I Ain't Gonna Paint No More...and Some of the Less Pinterest-Worthy Aspects of the Home Atelier

One of my favorite art themed children's books of all time is Karen Beaumont's I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! It rhythmically and humorously captures the story of a creative budding artist whose canvas happens to be his entire body (literally draining his entire paint supply). It also sparks a great question for aspiring artists: what is your canvas? For many children, it's usually a blank sheet of paper placed horizontally on a tabletop. What if it were vertical instead, on an easel or a wall? What if it were spread on the floor? What if it were hung outside? Or what if it was actual canvas? Or vellum? Or tracing paper? Or card stock? What if it were a different shape? What if it weren't paper at all, but a tray or the floor or the bathtub walls or--gasp--your entire body? Well, I'm not diving into body painting today (although hands and fingers are a frequently used material here), but I am going to delve into some of the messier parts of introducing and having an atelier in your home or classroom space...

My photos here and my account of setting up a home atelier are somewhat Pinterest-worthy, but let me take you on a tour of lessons learned the hard way that might not look as pretty in a photograph...

I spent the better part of a Sunday setting up shop. We happened to be starting dinner (and did I mention I hadn't eaten anything in 6 hours and was starving?) when the boys first came in to see it. They were, of course, immediately interested in diving in. I, however, was half focused on that and half focused on my bowl of stir fry. Not ideal at all. Ideally, I would have devoted my full attention to introducing this space and what we might do with it. I would have moved at a slow and intentional pace and really given this occasion the sense of honor and respect that I wanted to see mirrored in how the boys would interact with it. Instead, I kind of forgot that they couldn't possibly already know that I didn't set out squeeze bottles of paint purely for the albeit enjoyable purpose of squeezing it all out. They couldn't have intuited that I did not mean for watercolors and tempera paints to be used at the same time. (And why not? Why can't they be used at the same time??) They would not have known inherently that I envisioned the beads as part of a design in loose parts and not part of a necklace. (And, again, why not??)

So while I nibbled and simultaneously chased after two eager artists, I tried to keep the calm and nurture the excitement. Y proceeded to squeeze every last drop of white paint onto his pallet, the table, the floor. S moved from painting a rainbow to mixing colors to making necklaces. The boys created a multitude of masterpieces and I hadn't even thought yet about how and where to display them, let alone where to set them to dry. I had four very painty hands and the lights in the bathroom were off, the door was still closed. Rookie mistake. We had a ton of painty brushes but no place to put them until we could wash them. Ok, time to provide one of those recycled plastic sushi trays. And then it was time for bed, we would try again tomorrow. I said to the boys (as much as I did to myself) that we were all new to using the atelier. It was a very special thing to have an artist's studio in our home and it was OK that we did not know everything about it yet; we would learn together.

Day two, I set out an invitation with our book and essential question. I set out a variety of "canvases" and our paints and brushes. This time, we moved a bit more slowly and with a bit more intention, but this time it was S who became enamored with squeezing out the paints into his tray and Y who wondered how it would look and feel to squeeze them right onto some glossy finish photo paper. I had such a gut reaction to say "no" and such an urge to get to "yes." I wanted to honor their curiosity and process. I wanted to convey respect that mixing colors was as much a part of art as painting with them. I wanted not to have to buy stock in Crayola or sell a kidney on the black market in order to maintain my paint supply. Where should I draw--or paint--the line between wonder and wastefulness?

I reached out to a teacher friend of mine who runs an atelier in her preschool. She is an artist as well and extremely talented and creative. We brainstormed ideas and she reminded me of some core atelier materials I had not remembered to include:

• Adequate time: Children need enough time to explore and engage and remain engaged with art. If they are rushed, their creative process cannot expand and it may not emerge at all. We would need to tweak the "open access" policy a bit to accommodate times when we really can engage and to be "closed" when we cannot. A large sheet or tablecloth draped over the shelves could work to visually close it off. I also  like using laminated signs and velcro for this purpose. I have used this method for a while to "close" our art shelves on Shabbos or holidays. I can use it as well to close some or all of the shelves at other times as needed. 
• Adequate attention: Time's kissing cousin is attention; mine was divided on the first occasion we used our atelier. In that sense, I missed an opportunity to really lay a foundation and groundwork for this space, but fear not! It's not a one shot deal! We will definitely be able to backtrack and establish a stage for this performance.
• The complete lesson: Just because you are not engaging in directed art does not mean the children do not need directions. I wanted so much for this to be their space and process that I neglected to set any boundaries at all and this was not helpful to their creative process. It actually probably inhibits it. Now we do take the time before beginning to talk and plan. It's OK if our plans change as we go and it's OK to experiment and revise. In addition to plans for preparation, giving over the complete lesson also includes establishing the skills to retrieve materials, transport them, where to use them, how to use them, how to clean them and where to put them away. I find that I nearly always leave a gap in some area or another and the children are the ones who show me where that is. It might be that I neglected to include a wet wash cloth for intermittent cleaning of hands or spills. It might be the lack of a space to set completed work to dry. It might be a very simple fix, but it can be helpful to perhaps jot these things down (unless you have an amazing memory) so that you will remember them in the future.
• Tricks and Tips: Along the way, you'll pick up tips and tricks. Some will be through trial and error. Some will be from the young artists themselves! Some will come from the creative recesses of your mind and others still will come from seeking the counsel of other atelieristas and artists. Regarding the squeeze bottle situation, my brilliant friend had several brilliant ideas. Perhaps we could add a bit of flour to thicken the paint and slow the process down. Perhaps we might draw a line on the outside of each bottle to designate a minimum point for how much paint could be used in a day or week. I proposed the idea of perhaps using a small jar and squeeze bottles to create a space where it was ok to squeeze and mix colors of paint that could then be stored and used. And then, the very next day as I sat down to continue a masterclass I am taking on process art and the atelier model, another teacher shared her trick of storing paints in empty soap bottles with pumps. The children are instructed to use two pumps at a time and can get more as needed. There you have it! For every challenge in the atelier there are infinite solutions! I ended up buying some empty pump bottles in bulk off Amazon and re-stocking our paint supply in those. And if you're looking for a tip on how to clean out the nozzles of those painty squeeze bottles: a tiny botttle brush used for baby bottle nipples or a straw brush work quite well!
  

