It's 5:30 in the morning and here I am typing on the computer because I have so much I want to tell you. When my daughter-in-law Julie asked me to take this art class with my granddaughter Leah, I was thrilled! What a wonderful gift she has given me! What could be better than to spend an hour sharing something that I love with a child I love?
While I knew that it would be difficult for me to attend an art workshop with children as a participant rather than the instructor, I promised myself that I would use this time to focus on Leah. I think I did rather well. I held back with my suggestions but I could not help myself from observing what was happening with the other children.
First, let me say that I am wondering what the goal of this workshop is. Is the instructor simply hoping to expose the children to the art making process once a week for an hour or, by including the parents, is she hoping to show them ways that they can continue to explore the arts beyond this little room? I'm hoping that it is the latter.
It was interesting for me to see the parents as they brought their children into the classroom. They were all wearing nice slacks and beautiful sweaters. I, on the other hand, had on a pair of paint stained jeans and an old sweatshirt. Did they not know that toddlers could be messy in their creativity? I also had an apron for me and one for Leah. This prompted one mother to say that I must be an artist as I came prepared. What gave it away? My paint stained jeans or the aprons?
As Leah and I immersed our hands into the finger paints and smeared them over the surface of the paper (which I think was too large for the size of the children, 22" by 26") I watched the other children and parents. One mother kept saying that her child was more interested in music than visual art. I thought great! Play some music, classical, jazz, reggae, while the child finger paints. Encourage him to show on paper the way the music sounds. This is a great way for children to connect visual images to sound patterns and leads to fluency in reading. Being able to see the patterns of words as well as hear them aids children with their oral reading and writing. Great poetry always sounds better when read by the poet that wrote it! The writer hear the cadence of the words as he looks at them, so he knows when to emphasize and when to hold back. Ah, but I digress.
I was most fascinated by the child who refused to touch the finger paint. The mother seemed embarrassed that he wouldn't put his hands in the paint. He kept saying, "but I don't want to."
The mother said to me as I was helping Leah wash her hands that her son was not comfortable with the finger paints and almost apologized for his behavior. I told her not to worry. He was only two and many young children are sensitive to textures (Why do you think they gag when given lumpy food?) and that this to would pass. What I didn't do was offer suggestions for ways that he could engage in a the finger painting process without having to use his hands. I didn't want to appear to be taking over the class but next week I am going to give her a few ideas.
Here are my suggestions for finger painting with young children. First of all, go to your local dollar store and find a large, plastic serving tray. The one in the picture was purchased at The Christmas Tree Shop for $1. Use the tray to place the paper in while applying the paint. This provides for less mess and easy clean-up. It also helps to keep the size of the paper in line with the size of the child. Trying to put finger paint over a large surface created some frustration among the children as the paint had dried in many places before the child had the opportunity to work into the surface.
If your child doesn't want to touch the paint, there are other ways to apply the paint onto the paper. Using a sponge brush (29 cents at A.C. Moore) or a sponge roller (also available at A.C. Moore, Micheal's Craft store or Joanne Fabrics or any craft store in your area) is the cheapest way but the foam absorbs some of the paint. I prefer using the rubber roller, (This is also available at most craft stores or on line at Dick Blick or Sunshine Crafts) a little more expensive but the roller moves the paint over the surface without soaking up the paint. I discovered this when I was teaching a child who was severely tactile defensive.
To create marks in the paint give your child a popsicle stick or tongue depressor. She can use this to make lines in the paint. Pieces of cardboard boxes can also be cut to create multiple lines. (check out the one in the picture.) Experiment with other objects in your home like plastic forks, hairbrushes, potato mashers. The possibilities are endless. If your child doesn't mind putting her hands in the paint, her hand is still the best tool. Encourage her to move her fingers in differnt ways. Use the side of your hand to make fatter lines or a fist to move larger areas of paint.
Probably the most important part of this whole process is for you to enjoy the experience, too. Modeling how to use the materials without dictating what the image should be is key. And talk with your child about what is happening! Don't try to guess what the child's marks mean, ask questions about the lines he is making, encourage him to describe what he sees and how he feels, and, if the mess gets to be too much, remember the day when you wish your child was there to make a mess comes too soon.
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