Your brother asking you to come watch his race
Running down the street with a bandana over your face and big sunglasses while your best friend takes pictures of the whole thing
Standing on people’s doorsteps with a plate of cookies in your hands and a traffic cone on your head
Your nephew telling you that your mismatched socks, “aren’t pretty.”
When a cute RM winks at you during church
Chicken pot pie and a brownie for dinner
Your dad hugging you
Watching your pregnant sister come home with cute clothes for her daughter
A baby falling asleep in your arms
Rain
The puppy jumping all over the two-year-old
Running into the person you like unexpectedly
A fun ringtone
Your two-year-old nephew making a book mark for his cousin and holding her hand while doing it
Quiet Sunday afternoons
The warm fuzzy pink bedspread your mom bought just for you
David's blue eyes
Getting two letters on the same day from your best friends
Getting an unexpected check in the mail
Hearing an apology from someone who days earlier announced his hatred towards you
Protective big brothers
Watching your niece point to your picture and say your name (her version of it at least)
Calling your sister who lives half a country away and talking for hours about anything and everything
Quoting Brian Regan, Tarzan, and Emperor’s New Groove
Taking funny pictures and making movies with your younger brother
Watching a baby cry when his older brother walks away
Pictures drawn especially for you by your nephew
A Gingerbread house made into a church
Wearing your dad’s horribly ugly sweater from the 70’s
Going to the DI just to buy the ugliest clothes you can find
Hand-me-downs from Grandma
Finally sewing something that looks decent
A few hours with a just the sewing machine and your mom
A pink and black backpack with your initial on it
Daydreams
Waking up to thunder and falling back asleep to the rain hitting the roof
Painting your nieces nails
The high after a long run
Getting over something/someone that has been bothering you
A pretty flower
Boxes filled with your childhood artwork and poetry
A scarf for every day of the month
Good smelling shampoo
Clear skies
A grandmother’s cooking
A homemade UGLY sweater
A good grade on a test you studied hard for
Cool autumn nights
Laughing with the bishop’s wife
Sitting down at the piano and being able to play a song you haven’t attempted in a few years
A clean, bright room
Laughing until your side hurts
Your Mom matching her plate
Spraying a good smelling air freshener
A good hair day
A cute hat
Waking up before your alarm feeling happy and refreshed
Putting together photo albums
Singing at the top of your lungs along with the radio
Karaoke with your little brother or sister who has bronchitis
Spinning around in circles in the rain
Dad’s waffles
Seeing someone help another person
A warm coat in the winter
The smell of freshly cut dewy grass on a summer morning
Swinging
Playing on the teeter-totters when you’re over the age of 6
Hearing a cute love song
A smile that won’t go away
· Children don’t just paint. They create in their mind and express it on paper.
· They paint to experiment with color and represent what is around them.
· Use large paper for children.
· With young children only have 2 colors of paint out. As they get older (4-5 years) add a few more
· Use same materials often, they will master the techniques
Developmental Stages of Art
1. Scribbling
o 1-2 ½ years old
o Use their whole arm
o They like to scribble. It’s fun. Even if they are older, this is ok
o Developing motor skills
o Use large tools (they need to be able to grasp it)
2. Preschematic
o 3 ½ -4 years old
o Moves elbow and down
o Represent reality, for only that day. Have them explain what it is and write it down on the back. They won’t be able to explain it the next day.
o Children will explain the painting. ASK them!
o They draw feelings
o Use symbols (ex: circles for faces)
3. Schematic
o 5-6 years old
o Draws man and the environment
o More aware of lines, color, and space and use to depict objects
o Have a baseline (ground or sky)
o Picture has direction (top, bottom)
o Everything is experienced based
o Children have a preferred art medium (what to use)
*These ages aren’t set in stone. If your three year old is scribbling, don’t worry. Now if your 5 year old is scribbling, you should be worried if that’s the only drawing he/she does.
· Things to paint with:
o Markers
o Pencils
o Colored pencils
o Clicky pens
o Chalk
o Wet chalk
o Water color crayons and pencils
o Crayons
o Toothbrush
o Rollers
o Paint brushes
§ Fan brushes
§ Stencil brushes
§ Professional brushes
· Fun art things to try
o Markers on bubble wrap
o Wet paper (it’s ok that it rips)
o Create different easels (some that turn, plexi glass, etc)
o Spin art- get a record player, pour paint on while it spins (Karo syrup/glue + food coloring)
o Colored paper
o Puffy paint (make your own- a bottle of shaving cream + half a bottle of glue)
o Salt flour paint= equal parts salt, flour, and water. Mix well, dye colors
o Scent your paint Ex: cinnamon or peppermint extract
o Fizzy paint: mix baking soda with colored Kool-Aid and then fill a spray bottle with vinegar and have them spray it.
o Colored tissue paper and liquid starch (the starch makes the color bleed. It dries translucent and crystallized)
o Soap paint- grate Ivory soap (Ivory is the only one that works according to my teacher) and mix with water with an electric mixer until good consistency
· Printing
o Sponges
o Fruits and veggies
o Boxes wrapped with string
o Pinecones
o Silly putty
· Scissors
o Be safe
o Always watch them
o Don’t have sharp ends
o Make sure they cut!
o Scrapbooking scissors (crazy scissors) are so fun!
Remember, when working with children it’s all about exploration and play. They will learn best by doing and figuring things out on their own. Especially with art, let them do what they want. They see things differently than we do. For them, art is a PROCESS. Don’t expect a final project from them.
For example: A little girl colored beautiful flowers on her paper. Then she took a blue marker and scribbled on it. Later, when her mom asked her, she girl told her it was rain.
She wasn’t ruining her picture, she was telling a story.
Another example: A child was painting at the easel and used beautiful vibrant colors. When my professor came around again, the child had painted over it with black. When asked, the child explained that it was night time now.
Encourage creativity. Don’t expect a final project. Let your child explore and play. Be realistic about their abilities. Don’t get mad that they don’t stay on the paper, just cover your table.
Enjoy and HAVE FUN!!!