• The Products of the Process: Having an atelier will undoubtedly increase your supply of art projects. I do want to give each creation the honor and respect it deserves. I usually ask the children what they would like to do with their work when they feel it's completed. Sometimes they want to hang it up. Other times they want to give it to someone special. They sometimes want to use it to make something else or store it in our "scrap paper" drawer for future use with collage. We are fortunate that although our space here is limited, we have a lot of magnetic surfaces to hang artwork and I love metal clip magnets for this purpose. The kids can hang and access their own work. We do hang and display some work on our walls and still other work is displayed on a garland with clothespins that hangs above their table. One area we are short on in our home is free horizontal surfaces to set things out to dry. Bakers racks stacked on top of one another can help with this challenge as well. And what to do with the overflow of projects over time? Do you save every single creation? Toss them when no one is looking? I like to select some very special ones, take photos of others and upcycle others into new artwork. Sometimes we give work away to a grandparent and sometimes we cut it into pieces for collage or to create greeting card sets as gifts or even to make bookmarks or labels. You might even use a blank journal or sketch book to store small pieces of artwork or photos of larger ones so young artists can maintain a timeline of their experience and growth in the atelier.
• Using Resources and Literature for Inspiration: While I love for the children to independently create using their own ideas and imagination, I also like to incorporate provocations and invitations to inspire them. Using children's literature, especially some of the great choices out there on the topic of art and artists, can be a great starting place. Pinterest, Instagram and similar sites offer a lot of tried and true ideas from others. Incorporating art books and works of art from "real" artists and even photographs and coffee table books with animals, nature and other items of interest to your children at the time can also offer inspiration and a starting place for those who may be overwhelmed by Blank Canvas Syndrome. Sometimes these items may just be set up or set out in our space and at other times I may introduce a more formal activity with them, as I did with I Ain't Gonna Paint No More.

We will likely come across a variety of triumphs and challenges in our home atelier as we continue to expand on it and tweak it. An atelier is never a stagnant space. It is always evolving just like the young designers in it. I look forward to sharing these with you along the way and until then...

Happy Playing!

Setting Up a Home Atelier for Your Budding Artists

Way back when I was promoted from Classroom Teacher to Play-at-Home-Mom, I was inspired to nurture my then two year old aspiring artist. In short, this meant having our art shelves stocked with materials accessible to the shorter members of this household. But as we increased in family size and more of those short people became busy and mobile, I have admittedly fallen a bit short on art center inspiration and implementation. We go through phases of being quite crafty and even engaging in fun and exciting process art activities. We've even studied various artists. I would say that while my kids have such a beautiful and inspiring confidence in their artwork, my own deficit in the area is a lack thereof. I do recall my own fearless creating as a child and somewhere along the line, I intuited that art must "look a certain way," which mine did not and from there I chose creative activities I feel more confident in but largely abandoned that open ended style of creation. I even felt rather inhibited as a teacher in this area. Art was probably for the art teachers, and while opportunities and materials were always available and accessible to my students, I did not necessarily devote as much energy and time into that corner of the classroom.
I do realize in watching my own children as well as my students that most children begin with a sense of wonder and spark of joy when it comes to art. There are surely a variety of colorful personalities within that and many shades of each one. Some children are inherently drawn to drawing. Some are not. Some feel a great deal of confidence and ambition while others are hesitant and reserved. Some will mass produce masterpieces and others are minimalists both in approach and production. But regardless, to me, the greatest importance was the experience itself--whether it was directed or child led, whether it was picture frame worthy or just some scribbles that needed to come out on a page. I worry, however, about children losing both opportunity and confidence in creating art. This, more than anything else, inspires me to preserve and support my own kids' spark of joy in it.
I've increased my own research and studying of teaching and promoting art to very young artists. I also jumped on an opportunity to take an online masterclass in the subject. And while there are so many approaches to art in early childhood and so many pedagogues overall, I am very eclectic overall. I do, however, really appreciate the Reggio-Emilia approach to setting up an atelier [fancy-schmancy word meaning a studio or workshop for one to create and design]. And since I always need yet another project on a Sunday, I tackled our own art shelves at full force and created our own family atelier.

So come on in and take a peek inside our playroom, a space not only for play but also for creation and exploration!

I sent my husband and the kids on a mission while they were at Walmart to bring home paint samples in all of the rainbow colors plus black and brown. Taped to our shelves, these help navigate and designate space where materials for mark-making in each color are stored. Separating colors and color groups helps them to be visible and easily accessed. It also encourages more planning in artwork as the children will need to think about what colors they want to use and what materials as opposed to picking out of a container full of all different colors or mediums (which also has its merit). It can encourage mixed medium work as opposed to works done all in crayon or marker alone. 
For Y it is also an opportunity to work on learning his colors. Many young children struggle with color names and identification because they are rarely isolated in our environment. Furthermore, one word, "green," can describe a multitude of shades and hues. In that sense, I never worry when young children confuse color names or have a harder time identifying them at first.
When it comes to artwork, we often see a plain piece of standard size white paper. For some art and artists, this is adequate. But for some artists who may be more reluctant, I've found that size matters. And color. And texture. So I like to include as many "canvas" options as possible--even canvas itself and temporary art surfaces like mirror trays or empty frames. I also have a hard time setting out this many options if I store them horizontally, as the only thing visible would be what is on top. I used to keep a three-tiered tray of papers for writing and drawing, but even that was limiting. Using a file sorter was the perfect solution. It is able to hold a variety of papers, trays, frames and canvases so they are easily seen and accessed. I included white paper in heavier marker weight, newsprint weight, photo paper with a glossy finish, graph paper, black card stock, colored cardstock in a variety of sizes, origami (origami lovers are cringing), tracing paper and canvases in a couple of sizes. 




I also used the file sorters to store mirror trays, empty picture frames and paint trays. Also accessible are a jar with several kinds of scissors, a bowl with glue sticks and a variety of tapes, a tape dispenser with clear tape and a couple of bottles of liquid glue.
I keep our family's sketch books and some stick bound journals we made accessible on another shelf for works of art that they wish to preserve in that way rather than on a wall. I love sketchbooks and journals for their ability to capture the story of their artist/author over time. It is so special to be able to look back over the months and even years and see how we have grown and changed. It is also a great portable option for taking art on the go, a topic I look forward to exploring and writing on more in the future.

