Painting Baskets for Family Dinner Book Club: Anna Hibiscus

Try painting baskets for a fun family craft that is beautiful and functional!

There are a few things that make a successful craft project in our house. It is usually inspired by a great book that we have read, lets us use things that we already have, and the focus is on process and expression, creating a unique and beautiful product. This month's Family Dinner Book Club craft fit the bill on all points, and I know that your family will love it too.

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Family Dinner Book Club

Family Dinner Book Club is a wonderful way for families to connect over good books, easy crafts, and delicious food. It's simple - every month, we share a book with activities & conversation starters from Growing Book by Book, a themed menu from Chef Sarah Elizabeth, and an easy craft from me. This year, I'm super excited that we're going "around the world" and each month's book will showcase a different country.

This month, we are traveling to Africa with Anna Hibiscus, a delightful story about a young girl and her adventures with her family. My nieces have been big fans of Anna for a long time, and I was so happy to introduce my boys to her this month.

For our Anna Hibiscus inspired table craft, I wanted to do something that celebrated a native African craft. I have long admired African baskets - they are amazing works of art that are also functional. And since you know I love to organize my house, I can never have enough baskets.  Creating true African baskets requires incredible weaving skills that I could never recreate, so instead we decided to try painting baskets to celebrate the wonderful colors and patterns that make them so special.

Painting Baskets with Kids

This is a super easy craft that anyone can enjoy, and you likely have all the materials at home already.  If not, plain baskets are very easy to find right now with Easter approaching. You will need:

• Plain baskets. I picked mine up from the craft store. You'll want to make sure that they are not coated or painted already to ensure that your paint will stick well.
• Acrylic Paint - I use this brand.
• Paintbrushes

Prepare an area for your kids to paint - we use the table in our craft room. Give each child a basket and a plate with their selected colors. I usually start my kids with just 3-4 colors, but you can be as creative and colorful as you'd like. Invite them to paint their baskets.

My boys really loved this project. Again, the focus here is on the process. Allow them to paint in any way they would like, using their own color choices and design. It is so fun to see what they create!

Once they are finished, allow the paint to dry thoroughly. Then you can use your baskets as a centerpiece for your Family Dinner Book Club meal, for storage around the home, or even as Easter baskets. The possibilities are endless - and you will have a unique piece of art for your home as well.

Complete Your Family Dinner Book Club Night

Ready for the entire Family Dinner Book Club experience? Get the menu for your meal from Chef Sarah Elizabeth, and your conversation starters and service projects from Growing Book by Book.

Be sure to drop by our Facebook page to share photos of your Family Dinner Book Club projects, or tag me @sunnydayfamily on Instagram too!

Be sure to check out our other Family Dinner Book Club crafts for more inspiration!

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