Bitch bitch bitch
Feb 7, 2006 Parenting
I need more caffeine. I needed more caffeine as I drove the kids to Madison’s art class because both of them were chattering away.
Madison: Mommy, I go art! I see teacher! Swimming pool? No, Noah swim, Madisee do art! Mommy! Mommy! I do art? I see teacher? Swimming pool? (and on and on)
Noah: So I was thinking that if I had two racers one would be mine and I’d call it Reptile Racer and then Madison could have the Diaper Dragster. Aren’t those good names? I was going to invent some things this afternoon, too, but I need more boxes. We don’t have enough boxes. Can you get some boxes? Because I have this idea for a digging machine and I’ll need that old exercise bike that’s in our basement and boxes. Are you listening? Can you get me more boxes?
And they talk, of course, at the same time and both of them want responses, which is really not very reasonable of them.
Then we got to art and I’m about up to here with the developmentally inappropriate art class. Only see my kid is the only one who seems to react appropriately to developmentally inappropriate thngs, that is she gets bored and wants to wander off and so we always end up leaving way early. The other kids don’t necessarily do the art (their parents help an awful lot and at least sometimes do all the work) but they’re not fussing the way Madison does. So I’m left kinda unwilling to go to the teacher since on the surface it looks like sour grapes. Personally I think Madison would lose interest in even the best designed class at this point because she’s into other things and that’s fine. I don’t mind having to leave the class early. I don’t mind having to work a little harder than the other parents to keep her attention. But I DO mind that this is a great opportunity for the kids and the parents and it’s not being presented as well as it could be.
In order to get out my frustration in a suitable manner, I will explain my imaginary perfect art class here below the cut. Skip if toddler art discussion is boring; I will certainly understand.
First off, I think the teacher should have begun the class by explaining why representational art is ill-advised for preschoolers. At this age, kids need the chance to explore the medium without expectations and not be hemmed in by “right” and “wrong.” Therefore having the kids make butterflies (one of the projects) is not the best way to serve them. But giving them pipe cleaners and clothes pins and telling them to go to it is great. See, instead of worrying about wrapping a pipe cleaner around a clothes pin in the correct way, they ought to be messing with them. Pipe cleaners are fun and fuzzy and bendy and you can squish them up and straighten them out and look at the colors and do all sorts of wacky things with them. Clothes pins make satisfying “klinks” when they get smacked together and they’re nice and smooth to chew on (not the clippy ones) and you can put them on your clothes or your paper or your pipe cleaners.
Then the teacher could have said that parents can help kids get into the activity by saying things like, “How does that pipe cleaner feel when you pull it between your fingers? Is it tickly?” Now I’m not one of those compliment-tyrants who is going to get on anyone for praising her kid too much or in the wrong way but really observations go further than praise anyway. Seriously. If you say, “Wow, you used a lot of purple!” or “Look at the big circles you made!” Your kid is going to be proud and they’re going to have room to tell you more. Saying, “I see lots of swirls in that picture!” gives your kid the chance to tell you about the fun of making swirls. Saying, “Is that a cat?” puts ‘em on the spot. And the bonus? Observations are way easier than compliments because you’re just describing what you see. When effective parenting is easier than ineffective parenting it makes me believe there is a God because I’m all about easy.
Anyway, it I was the teacher I’d explain all that. I’d get the parents on the same page so they wouldn’t be disappointed when they walk out of the art class free of recognizable butterflies.
Then I’d make the class shorter — an hour is too long. Three to four projects is too much. I’d say one project and then maybe some fingerplays or stories or dancing if there’s still time to kill. When you’ve got three to four projects you’ve also got lots of transitions and if there’s anything toddlers hate it’s transitions. I’d say one transition — from one project to the next activity.
The good part is that the session starts with art supplies out on the table and ready to go so the kids can dive right in. The bad part is very often those art supplies are used for the first activity so then the kids are bored already. The parents aren’t. The parents are like, “Oooh markers! Markers on paper! And now markers on paper plates!” The kids are like, “Jeez, more markers? What gives??” My thinking is that you add to an activity to make it new. So instead of markers on paper and then on paper plates (to make turtles — and the parents dutifully cut out turtle feet and turtle hands and dutifully staple it to make it look like a turtle and the kids just color — that’s not fun), you give ‘em markers and paper and then water in spray bottles, which they can spray to make the colors run. Or water and paint brushes so they can smear their drawings. Yes, they may get their paper a little too soppy (Madison is the only one who did this — the other parents removed the water bottles before things got out of hand) but then it’s something else to learn: Water makes paper fragile. Wet paper falls apart and coloring on wet paper is a whole new adventure. You won’t end up with art worth hanging but remember, that’s not the point.