 I like offering as many "real" art materials to children as I can, so while we do have the standard crayons and markers and colored pencils available, they also experience quality chalks and oil pastels and charcoal pencils. These tiny plastic drawers are a great storage option and the recycled sushi trays above them are great for transport of chosen materials from shelf to work surface. They can be used for paint, loose parts, drying smaller works of art and more. They are also a great way to encourage portion control when it comes to collage materials. Empty glass bottles are readily available for the boys to fill with water when they paint. A couple of mountable hooks stuck to the side of the shelf hold some art smocks should the boys want to cover up. Y is always game for sporting a smock (and just about any type of uniform for that matter). S does not like to cover up and unless we are using a permanent medium that will surely stain or wearing something that one of us would mind getting stained, I don't push it. I also stack a set of art mats (dollar store vinyl placemats) and larger trays for protecting/designating work spaces. And that brings me to the paint...

Tempera paints are now set out in condiment bottles and a jar is stocked with a variety of brushes and tools for painting with. A few watercolor pallets are also ready for use. This was the area that first and most drew the boys in. It is also the area that so far has required the most troubleshooting and I'll be sharing more about that in a future post.

Another area that I'd like to expand on in the future is our shelf of loose parts for design and creation. I currently have jars stocked with beads, sequins, plastic gems and assorted buttons. The boys, seeing the beads at first, were initially inspired to create jewelry and asked for beading elastic. I'd also like to include some wire working in the future. I would love for them to explore loose parts for the purpose of design in addition to creating permanent pieces. Y naturally does this whereas S already has an association with these being used solely for crafting in a more "traditional" sense. Some creative provocations and invitations would be a great way for us all to expand our pallet here. This is also a shelf that will likely shift more frequently. Some materials will probably always be out and available and others I'd like to rotate and change to follow our interests over time.

There are many kinks to iron out. The boys are showing me what needs to be added, what needs to be altered, where I have lacked in giving over a lesson and where I have become too rigid and overbearing. But this journey could not have begun at a more opportune time. Y has always loved artwork and using different mediums to create it. More and more he is also embracing his growing independence and being able to do things "byself," as he puts it. He has become increasingly confident in drawing lines and even circles. He also has observed from his brother that these things go together to represent other things, so he will take his crayon or marker or paint to the paper and say "this is a vacuum" or "this is a snowball." Sometimes his picture somewhat resembles his label (as in the case of the snowball, which was indeed a large circle) and other times it does not (as in the case with the vacuum, which was a long, zigzagging brown line across the page or paper).

S has always been a bit less prone to art activities. He will participate in a directed activity, he sometimes even would choose to make something on his own, but if given the choice of something else to do, he often would pick that something else. There were also certain mediums he was more drawn to than others. He has always enjoyed beading and sewing and sculpting--any type of very fine motor art and the engineering end of it as well. He also always loved cutting (and was quite proficient at it early on) and hole punching and gluing. He was not as confident in drawing and writing, but when this guy gets his confidence, he rolls with it. Sure enough, kindergarten has taken him to new heights of writing and drawing. And that confidence and its accompanying interest level have also spilled over into other art forms--especially painting and messy art. These used to be areas he'd be hesitant in at first. He really needed time to be able to ease into it and options to wipe/wash hands as he worked.

Before beginning my atelier overhaul, I considered what was most important to us in that space. I knew I wanted the space to be accessible--for the boys to be able to easily take what they need, use it and return it to its home. I wanted the space to be aesthetically pleasing to inspire and nurture the beauty that is a young child's creation and design. I also needed to consider our overall space, being that this is just one component of our home and that our home happens to be rather small. An atelier is never a stagnant space and especially in working with a home environment, and a smaller one at that, there would need to be ways for the boys to easily transport materials from here to there.  I would need to provide the right materials to get from conception to creation to completion and clean-up. And, as I would quickly learn upon its first unveiling, it would require a quite a few other supporting measures as well, but that's a topic for my next post...


If this happens to inspire your own redesign of a home or classroom art space or even if you'd just like to read more on the subject, I love this article on How to Save Space with a One Shelf Atelier by Sally Haughey of Fairy Dust Teaching. In addition to working with a small space, I also operate on a restricted budget. I did not go out and buy a whole bunch of new supplies. Short crayons work just as well as longer ones. Swinging for higher quality supplies when possible does save you in the long-run, and you can save on these by taking advantage of sales, coupons and even secondhand shops. Thrift stores and the Dollar Store are great places to find containers, trays, some art and craft supplies, loose parts, frames, and more. Friends and relatives might also be a good resource for donations of supplies and recycled materials. And don't discount the hardware section of your local big box store or even your local hardware store itself! Nature is always a ready supplier of useful materials for creative work. While the aesthetics of an atelier space and the supplies within it are of importance, the most important thing is what happens in that space. An atelier is a space for creation, design and, of course, play.



I'll be back tomorrow with some additional tips (and trials) of setting up a home or classroom atelier. And until then...

Happy Playing!

Beyond the Author: Hevre Tullet, Part II

If you recently read our post taking you Beyond the Book: An Author Study with Hevre Tullet, , you know we're on a real process art kick here this summer. While in previous years I was organized and planned out specific themes for the Sprout Scouts Playcamp and even did a whole unit on Art and Artists in the Garden, this year it has felt most comfortable to follow my kids' lead. They've had a lot of fun so far and one of the best parts of exploring artist, author and illustrator, Hevre Tullet is that the grown ups have had fun, too!

I've touched upon the value in process art with children before. Process art targets a variety of developmental skills and milestones while nurturing and honoring children's creativity and inherent artistic abilities at their own level. I am not an all-or-nothing type of gal, so we also do project based artwork here, which has value in its own right. I particularly love Hevre Tullet's combined use of art and literature to promote an environment for children to explore both in a playful and aesthetically beautiful way while gaining skills in literacy, writing, art and play. What I did not initially take into account as we began exploring his work is how much I was gaining through it as well!

"Press Here!"

"Let's Play!"

