When I was at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) annual conference this fall, one of the sessions spoke about building character and how we need to focus on instilling character in our young children. It was quite interesting to me because it seemed to center around the concept of teaching children that their actions have reactions (logical consequences, if you please). As a component of the discussion, they shared their ideas for activities to build such character and one was paint in a Ziplock.
I cringed as they spoke about it and then eagerly passed around several small canvases that had been placed into Ziplock baggies w/ small blobs of paint on them. This is so lazy, I thought. This is something only a teacher who can't handle messy art would do, I snorted to myself. I wondered if it was too late to walk out of the session.... the door was too far and I didn't want to be rude so I leaned back and waited for the bag to work around the room and I noticed something.
Other's had similar body language to mine: until they held the bag.
When I got the bag, it had seen some things. That is to say, several curious adults had already manipulated the bag and the paint and there was very little white space left on the canvas. But I had to try it out and as I smoothed the paint over the canvas in the confines of the baggie, I got it. That small action had big reactions. The paints danced together, sometimes creating a new color, sometimes with thick globs, sometimes in very small amounts. I could see the canvas for what it really is; a fabric with threads that combine to create a workspace. I could move the paint again and again. I could write letters on the canvas and then wipe them away. The potential with this "lazy" activity was suddenly very clear to me and I felt foolish for discrediting and dismissing it so quickly.
I had seen it posted on Pinterest and don't even get me started on Pinterest. There are so many developmentally inappropriate crap "art" projects out there that I should start a board devoted solely to these and call it "Shit You Shouldn't Bother With" or "This is NOT ART."
I was at Walmart yesterday to run some quick errands and Porch needed glue sticks (he's building speakers) so I was in the crafty people section. I found some cheap canvases ($2 for a three pack) and smiled as I remembered the impact that experience had on me at the conference. I threw the package into the cart and eagerly thought about how Charlotte would interact with the materials.
So my kid has seen paint and knows how to work it with those chubby little baby hands. She was super confused as to why it was in a bag and quickly worked to open that bag and get busy.
She moved the paint around on the canvas and needed some guidance in terms of experimenting with lines and pressure. Once she saw me do it, she was all about it.
The best part was when I was ready to remove it from the bag. She was quite eager and helped me pull it out, which created a swipe of paint (it rubbed against the bag while she pulled it). The final "product" is fantastic and probably one of my favorite things! I have a few more canvases for her to explore and I'm thinking about just leaving them in the bag (and taping that bag shut since she has learned how to open Ziplock bags with ease) for a while to let her explore without a finished product.
In the end, this was cheap, easy, and fun! And I get to say I was building my toddler's character today! Mama WIN!
xo
Mama Porch
PS - I forgot to mention that those presenters who changed my views on the merits of this project were promoting their book, Starting with Character: Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos. I was skeptical at first (I see a theme here) but I am so excited to read the book and learn more about building character with Ms. Charlotte.
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I cringed as they spoke about it and then eagerly passed around several small canvases that had been placed into Ziplock baggies w/ small blobs of paint on them. This is so lazy, I thought. This is something only a teacher who can't handle messy art would do, I snorted to myself. I wondered if it was too late to walk out of the session.... the door was too far and I didn't want to be rude so I leaned back and waited for the bag to work around the room and I noticed something.
Other's had similar body language to mine: until they held the bag.
When I got the bag, it had seen some things. That is to say, several curious adults had already manipulated the bag and the paint and there was very little white space left on the canvas. But I had to try it out and as I smoothed the paint over the canvas in the confines of the baggie, I got it. That small action had big reactions. The paints danced together, sometimes creating a new color, sometimes with thick globs, sometimes in very small amounts. I could see the canvas for what it really is; a fabric with threads that combine to create a workspace. I could move the paint again and again. I could write letters on the canvas and then wipe them away. The potential with this "lazy" activity was suddenly very clear to me and I felt foolish for discrediting and dismissing it so quickly.
I had seen it posted on Pinterest and don't even get me started on Pinterest. There are so many developmentally inappropriate crap "art" projects out there that I should start a board devoted solely to these and call it "Shit You Shouldn't Bother With" or "This is NOT ART."
I was at Walmart yesterday to run some quick errands and Porch needed glue sticks (he's building speakers) so I was in the crafty people section. I found some cheap canvases ($2 for a three pack) and smiled as I remembered the impact that experience had on me at the conference. I threw the package into the cart and eagerly thought about how Charlotte would interact with the materials.
So my kid has seen paint and knows how to work it with those chubby little baby hands. She was super confused as to why it was in a bag and quickly worked to open that bag and get busy.
She moved the paint around on the canvas and needed some guidance in terms of experimenting with lines and pressure. Once she saw me do it, she was all about it.
The best part was when I was ready to remove it from the bag. She was quite eager and helped me pull it out, which created a swipe of paint (it rubbed against the bag while she pulled it). The final "product" is fantastic and probably one of my favorite things! I have a few more canvases for her to explore and I'm thinking about just leaving them in the bag (and taping that bag shut since she has learned how to open Ziplock bags with ease) for a while to let her explore without a finished product.
In the end, this was cheap, easy, and fun! And I get to say I was building my toddler's character today! Mama WIN!
xo
Mama Porch
PS - I forgot to mention that those presenters who changed my views on the merits of this project were promoting their book, Starting with Character: Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos. I was skeptical at first (I see a theme here) but I am so excited to read the book and learn more about building character with Ms. Charlotte.
Awwwww... So sweet.... nice painting.
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