Children become discouraged by their lack of expertise if they are used to "coloring in" an adult's outline. For the Children's Sake, p.129.
I am eager to begin a study of art with my children and experience their creativity! How truly wonderful to allow them the room to express themselves with a pencil and piece of paper with out relying on lines to stay in leaving little or less creativity and possibly causing discouragement for the future. The thought of coloring pages has never occured to me before. Charlotte Mason discourages the use of these "creativity limitations" for children. I think that in handing our children coloring pages we are discouraging their minds to create and express itself in all of it's beautiful and magnificent capabilities, it is forced to hold back. I love to place a crisp white sheet of paper in front of my children and put an idea into their mind and then sit back and watch eagerly as they transfor
m it into a collection of colors or just a few but there on that piece of paper no longer blank is the mind the creative beautiful images that were stored in the child. The blank paper gives him all the room to explore his own mind and express what he sees and feels and it never fails to be an amazing experience in the eyes of the teacher. I feel that I have missed out on many of these opportunities to allow for creativity to blossum in my children because of the ease of coloring pages.
Let the mind of the child express itself in its own original pictures!
*art from the little mind of Superman at age 4
Nat Turner Rebellion
11 years ago
4 comments:
While I totally agree that giving a child a blank slate teaches them to grow in their own right, I also know that boundaries are a fact of life, in God's view and the Global view. For me I think balance of freedom and boundaries can work hand and hand. I had a friend who stated that he regrets spending so much time "dreaming" or working outside the lines that he can't grasp reality or functioning normally inside those lines in work, home, or with God. I know in Psychology they teach parents to do away with lines, in drawings, baseball game scores, etc. And when this child grows up and realizes that life is full of lines he will either be greatly disappointed or forever fight the lines of life, never realizing those lines in life are not all that bad-though I have learned over the years some really are. It makes me always look at balancing my children to be dreamers and realist. My son wants to be a stuntman when he grows up, something I never discourage, but always encourage him to look at all views of this, like a back up dream job when stuntman are in little demand. I am always trying to tell my son, talk to God see where He is leading you, where does He take you; you never know it could be WAY outside the lines :-) Like a missionary who lives in a tree swinging from tree to tree on a vine, teaching the natives about God. Hey a momma can dream outside the lines too ya know ;-)
Latte Cannon
Latte Cannon... I think I am in agreement with your response to boundaries being a fact in God's view and a global view. My son to dreams, he dreams of being a Ninja and an Astronaut and where I know those are both very possible for him the realist and mother in me recognizes them as "dreams", I do not ever dare trample on his dreams and like you just gently encourage him to remember all possiblities. But in the context of art, a way of expression I think the mind should be free to roam free of lines and boundaries. When a child brings his mind onto paper it is through artistic expression, we are allowed a glimpse into his magical world and from there we can then encourage or discourage lightly in regards to what is possibly not something that is pleasing and acceptable to God, such as guns and killing ect.
I don't this in any way reflects onto life in the "real world", there is a balance to be found in all areas of life with the boundaries that are set for them and I think they will naturally understand the lines as they are continually set down before them in God's word (not in a legalistic way) and there is no compromising them. I hope that I would never give my children the unrealistic idea that life is a vast world of unlimitedness beyond that of what is honoring to God.
So, I am in agreement with you in the context of life but in the context of art I am imagining a line free canvas! :0)
Thanks for sharing you awesome thought provoking thoughts Latte Canon!! I enjoyed it!
JOYfully in HIm,
Kelli
I am always trying to tell my son, talk to God see where He is leading you, where does He take you; you never know it could be WAY outside the lines :-) Like a missionary who lives in a tree swinging from tree to tree on a vine, teaching the natives about God. Hey a momma can dream outside the lines too ya know ;-)
Oh... I am also a WAY outside the lines dreaming momma for my Littles!! I have big dreams for them to be swinging on many vines from tree to tree teaching the natives! When it comes to dreams!! You are right we must always encourage the dreams but also be realistic in a way that we understand that with God all things are possible and He can be honored in almost all dreams. Let us not stand in the way with "out" lines!!
JOYfully in HIm,
Kelli
You are too cool, I love reading your posts and comments, thanks for sharing and encouraging us all!
Loving I AM,
Latte Cannon
P.S. sounds like we agree. I just wanted to show my side of the coin, sorry sometimes I see so many moms giving into the "everyone wins" and "no boundaries" motto's that sometimes when I see something that resembles it I want to tell that mom, hey what about this, or that. I get carried away and don't take time to see what you really mean. Well keep drawing outside the line girl!-)
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