"Have Fun!' with the book Mix It Up

Yes, today, I am inviting the adults to join in! This is our play time and our opportunity to rediscover process art. I would never classify myself as someone who is artistic, but why? What is it that defines a person as artistic or not? And when does that switch go off? I do remember creating artwork as a child, uninhibited and filled with joy and wonder. And while every child grows to different interests and preferences, I do wonder what outside factors emerge to nurture certain concepts of self and quell others. I remember putting on my own art show at home once and displaying my works on the wall with (eh em) school glue (oops)... I had ample access to art supplies and craft materials and a mother who really nurtured the idea of process art and encouraged us to work with these items at our own discretion. But somewhere along the line, children do gain the concept that art should represent something and look a certain way. From there, I think many decide whether or not this is a strength or a challenge. I maintained interest in crafts and hobbies of that sort, but more open ended type artwork was a bit intimidating.

And along comes an artist like Hevre Tullet who can splash paint on a page, make squiggles and lines and doodles and dots come to life and get everyone engaged and playing and creating. And all of a sudden, I was taken back to the same child-like joy I had when I was 5 years old! Even my husband got in on the fun! And in setting out stations this week to invite the whole family to join together in art, I noticed some wonderful things that were happening:

When he finished painting on paper, Y explored painting
on the vase that was holding our paintbrushes! I was
almost sad to wash it off--maybe glass will be a "canvas"
in our future....

• We were all on the same page and in the same playing field: Many times when adults and children work together on art, there's a pretty clear division between who is 2 months old and watching from a swing, who is 2, who is 5 and who the adults are (T and I will keep those numbers to ourselves for now). But when there's one giant sheet of paper and the only instructions are to "Have Fun!" or "Mix it Up!" or "Jump on a Trampoline!" we're all on the same level. Well, to be fair, C is still just watching from the swing and smiling and cooing. But there's no pressure for a child to create something in the same way an adult can. There's not even pressure for a 2 year old to create something in the same way a 5 year old can. 
• Inhibitions Go Out the Window: I actually loathe when children ask me to draw something. Not  because I worry so much that it will create an unattainable standard for their smaller, younger hands (although this is a concern), but more because I do not think I am particularly adept at drawing. When I dipped into our art explorations this week, I felt no hesitance at all. I had just as much joy at squiggling and doodling and dabbing and dotting as anyone else!

  

  S ran to the table on the morning of this art invitation.
  He started off slowly and a bit tentatively mixing it up. He
  dabbled into some red, and then a bit of yellow. "Look!
  I made orange!" and then he got all in and mixed it up
  across the entirety of the page! It was time for some more paper...

• Connecting through Dots: art was a great way for us to join together as a family and connect. It wasn't forced, it wasn't suitable more for one age than another. It wasn't on a schedule and there was no agenda. The paper was simply set out with the materials to use on it. It would remain there as long as we wanted. We could come all together, one at a time, go as needed, return as desired. If we needed another sheet of paper, we got one. If we felt all done, we set it to dry and in the end we'd hang our work in the Family Museum Wall. Sometimes the art told a story. Sometimes it made a sound or a song. Sometimes it was silent. Imagine connecting as a family in this way and then imagine it in a classroom or in a community at large.
• Art in Motion: this is not your sit at the table or stand at the easel type of art or reading for that matter. Hevre Tullet's books and work get everyone moving from those tiny fine motor muscles to the larger gross motor ones. As my boys use their fingers to trace the lines along the pages of his stories or press dots or rub circles, they are practicing the same tracking skills that will help them to read and write. 
• Art and Inclusion: Navigating shared paper and space with art is helping us all to develop important social skills, critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. Rather than art being a solo activity, it is an opportunity to be inclusive and work together. 

Somehow, the "dirty" paint tray is so beautiful to me! We used a dollar tree
plastic silver serving tray. The mirror quality adds such a unique
element when mixing and exploring paint colors. Painting on mirrors indoors
and outside is a great way to add a unique element to process art...

I've been creating my own art invitations and provocations this week using pages from Tullet's books Press Here, Mix It Up!, Let's Play! and Say Zoop! Choosing materials and seeing what happens with them is part of the fun for me (and my own creative process). However, for those who would prefer a bit of direction with this, there are some great ideas on Pinterest. Hevre Tullet also has an incredible blog, and if you are not fluent in French, you can view it translated into English. I also highly recommend his book Art Workshops for Children. I recently purchased a copy and am so eager to bring this as an addition to my nature-based playgroup when I host an Art In the Park session next month. I can't wait to see art in action with a mixed age group of children and adults. The art activities in the book can be adapted to individuals, small groups (family setting/siblings/a few friends), larger groups of similar age or larger groups of mixed ages and even adults.

I don't have a goal with our exploration of art this summer other than to follow my kids' interest and perhaps also preserve this time of wonderment, competence and confidence in art. Perhaps I also want to reignite this in myself as well! There are mornings when everyone runs to the table right away and morning when the paper is still mostly white by 11:00, but the invitation is there. It's on the bookshelves: read me! It's on the kids' table: paint me! It's on their art supply shelves: create! It's stowed away in my diaper bag for outside of the library or at the park: let's doodle! It's a continued reminder that art is everywhere around us and within us and all it needs is a space to know it is valuable and beautiful in its own right. That it is a process and an action, not a product or destination. That it never needs to be finished but it is complete in its current state. That it is lovely in all shapes and shades and sizes and colors. In fact, art is not so different than we are!

Happy Playing!

Beyond the Book: An Author Study with Hevre Tullet

S has been a longtime lover of literacy but somewhat reluctant with writing/drawing...until the end of his preschool year. It was then that he announced one morning, "Mommy, I am an artist! I like art!" Having been a reluctant reader myself who loved writing and art, I know how to be sneaky and thanks to amazing authors and illustrators like Hevre Tullet, it's possible to nurture and encourage all three of these areas in early readers (and adults). S and Y both love the books Press Here and Mix It Up and Tullet is an artist, children's author and illustrator behind several volumes of amazing works of art in literacy and graphics alike. Here are just a few of my favorite things about his work:

• His books are interactive, engaging children to get hands on (literally) with each page. The more ways in which early readers can engage with literacy, the more they will grow to love it.
• His books demonstrate the ability of visual design and illustrations to tell a story--a valuable asset to pre-readers who are still in the illustration/dictation phase of writing and reading.
• His books also demonstrate the ability of art to "tell a story," a valuable asset to budding artists!
• His illustrations and artwork show that art at all levels and all styles has value. Scribbles, circles, bright colors and simple shapes are beautiful, aesthetically pleasing and are just as much "real art" as representational art. This is particularly important for children to know, especially those drawn toward perfectionism and hesitance to write and draw.

