need is a clothesline, clothespins, and the artistic talent of your kids! Here's how to plan and host your very own art show.

What You Need:

• Construction paper
• Art supplies: stickers, glitter, glue, markers, crayons
• Assortment of kid-friendly snacks, drinks, and finger foods
• Clothesline
• Clothespins
• Paintings, drawings and photographs by family and friends

What to Do:

1. Preparation. Send out "Gallery Opening" invitations to your family and friends a week in advance, so they will have time to decide which art pieces they want to contribute. Brainstorm with your child what the invitations should look like, and use the construction paper and art materials to create them. The invitations should include the name of the host, the address, date, and time of the art show. You might want to invite the artists over earlier than the other guests, so they can hang their pictures up beforehand.
2. Figure out who the artists featured in the art gallery will be. Your child, his friends and family, or even the neighbors can all contribute some of their favorite art pieces.
3. Set-Up. Set up the gallery by stringing the clothesline between two fence posts, trees, or other sturdy objects. For some extra decoration, use colored ribbons or beaded strings rather than the simple clothesline, or encourage the kids to decorate their own clothespins to adorn their art with.
4. Set out the finger foods and drinks. To make the gallery more sophisticated, you can even dress the snacks up. Give some flair to juice by serving it in (plastic) wine glasses, for instance, or serve fancy cheese on toothpicks.
5. Start the Show! When the artists arrive, have them to hang up their pictures. Make sure the pictures are all facing the right direction so that everyone will be able to see them.
6. When the rest of the guests arrive, serve the snacks and let everyone admire the art. Get someone to pretend to be the paparazzi and start taking pictures, and you'll be having a successful art show in no time!