Want to stretch out finger painting? Give ‘em more paint but this time add some salt to it. Salt finger painting is a blast.
Here’s another tip with finger painting. Let the kids paint right on the table or (for less mess) in a jellyroll tray. Then take the paper when they’re done and lay it across the paint. Pat it lightly and pull it up. The transferred picture will highlight the texture of their swoops and swirls and make an art project worthy to send off to grandparents. Being able to squish paint around freely is way more fun than trying to stay on the paper. Also, don’t give kids a lot of colors; give them two. Too many colors just end up being a big mush right away but if they have just a couple (I usually do the usual blue/yellow-type primary color combos but any color and white or black is fun, too — go easy on the black) they won’t be overwhelmed as quickly and they can really get a feel for the fun of mixing things.
More thoughts on toddler art:
–See, the National Association for the Education of Young Children agrees with me! (I knew I wasn’t crazy!)
–Tipsfrom an author of toddler art books
When I was a preschool-age daycare teacher we did open-ended art projects like this but in the toddler room they did those kinds of butterfly and turtle projects. Since the teachers did most of the work (assembling the animals, cutting out the hands and feet or noses and ears) the toddler art work was lovely. Then they got to our room and suddenly everything was just kind of lousy-looking. Happily only a few parents wanted to know why their small Picassos had suddenly become more idiot than savant so we didn’t have to field too many complaints.
(In a happy synchronicity of blogginess, I just uploaded three pics of Madison fingerpainting yesterday in the 2006 section of the picture blog.)
February 7th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
I think this is all fascinating. My weak spot is definitely art. Music and sports I can and will do (and I could comment on preschool music and swim classes at length, especially the swim teacher who wanted the two year olds to practice front crawl - what’s up with that??), but I am always at a loss for what to do with preschoolers for art. Thank you!
February 7th, 2006 at 1:51 pm
Whenever I see toddler art that looks “Right”, I know the parents did it!
Thanks for the salt finger pait suggestions. That’s very cool! Maybe next mommy day…
February 7th, 2006 at 1:51 pm
I sat in on my daughter’s pre-school art class the other day, and I was impressed with the teacher. These kids are older, so of course they are doing more, but she has kids from 3-5 in her class. Her rule is that she plans the activity so that they can really do it, and then guides them with words, not by doing the work. When I sat next to my daughter, I jumped in to show something with my hands and got admonished. It was useful correction. I saw how easy it is to get carried away doing the work yourself, and then the kid doesn’t get to do anything.
My daughter is very into art (so am I, in a crafty, competant, but amateur way). So, I’m pleased with what she’s learned.
Now, these kids are capable of much more than toddlers — I think part of the problem with this class is that it really tries to be an “art” class. Maybe with toddlers, you really need to call it something else, like “fun with paint, clay and other junk.”
bj
February 7th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
You should teach a toddler art class! When you find some extra time…
I’m firing up the caffeine machine right now in preparation for the drive to gymnastics. M. has taken to telling long stories and then saying, “Mommy! Laugh, because that’s funny! Laugh!”
February 7th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
Possibly because I myself am not at all artistic, I also prefer the activities where they just play with the media–I probably couldn’t make a damn turtle either.
One activity I always like–it’s not exactly art–is to empty a can of shaving foam on a low table and let the kids go completely nuts. That stuff is awesome. You can put food coloring or fingerpaint in it to make colors.
February 7th, 2006 at 3:52 pm
I had many doses of earl grey this morning
My mother was told that I should remain back a year because of my failure in *art*. Of course she’d have none of that - and then, of course, art became one of my favorite subjects/class. So weird - how art is taught. I had the most fabulous art teacher in grade school, but then he was let go a few years later for personal reasons (which I don’t agree with.) Such a loss.