Among S's birthday gifts this year was a very special one from his aunt, uncle and cousins, Hevre Tullet's book Doodle Cook. It is a recipe guide for playful "culinary" creations of doodles, scribbles, shapes and designs all served delightfully on plates depicted on each page. Young readers and artists are encouraged to abandon everything they know about the rules of not scribbling and not drawing or writing in books! Independent readers can follow the recipes and early/pre-readers can follow directions given the support of an older reader or adult. I have to say, I was just as excited to use the book as the kids! And since I have way too many commitment issues to allow myself or anyone else to color right in the book now, I decided to print off some place setting templates for us to use alongside it. You could also draw your own plates or even use white paper plates. We tested out our first "recipe" behind one of our local libraries this week--a Quick Circle Salad--and it was scrumptious!

It sparked an interest in more books by Hevre Tullet and luckily, we were in the very best place for that interest. So back into the library we went and checked out a few other additions to our own personal collection. Back at home, Y brought me our copy of Press Here. This kid loves buttons. All buttons. Your buttons. My buttons. So I set out a quick and simple Morning Work activity for the boys to create their own process art in the style of Press Here using dot stickers and do-a-dot markers in primary colors and a few black markers in varying tip sizes. I also set out a sheet of white paper for each of the boys. 

Y was the first to take interest in the setup. He was quite interested in the stickers and still needs a little help to get them "started" before he independently peels them off and sticks them down. He was very intentional in where he spaced each one, overlapping in some areas, not in others. And he was so incredibly amazed to see that his picture resembled one of the pages in Tullet's book! He felt so proud and confident. "Look! It's just like the book!" he shouted gleefully, again and again. 

Well, all of that excitement sparked S's interest. He began with the black markers (it's seriously his favorite "color" when it comes to artwork). I mentioned that it reminded me of the part in Press Here where the lights are turned off. S then used his artwork to dictate and tell a story. He placed four yellow dot stickers on the black page and brought it over for me to press each one. Then he flipped his paper around to the white side, added more dots for me to press and, with those, the lights went back off and the paper flipped again! We hung their work in our "Family Museum," the wall ascending our staircase.

I often believe that a great deal of S's hesitance with art and handwriting stems from his expectations that both must look a certain way. He's expressed that he doesn't like to write his name because his letters are still "big" and mine are "small." He used to ask me to draw representational art for him. Children are surrounded by adult print and representational art all day. They hear adults tell them not to "scribble" and to "do their best work." And then comes Hevre Tullet, an artist and author and illustrator who fills his pages with handwritten text in all sizes and colors and illustrations comprised of colorful scribbles, blobs and simple shapes. And his books? They're amazing! They're fun, they're funny, they are worth reading again and again and again. They are truly a gift to any lover of children's literacy and art, but the greatest gift of all is beyond the books--it is the sense of confidence and wonderment gifted to his young readers, budding artists and aspiring authors/illustrators. Here is someone who put their play to work!

Happy Playing!

Think Outside the Box Thursday: Art for ALL

 I used to know "everything" when I first started teaching and then I finished my college degree and still knew a "few things." Once I had my first child, all of my knowledge and wisdom about teaching and child-rearing magically vanished (unlike the baby weight) and I am now as blissfully ignorant about the early childhood years as the next guy!

I returned to the classroom 5 weeks after S was born and was thrust into this brave new world of knowing absolutely nothing. Parenthood has turned me into a student both at home and in the classroom. I am constantly watching and learning and questioning. I use my village as necessary and it's necessary more often than I'd ever imagined. And perhaps the greatest asset to that village are the children themselves! Young children may have different ways of communicating than adults, but they tell us a lot when we are willing to listen and observe.

Whether you are a parent including structured play activities at home, more formally home schooling or a classroom educator, I hope you'll find these "troubleshooting" posts to be yet another part of your own village. The ideas I will share are all based on my own observations and home or classroom practices. Every child and setting is unique and as such, we need to adapt (and often adapt again and again and again) accordingly. Feel free to try what makes sense and ditch what doesn't! Also feel free to share some of your own thoughts with me in the Comments section or through personal contact. I'm always looking for fresh ideas!

Since we have been exploring Art and Artists this summer, I wanted to kick off our first post with a theme about art with young children. Why is it that some children are naturally drawn to art activities while others are not? Why do some children fill a page while others flee the scene after just a line or two? One child will mass produce picture after picture and another will sit with the same piece of work for hours on end. A little boy rushes in to the art table and begins his work even before being given instructions. Another little girl is sitting, staring at the blank paper, well after instruction has ended. Certainly, children all have different areas of interest, different strengths and talents and different areas of growth and rates of development. How can we as parents and educators work with this to create an environment that encourages art for ALL?

I will (over)simplify this into four basic steps:

1. Plan for Success
2. Assess and Address
3. Revisit and Revise
4. Observe and Evaluate

And now, for the juicy details...

1. Plan For Success: Whether you are setting up your art center/materials in a classroom or at home, whether for a structured activity or simply for open access, it is important to plan ahead for maximum success. Here are a few key pointers to consider even before you begin...

