when our favorite local toy shop dancing bear toys and gifts blogs about something, we listen. this has lead to lots of great toy and game finds, of course. but this week, our friends at the bear blogged about a special crafty art project that could help teach kids about helping others. so, naturally, we headed to the bear this afternoon to get involved.

the bear’s owners, marlene and tom, are offering free kits for kids to help them create original artwork. the projects will be auctioned off in late april to benefit hope alive, a frederick county nonprofit that offers transitional housing and support services to homeless mothers and their children. according to the group’s website, hope alive’s children’s programs “are committed to providing a safe, stable, nurturing and stimulating learning environment for children while their mothers build a more stable life by working, attending school, seeking counseling or obtaining a GED.”

several different kinds of kits were available to choose from, but jackson and molly chose a paint-your-own birdhouse!

jackson loved the idea of painting the entire birdhouse red, but, as you can see, the paint tubs that came with the kit were rather small, so we had to get crafty in our planning!

jackson grabbed a bunch of his old national geographic kids magazines, and he and molly clipped out photos of some of his favorite animals. then, they grabbed paintbrushes and mod podge, and the house took shape!

here it is, in progress…

… and here’s the finished project, full of skunks and frogs and gorillas and zebras and meerkats and elephants and more!

thanks to marlene and tom at dancing bear for always providing inspiration and for letting us know about this project. we are excited to submit our finished birdhouse, and to see whether it brings in some big cash for kids in need!