HomeTeeter Totter ~ Finding a Balance Between Me-Hood and Motherhood
Gender: female Date of Birth: January 01, 1973 Member Since: September 11, 2007 Last Signed In: January 09, 2009 Blog Views: 9142 Send To A Friend Sign Guestbook Add as a Friend
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What Do You See? (Part II)
My point in blogging about this art project was to see if anyone said “I SEE A BIG MESS!” Sadly, a lot of parents feel that way about art. “Eewwww, messy!” and that keeps them from exposing their children to some important devolvement. At work I spread out butcher paper (and some blank posters) and taped it to the table. I then poured some child-friendly primary colored paint (plus black and white) and various size brushes. I then took away all the chairs (so more children could fit around the table). They were as anticipatory as dogs waiting for sausage to drop on the floor! Our room had three pumpkins and I decided to add those to the table as well. What did they learn/do? -They received multi-sensory stimulation due to the varying objects they painted (bumpy, smooth, flat, round…) -They SHARED the supplies. -They mixed their own colors (orange, purple, pink, turquoise) just like magic! -They used fine motor skills with the brushes and gross motor skills (using their hands and arms) -They learned problem solving. (running out of paint, sharing a brush, running out of pumpkin space.) -They also learned hygiene (by washing up properly after!) So where adults may see a mess, a teacher should see exploration and developmental opportunity! If you saw it as a positive experience, good for you! The next time you pick up your child from school or daycare and they’re “a mess,” GOOD! That means they learned a lot and made new neurological connections. 8 comments from 5 users
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posted by
beltaineca
on Oct 31, 2008 at 11:19 PM
posted by
creatress
on Nov 1, 2008 at 10:29 AM
Oooo, that burns me up. I find a lot of parents just aren't educated on the importance of play to their child's development. If the child isn't allowed to explore and play in their environment (sand, water, dress-up clothes, art, music, reading...) they will be stunted. Their brain will physically be damaged. I don't think people get that! All for what? a "pretty dress?" If I had my way, all kids would come to school in sweats and crocs. Hahaha. Thanks for the compliment beltaineca. I know you're of the same view as I am. posted by
wifemotherdaughtersister
on Nov 1, 2008 at 02:55 PM
is this one of those "look at these blotches and tell me what you see" types of things? i always tend to come up a little crazy on those...well when i looked at the first picture i saw what i thought was an onion (??!!), and i really looked to see what other objects i could see. pencil, paper, etc. now reading part deux, i realized that i was trying to see the detail rather than the larger picture. which was a good self realization on my part. thanks for the challenge! ps. i totally agree with kids being able to get down and dirty! what's a pretty dress if there is no substance underneath it? posted by
creatress
on Nov 1, 2008 at 07:47 PM
You're not too far off base wifemotherdaughtersister . I was curious to see if anyone would pick up on the vibrant mix of colors (that the kids made on their own), the brush, the pumpkin (good guess on the onion though), the fact that they painted both the paper and the pumpkin. So yeah... good job! I think it's really cool that you looked so hard for things in it. It shows you're really a problem solver with an attention to detail (in my personal opinion.) posted by
ThatTripletMom
on Nov 3, 2008 at 10:41 AM
I used to hate hearing, "what is it?" when a child proudly showed their project to their parent. It makes me cringe and the child usually visably wilts.I am a big believer in Process over Product. There's plenty of time in life for 'product'. Great activity Creatress! posted by
creatress
on Nov 3, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Ohhh gosh yeah. Do not say "what is it!" Say... "I love all the colors your used!" or "That's GREAT how you filled up the whole page." Don't just say "PRETTY!" or worse, "WHAT IS IT!?" Thanks for reminding me about that one. For sure. Process over product at this age (and for many years to come). Good reminder. posted by
MamaSeaShell
on Nov 3, 2008 at 12:03 PM
Hi Creatress, It's been a while since I've been here. I always love your blogs. My husband and I got a butcher block table as a wedding gift 12 yrs ago. Since, having children...it has been turned into the family discussion table, the painting table, the baking table, the playdough table and (covered with cloth) the formal dining table. It shows the wear and tear of all of these activities. It is worn in places from being scrubbed, blue in some places, red in others, some scribbles here and there. I love it. We will eventually get a more stylish, classier table for formal dining after the kids have grown. When that happens, its coming up to my studio for more artwork. posted by
creatress
on Nov 3, 2008 at 12:05 PM
Oh wow. A butcher block table. What a great score! Good for you to not sweat each mark and stain. I'm glad it's been well loved and used. Thanks for the compliment! Nice to see you pop in.
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"Don't get dirty"...