I love the detailing of the dual conversations in the car - with my two, it’s just the same and man it can burn the ears. Heh. I wonder, often -how people with three, four, five and more children do it. I admire them…
February 7th, 2006 at 3:52 pm
I was thinking about this and you last Wed when Xavier (just turned 4) and I went to story-time at the library. It was the day before Groundhogs day so she read two stories and two poems about groundhogs and then the kids got to make a project. It was a groundhog’s head on a popsicle stick that went into a folded and stapled paper plate with a hole cut in the fold for the stick to go through and paws to glue on the edge of the plate. She also made copies of the two poems for the kids to keep. It was very cute and easy for the 3-5 year old group to do.
I wouldn’t have noticed it if you hadn’t mentioned it before but most of the parents really were doing it themselves. The girl next to us was at least five and even though she started out dutifully coloring her groundhog brown her mom said she was coloring it too dark and finished it herself while her daughter watched and then ever so carefully cut it out and glued it on for her. I had to smirk to myself when she glued it’s hands on upside down because I bet her daughter would have put them on the “right” way if given the chance.
Xavier made the cutest green groundhog you have ever seen and so what if he accidentally cut one ear off, the other one he cut perfectly and then pointed out to me that “the ears are the tricky part”, which I agreed they were. He didn’t want to glue the paws on either so instead he glued the poems to the plate so they wouldn’t get lost. That was another thing that bugged me, most of the parents left the poems on the tables.
Thanks for the idea about paiting on the table and putting the paper on top, I bet Xavier would like that. We have a big plastic mat that I put on the table for painting that I can then just spray off in the shower. Makes cleanup a breeze.
February 7th, 2006 at 4:56 pm
Yes, an hour is wa-a-ay too long, even for me, and I love art. One of the most beneficial parts of these art/craft classes is when the instructor meets with the parents alone, which they should always do. Expectations from both sides should be voiced so there are no misunderstandings later. Unfortunately, this is not a common practice, and both the parents and children suffer.
I bought X some finger paint for Xmas but I couldn’t find where I hid it until recently. I’ve been saving it for later, but now I feel inspired to let him be inspired!
February 7th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
After reading that we had to try it. You should have seen the way Xavier’s eyes lit up when I asked him if he just wanted to paint on the plastic mat instead of the paper. He had so much more fun. The paint smooshed and slid all over and I still got pictures to hang on the fridge. Plus, it actually used much less paint since half of it stayed on the mat.
A word on my fabulous painting mat. You know those Sesame Street books you can get (for $5 each, plus shipping) in the mail but they send you 2 free books first along with some flash cards and a plastic play mat to line the books on? That’s the mat I’m talking about. I of course didn’t get any more of the books because I’m poor but I have used that free mat more times then I can count. I love free stuff.
February 7th, 2006 at 6:44 pm
I ment to say, half of it stayed on the mat for him to keep shmooshing around.
February 7th, 2006 at 7:07 pm
You’ve summed up all my frustrating libary storytime, preschool, and public school experiences w/my three kids in one post. sigh.
February 7th, 2006 at 11:51 pm
I’m glad somebody else things this too. The hubby and I DESPISE, yes we used the big D word, coloring books. There is nothing worse for a kids ego than to feel they haven’t accomplished something right. We always give reams of paper and coloring implements as gifts. While the parents always look at us oddly that there is a stack of papers from the office supply store, the kids go crazy because you know once you color on one you need a new piece and they can go through and jut get carried away.
I taught art at summer camp and I was always amazed at how many kids were pre-programmed by such an early age. I liked to get them to deconstruct things rather than just recreate. Instead of drawing trees, animals, etc we would cut out the shapes that make up those things. we would then recreate other things with those shapes.
we would also do lots of modern, abstract things to get them out of the idea that they had to perfectly recreate an image in order for it to be art.
February 8th, 2006 at 8:24 pm
Thank you for posting this! I think prefab art projects ought to be BANNED outright, for all ages. It sets the kids up for failure and stifles creativity & exploration, just as you say. This is a huge issue for me (probably with roots in my past, when as a perfectionist, achievement-oriented child I was always crushed that my project never looked as nice as the teacher’s, but whatever). I’ve been touring preschools and instantly eliminate any facility with telltale cotton-ball sheep or the like on the walls…
My son is in early intervention programs, and while the teachers in his group child development class do start off art projects with some sort of cutout or outline or preconceived notion (which made me shudder at first and actually consider removing Max from the class), I must admit that they are WONDERFUL about discouraging parents from “helping” or “correcting” the kids, and they definitely emphasize the exploration of media rather than the production of finished products.
More Jackson Pollock and less Martha Stewart, I say! And thanks for the tip about the salt…