• Can children reach and access all of the things they will need independently?
• Are materials at child level and visible?
• On the other end of that coin, if you intend to give verbal and/or visual directions first , are your materials out of accessible reach so that they will not provide an immediate distraction. Please remember that we want children to engage with art supplies. However, expecting them to not handle supplies within their reach while being given directions is very challenging for most.
• Do the children know all of the steps involved to get the materials they will need and to put them away when they are done? 
• If you are doing a structured activity or project, do you have everything you need out and accessible? It is helpful to think of all of the steps of your activity from preparation to execution to cleanup. If children need to color and glue, you might want to have markers out first and then the glue when they are done coloring (otherwise, your markers may get super gluey and stop working properly). If the children are painting, do you have an open space set up for drying finished work? Do you have wet rags or wipes nearby for painty hands? Where will children need to go to wash up when they are done and how will they get there?
• Consider the space and time. Do you have enough physical space and time for the project you are about to embark on? Would your setup work best at a table or on the floor? Seated or standing? Can you provide options within these parameters for children who work better standing or laying on their tummy on the floor?
• Are your materials all functional? Nothing is more frustrating than finding empty glue sticks or dried up markers and crusty paint brushes when you're ready to get to work! Do your best to weed those out in advance and also to instruct the children to manage their materials as well. Children can throw away an empty glue stick and help wash brushes and remember to cap those markers. Invite them to be resourceful and responsible with materials and this little bit of effort will go a long way!
• What skill sets are necessary for completing an activity and are these all within your child[ren]'s range? Tasks as minute as pressing a cap all the way down on a marker or squeezing glue out of a bottle or using a "helping hand" to direct paper as the dominant hand cuts are all new and challenging to young artists. Spending the time to support them in the development of these skills can go a long way in eliminating frustration. I would even go so far as to encourage adults to work with children to master these skills rather than always stepping in to do so for them. The self-confidence that inherently comes with self-competence truly feeds creativity in art and other forms of work and play.
• Safety as always is vital. Make sure that appropriate supervision and support is provided with materials that can pose a choking risk or sharp objects and even permanent paints and markers. 
• Do allow for use of "real" materials and art supplies, even those that are sharp and permanent. This provides a supported environment in which these forms of "real work" are mastered and children develop a confidence in and reverence for the use of these tools.
• Protecting spaces and clothing is something to consider as well. Some adults are not too concerned about colorful mishaps and others are. Some children are also more likely to feel concerned about this than others. Make sure that you have adequate coverage options for your work space and for the children themselves. I love using cheap vinyl placemats as "art mats" for smaller scale projects and activities and leaving smocks optional and accessible at home (sometimes less optional in a classroom setting since parents may not appreciate newly tie-dyed clothes coming home). For larger scale messy activities, you may want a cheap shower curtain, tablecloth or sheet to use as a drop cloth and to cover the area. You may also want to dress yourself and your younger artists in clothing that is OK to get messy.
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2. Assess and Address: This is where the rubber meets the road! You've put all the preparations in place and now your activity is underway. You notice that while some of the children are taking to it, some are struggling to begin, rushing to finish or otherwise displaying distress. Here are some common concerns that may come up and ways to address them in the moment...

• The activity feels too challenging. Many factors can play into a child perceiving that an art activity is too difficult. Perhaps there are too many steps. Children with difficulty processing verbal directions may do better given a visual support. I like to use 3 prompt cards made with movable Velcro parts to support these children. Even pre-readers can use a 3-prompt card with a pictures. If there are more than 3 steps, remove the steps as they are completed and add the next one. I do not like to include more than 3 at a time because this can feel overwhelming. Sometimes having too many supplies out at the same time can be overwhelming in a multi-medium/multi-step activity. Consider having only pencils and markers out to begin with and then handing out the scissors and glue, etc.  
• There are not enough supplies. It can be hard to wait! If you are working with a large group and do not have enough of certain supplies for each child, consider having rotating stations. One area can be designated to gluing, one to cutting, etc. Alternatively you may consider making sure that there are enough glue sticks and scissors for each set of hands. This can go for both open ended process art and directed art activities. 
• There are too many supplies. Whether you are setting up an open-access art area for process art that is child led or instructing a project, there is such a thing as too much. Option overload can cause some children to use materials in excess while others may feel altogether inhibited. Keeping shelves and the table stocked minimally and swapping out materials as needed to make space and opportunity for new ones goes a long way. There are certain things that I always have accessible: paper, scrap paper, scissors, glue... and others that I rotate in and out, like a variety of mediums for coloring, writing, drawing, collage, sculpture, etc. Within that framework, I also provide recycled trays and containers so children can easily contain and carry what they need to their space and not have to take everything with them. This is kind of like art portion control but is also generally more aesthetically pleasing to the young artists as they work.
• Time is of the essence. This is a delicate dance. Too much time, and some artists may grow bored and want to move on. Not enough time, and some artists may feel rushed--reluctant to leave a project and sometimes even reluctant to begin one. Consider how you can allow for artists to have the right amount of time--whether in one session or through the option to leave and return to work at a later point. If a child seems disengaged with an activity, can he or she leave and return to it at another time?
• Proper Prompting: Do you always finish a big project in one sitting? Alternatively, if you were in the middle of a project and someone said "Ok, let's go!" how would you feel? Consider the fact that even retailers give 15 and 5 minute warnings before they close to their adult customers--all people do best with prompts. Prompting children when time is about to be up can be done quietly from table to table or individually as opposed to through a turn-off-all-the-lights-and-listen-to-my-booming-voice way and it can be helpful to offer a verbal option of returning to the work at a later point if it is not done. It is also helpful to inform young artists in advance if their work will need time to dry or be completed before it can be brought home.
• To demonstrate or not to demonstrate? That is the question. When adults provide an adult sample--or even a child's sample, is this helpful or hindering? My answer is YES, to both. For some, it is helpful, for some it is intimidating, for some it is limiting, for some it gives structure. This is an area you will need to assess on an individual and time-by-time basis. I have worked with the gamut of personalities, from those who want an adult to draw for them to those who cringe at an adult writing their name at the bottom corner and everything in between. I try to be sensitive to all of these feelings whether they are all rolled up into one child or across a classroom. In a classroom setting, peer work can also play an influential role, for better or for worse. Using language like "everyone's work will be a little bit different" and "I did it this way, but you might have another idea and that is OK" seems to help. 
• In Praise of [Not] Praising:  How we speak to and about a child's work also contributes to his/her feelings about it. Avoiding comparison remarks and even avoiding quantitative and qualitative remarks in general--whether positive or negative is challenging but also important. This is not to say that we should never praise a child's work and say how beautiful it is. It is simply to say that we should also include statements that notice the work (Oh, I see you chose to use a lot of red in this area, can you tell me more about that?) or praise that reflects the effort and invoke's the child's feelings of accomplishment (You worked for a long time on that with a great deal of focus, I can tell you really feel proud about it!).
• The Good Enough Artist: Perfectionism is a quality that can lead to a masterpiece or stifle creativity altogether. In myself and in my students and in my own children, I have seen it do both. Allowing and encouraging the Good Enough Artist is a unique balancing act. Self confidence can be attained in many ways. While external praise can initially increase confidence, the most sustainable form of cultivating confidence in our children's creative work is through their own feelings of self mastery. Sometimes children will become distressed at wanting to draw or create something they "can't do." I appeal to what they can do. What colors is it? What shapes? What do you feel when you see it? It doesn't have to be a photograph--so much of our art is not! Introduce these young artists to impressionist paintings and abstract art by great artists--there are many right ways to capture the same object or idea.
• Helping and Hindering Environments: Some children work well in a quiet environment, others work best with some music. Some may be distracted by very bright light coming through a window or extraneous noise or even a strong smell (and some art materials do have a strong smell). Some children are averse to certain textures or messy art and having options within this to wipe or wash hands intermittently or perhaps to use a brush to paint or tool in clay rather than bare hands can go a long way in making sensory sensitive children feel invited into the art process. Additionally, the amount we, the adults, are speaking can go a long way in helping or hindering an artist. Too much adult talk can be quite distracting and too much adult presence can feel intimidating. I try to maintain longer pauses between my own talk during art times and to allow artists who do need more space and quiet for focus to have that. In assessing your art environment, I encourage you to sit where and how your young artists will sit, to stand at child level and really try to gain a sense of how they will experience the space. You may notice something that needs tweaking even before the issue arises!

