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Louise
At a recent family gathering my mother brought out my sister Louise’s baby book. Inside this wonderful time capsule was a brightly coloured self portrait; the caption reading, “I am painting a picture...
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The Eyes Have It
A friend once complained that they’d had little time to draw or paint; life had been far too busy! However, they then went on to describe a wonderful landscape they’d seen, recounting in detail how...
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More is More
I pass an early childhood centre each morning which has an outdoor play area that consists of a lawn, prefabricated play gym, a couple of tiny plastic cubby houses, and a sand pit covered with sail...
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Words and Pictures
I once observed a five year old child show his teacher a picture he’d drawn. Underneath the picture was a jumble of letters that didn’t form any identifiable words. The teacher asked the child to read...
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A Day at the Museum
When I was a child, museums were treated with almost the same reverence as cathedrals: visitors were expected to speak in hushed tones (anything louder might echo!), hands were kept behind backs, and...
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Art? No Thanks! (Part One)
I’m sometimes asked how to deal with children who are reluctant to join in art activities. My first response is usually a “why” rather than a “how”. I feel it’s important to establish reasons for...
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Art? No Thanks! (Part Two)
When working with a child who is reluctant to engage in visual arts activities we need to be aware of their individual circumstances. Putting strategies in place is a process that needs to be...
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Art? No Thanks! (Part Three)
Here are a few ideas you can use as a starting point to encourage reluctant children to participate in visual art activities: Look at the structure of the child’s day. Are there opportunities...
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Through the Eyes of a Child
I once took a group of children aged seven and eight years to the Art Gallery of NSW. They were somewhat overawed by the open spaces and sometimes huge artworks. The children’s excitement told me...
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The Arts…Capturing Our Attention
The Arts have long been an integral part of quality early childhood programs and are included in the new Early Years Learning Framework. However, once children commence “big school” literacy and...
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