Reading Theme Challenge-On Top of Spaghetti

This weeks Reading Theme Challenge book is On Top of Spaghetti by Paul Brett Johnson.

When I first read this book to the kids, I was surprised to realize that they didn't know about this song, but I am now happy to report, that after about 100 readings(and singings) they all now know it by heart.

Of course, we had to have alotta meatballs this week.
Kimmy and Luke were joined in the feast by 8 brothers and sisters, 2 parents and 1 friend.

80 meatballs were NOT enough.

The day after the meatball and spaghetti feast, were had plenty of leftover cooked spaghetti to craft with.

We mixed tempra paint with Elmer's glue and then mixed in some spaghetti until it was totally covered with paint. I had the kids mix the colors and spaghetti on the shiny side of freezer paper.

Next, each child had their own piece of freezer paper to make their pasta creation on.

Above is the first spaghetti that Kimmy touched. She picked it up after about a solid minute of yelling, "I can't touch it! I can't touch it! I can't touch it!" She finally touched it and then I couldn't stop her, although she was always very careful!

Kimmy had a chance to mix our next color.

The idea was to make a spaghetti "abstract art" sculpture. It was also fun to put the spaghetti down on the paper and then lift it up making wonderful "snake trails."

I am not sure what Gracie is thinking about here, but I couldn't resist adding this picture.

Luke mixed the green.

They had great time doing this unusual art.

This is the extent of the messiness of this activity. Not to bad, considering some of the other messes we have gotten into around here in the past.

Our finished masterpieces!

Mark's is a wonderful spiral, the others all seem to be free expression art. I was hoping that these would dry and we would be able to peel them off the paper and hang them up--but after 2 days of drying, and various artists repositioning their artwork, they are still squishy. One of the big kids suggested blow drying them, but we haven't tried that yet.

We had a lot of fun with this week's Reading Theme Challenge and we will never eat spaghetti again without remembering the fun we had. We will always remember Kim and Luke reminding everyone that "we don't eat glue and paint spaghetti!" A warning that I gave them before we started. We are also sure to never have a spaghetti and meatball dinner again without singing On Top of Spaghetti, because that is just the everyday silly things that this family does.