3. Revisit and Revise: This is kind of the troubleshooting phase. This is where you tweak things a bit to meet the current needs of the artists in you room. This will certainly be a very unique to the individual and unique to the circumstance step, but here are a few out-of-the-box ideas that I like to incorporate in general:

• Alternative work space: We generally view art as a seated activity. Perhaps we also envision standing at an easel. The option to work standing at a table, seated with a tabletop easel, outdoors, indoors, laying on the floor, on a vertical surface and even lying on their backs underneath a table with the bottom covered with paper and reaching overhead can all be ways to encourage a reluctant artist or inspire an eager one. 
• The Scribble Sheet: We all know at least one kid who loves to scribble. Whether or not that is developmentally related (and scribbling is where they are at with drawing and writing) or personality related (it feels good to scribble), I provide the option of a Scribble Sheet. Children can get a piece of paper from the scrap paper bin and get all of those scribbles out before beginning to work, during work times and whenever they feel the need and desire. I do not judge scribbles as "less than" a form of art, but rather a part of the process for some children, and they can, in fact, be quite beautiful! A Scribble Sheet also provides an option for young artists who wish to have a space for a rough copy or practicing a technique.
• Size, texture and color matters: When it comes to paper, sometimes introducing paper in a different size makes all the difference! We tend to steer straight for the standard printer size, perhaps the slightly larger construction paper. Consider providing large easel paper or small blank index cards. Or graph paper. Or paper of different colors and textures.What about canvas or fabric or tin foil? A great way to increase your options is to make use of your scraps. Save bits and pieces from projects in a plastic bin or tray for artists to use. Standard white paper is great, but not every artist is drawn to drawing on it.
• And while we're on the topic of drawing on paper... This is not every artist's favorite medium Sculpture, clay and dough work, wire, beading, building, designing, sewing, fiber crafts, collage, and photography are just a few more forms of visual art. The world of computers have also added a whole new world to design and graphic art. Allow for opportunities with a variety of artistic methods and mediums. Everyone has at least one artistic bone in his or her body--you may just have to find it!
• Join 'em! While adult samples and modeling are something I feel we should be mindful of, actually sitting in and joining our little ones in art together can be a great way to bond and inspire each other's creativity. Whether at home or in the classroom, engaging with children during art times, even participating, can be such an asset to all artists (yourself included).
• Expose children to art. And all types! Hang artwork at their visual level--their own and that of "The Greats." Let them touch art, let them see art and let them appreciate art--even if it means slowing down to admire things in nature or in a book... Make time to expose children to art in a variety of forms and locations and let them catch you doing the same!
• Stop, drop and roll with the punches. Sometimes, you really just need to stop and drop an activity. Maybe the timing isn't ideal. Maybe the activity isn't ideal. Maybe you will tweak it and return to it, maybe not. Be OK with abandoning ship when that feels like the best thing to do. Also be OK with letting young artists see you make that choice. "Gosh, I'm just not feeling this right now," or "this really isn't working how I wanted it to and I'm frustrated. I'm going to take a break from it and maybe I'll try again later.
• When is it done? Who decides when a piece of art is finished? This is a particularly sensitive area for the young minimalists in your life. When a child does leave a great deal of "white space" on a project, perhaps only adding one or two colors or lines and walking away, do you push him to "add more" or allow for the white space? Here are a few things to consider: Was the work, however minimal, intentional? S will quite often leave a good portion of a paper blank. He is, however, very intentional in how, where and why he places his work. If, on the other hand, you sense a child rushed through an activity and is leaving the project for another reason, perhaps inquire about why that is. Boredom, avoidance, distraction, frustration and so many other factors can play a role. This is where I often encourage offering a smaller sized paper. Blank canvas can be intimidating and standard sized paper is bigger than the little hands that work with it. Try offering a 4x6 blank index card and observe what happens. On the other end of the spectrum are the page fillers. Paint is piling high and deep. Glue is leaving you in a sticky situation and glitter might be everywhere. Again, I encourage you to assess the situation before saying "it looks like you're all done." I would inform about the likelihood for paper to rip when it is too wet with paint or to work on techniques to control the amount of glue or glitter that leave the bottle and jar in order eliminate unnecessary waste. But I also hesitate to tell an artist that her work is finished if she is genuinely still working. There is art in and of itself to be discovered through thickly layered paint and a whole world of beauty and bliss in the textures of glittery glue. An artist with a very wet painting can be offered a second sheet of paper to make a print and now he has two paintings! In either scenario, asking "does it feel done?" or "what's next?" can go a long way in encouraging young artists at work.

4. Observe and Evaluate: This is a unique step, because although I list observe and evaluate together, I want you to separate them. Take the time to observe and ONLY observe. A child using a material in a way that is not how you intended is not necessarily wrong--give it the time and space it deserves (unless, of course, it is a dangerous situation, and then intervene!) and see where it goes. Evaluate after the fact. What worked? What didn't? What would you do next time? What could encourage this particular child and what inhibits him? What was your role in the experience? What would you like your role to be? Are you too involved? Not involved enough? 

I think, perhaps, the most important factor to consider is what the child's experience was. Children are not as driven by product as we are. In fact, they are hugely process oriented. Whether the art experience was child led or adult-directed, did the child seem engaged? Content? Frustrated? Encouraged? Rushed? Hesitant? Thoughtful? Distracted? And ask about their experience! How was it for you to make this___? Was it hard? Was it fun? Was it frustrating? Exciting? These are all great clues into what gets a child's creative gears spinning and how you can get your own working in conjunction to create an incredible opportunity in art for ALL!

I hope this post was helpful in getting your own thoughts going about engaging in art with young children. It certainly is not a post with as many answers as questions--but those questions are so vital in our experience as adults working with young children (the real experts). I would love to hear some of your own thoughts on the subject and tools of the trade! I'd also love to hear your ideas for future troubleshooting posts and would be happy to dive into any concerns or topics of interest. Feel free to respond in the Comments section or contact me personally. 

Happy Playing!

Art & Artists in the Garden: Claude Monet

 I try not to play favorites, but when it comes to studying artists with children, Claude Monet is definitely in my top ten! I love that Monet returned through his paintings to the same scene repeatedly --I think this can instill a reverence for the beauty of repetition and practice in children. I don't necessarily favor his sense of perfectionism (though I can relate to it on a personal level). And although Monet was known for his paintings, I love to study his works with children using mixed mediums.



I simply cannot get enough of Monet's paintings of the Japanese bridge. And since it is one sight he returned to repeatedly over the course of many seasons and many years, I decided we make this an art study we returned to over the course of many days. Breaking up a project or art activity into several days' work does a few things.

• it allows for drying time and the use of a variety of techniques and art mediums
• it conveys a sense of importance in children's art: you do not need to "produce" something that you "finish" right away, rather, you can return to your work as the inspiration strikes and add on as you see fit
• it conveys a sense of value in the time spent to create art in general--this is not a rushed process, but rather a process led by desire and inspiration

For our study we used:

• stretched canvas
• tempura paint
• Q-tips
• Cotton balls
• Clothes pins
• blue cardstock
• scissors
• floral patterned fabric scraps
• sequins
• rhinestones 
• flower, butterfly and bug stickers
• white glue
• paint brushes
• Mod Podge* (I did this part for the boys)

You can use any or all of these materials and add in your own ideas as well.

On day 1, I set out blank canvases, a print of Monet's work and my own interpretation. Along with that, each boy's station was set with a pallet of tempura paints in red, yellow, blue, green, white and black and some Q-tips for painting with. Although this work was not done with the technique of Pointillism, I love the use of Q-tips for painting with little hands of all ages and levels. 

Speaking of little hands, these boys got really hands on (and elbow deep) with their painting! And that was great! We keep wipes and rags nearby and particularly S, who is rather averse to getting painty, was quite enthralled with the sensation that morning so we went with it. I encouraged them to fill the canvas with color, but let them explore the means by which they did so independently.

Mixing colors, getting dirty, trying different strokes and techniques were all encouraged! There are many right ways to fill a canvas and even white space was allowed. I am often hesitant to set out my own "example" of a piece of art as I don't want to sway the process of process art. I do on occasion provide one and one reason that I do make these exceptions is that I also don't like to talk a lot during process art experiences. I find that when we truly work from a "blank canvas" state, I lean toward explaining more and I'd rather explain less. Certainly, process art in its own right requires no explanations or samples. In its truest form, it is wholly a child-led experience from the selection of materials to how they are used to what is created. In these "hybrid" versions of art experience in which I aim to invite the children to create something in a particular theme or style, I like to use objects to channel that lens. This may be an actual work of art or a still life object/collection of objects and/or my own example.

On the second installment (which we actually did that afternoon), we glued on our pre-cut cardstock Japanese bridge. I did this in advance so the glue would be dry and the boys could get right to painting. I have also seen versions of this painting replicated with children using masking tape for the bridge and the children paint over the tape. When the tape is removed, a resist remains in which the space shaped like the bridge is left white. This would be another lovely way to explore this work (you would incorporate that in the first day rather than at this point).

This time, still working loosely within the technique of pointillism, I decided to create some clothespin brushes with pompoms in two sizes, one smaller and one larger. Simply pinching a pompom or cotton ball between the clothespins will make your paintbrush. They are great for dabbing, dotting, or schmearing and streaking! I especially love the small size of these brushes for developing hands. Shorter utensils are infinitely easier for little hands to control (think golf sized pencils, etc.).

Y, as usual, went at it with gusto. He dabbed and dotted his bridge and even the canvas around it. I loved the effect of layering new paint on the dried paint! Particularly with tempura paints as opposed to their more permanent and bold acrylic or oil counterparts, using many layers goes a long way toward brightening the results. S, ever the minimalist, added one dab to a corner of his bridge!

After their work had dried, I added a layer of Mod Podge to seal the paint and the cardstock collage. The canvas was now ready for our final installment, stickers, fabric, sequins and rhinestones.

On my own version, I only added some flower stickers, but by the time the boys were ready for this step, I thought, why not add in a few other options and some glue--especially for my younger artist who can't yet peel his own stickers off, but can paint glue just about everywhere and stick stuff on it!

My sister was truly a Francophile growing up, and I remember her carrying around a toy doll that looked like Linnea from Christina Bjork's book Linnea in Monet's Garden. Years later, she would spend a semester abroad in France and became fluent in French! This book, now translated by Joan Sandin with its incredible illustrations by Lena Anderson, is one of my favorite ones in our collection. It tells the story of a young girl visiting Paris and seeing many of the infamous sights of Monet's paintings and life in her travels. It is quite wordy for the preschool years, but S enjoyed some time on my lap picking and choosing parts to hear read aloud and for days afterward, he carried that book everywhere we went. I'm not sure if it was the illustrations that drew him in or knowing how much his aunt liked it as little girl. We even took it along with us in the car on our way to the local botanical gardens here where we visited a real Japanese garden and even saw a similar bridge.

 I hope that both boys were as pleased with the results of their work as I am! All three of our paintings now hang on display. S's is pictured on the left and Y's on the right. Y had some help from his Mommy maneuvering some of the stickers, fabric and loose parts, and S placed and positioned the bicycle sticker after he decided it didn't belong on his own painting but did belong on his brother's.

Although this is a wrap-up of our Art & Artist's theme in this series, we will surely be revisiting artists inspired by gardens and nature throughout our summer at Sprout Scouts Playcamp. This week, we are busy with butterflies, bees and other bugs and insects. Art is an integral part of all that we do here, and we have even been integrating some travel art activities and messy art activities outdoors. We'll be back soon to tell you all about it and more!  Until then...

Happy Playing!