Month: September 2016

 

By Victoria Carlton

• Lock up the digital devices and chase the kids outside. (When not pouring!)
• Invite the neighbourhood kids over for casual play- ditch the “play-date” mentality. Just let it happen.
• Set up a reading time every afternoon for 40 minutes. (This is so YOU can read your book!)
• Grab a large box and fill with junk- tissue boxes, rolls, empty food packets and containers and plenty of masking tape and scissors. Then ask them to make something. (Don’t specify) Tell them you will spray paint it silver or gold if they really plan their junk sculpture, can tell you about it and write a short description. (You will need to buy cheap spray paint and YOU do this when they are asleep.
• Restrict TV and encourage painting, playdough and drawing. Sure you get some mess but this is worthwhile fun and they will be learning.
• Put out food on your bench-top each lunch-time and let them make their own (often weird) concoctions!
• Encourage children to start a Spring garden. Let them have their own small area to weed, dig and plant some seeds and watch for growth!
• It’s getting towards that time of the year so ask children to start a list of cards to make and home-made gifts.
• If you DO go out, visit local parks, go for walks, sketch some plants, visit the local library and at all costs STAY AWAY FROM SHOPS!
• The wild-flowers are astounding this year so consider a bus to King’s Park. Kids LOVE public transport and it makes a change from the stress of driving and finding parking spots.
• Let the kids have at least 1 PJ day. (You join them!)
• Tell them you need a holiday too so keep to reasonable bedtimes so you can relax in evenings and above all encourage sleep-ins!

Kids LOVE art. All kids love to draw and paint and generally mess around with mixed media.

They are fascinated with multisensory materials such as playdough – and not just the little kids!

They don’t have the same constraints as us.

When children are full engaged in art they are in another space. I watch the children at my centre totally lose themselves when drawing and painting. They reach that lovely flow state that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has studied and written about so lucidly.

The intense absorption we experience in the flow state leads to positive emotions and a generally happier state.

Becoming totally absorbed is good for us and that utter absorption can be seen with art- both when engaged and also when letting yourself disappear into a painting!

We have often used famous paintings as a stimulus for creative writing. We encourage children to imagine they are actually IN the print we are studying and write from that perspective.

Quite often the outcome is not that important to them but the process really is.

Regular trips to art galleries encourage so many skills to develop.

A trip to an art gallery is often a trip into history and children can learn a lot about the world, other cultures and about history.

Children learn to concentrate, get lost in wonder and dreaming and start to form their own preferences.

They learn to respect these public spaces and learn how to interact with the other viewers.

There are always guides and gallery staff to answer their many questions!

Young children all view themselves as potential artists so are not overwhelmed by the great masters.

The trick is to plan the visit and never stay over an hour or 2 at the most.

It is far better for children to really stare, feel, wonder and take their time than to race around the gallery with you and the iPhone, not really looking. The images clicked on the phone cannot compare with the actual art. To really appreciate the art takes concentrated looking and cannot be done with a camera.

The artist and the viewer enter into a special relationship and the viewer might become really engaged (or not, ) generate new ideas, questions- who knows! That is part of the mystery of art! We don’t know where it will lead us!

Model really looking into a picture and letting the picture talk to you. Show them this is a slow, deep process that needs intense concentration and a letting go of distractions.

It is ALWAYS a good idea to take a sketchbook for each child with some coloured pencils. Children love to copy art and that is a wonderful way to learn about lines, form, perspective and so on.

Remember that children don’t always appreciate the same art as you do. Most galleries have comprehensive websites so you can show your children some of the art they will be seeing. Let them have some choices.

Most galleries have children’s areas and these are usually very well planned but DO take them with you to enjoy and learn to appreciate the amazing art we can generally enjoy for free!

As the sign in my centre in Perth says, ” ART MAKES US SMART!”

 

Children don’t feel safe when everything is disorganised and random.

They may appear to like lots of surprises and exciting “happenings” but it can lead to overload and frustration.

When children constantly have their routines interrupted, they feel distracted and unfocused. They need routine and strong boundaries. They look to the significant adults in their lives to provide these.

They are encouraged to do so many after- school programs that they don’t have the chance to just play, dream, wonder or integrate all their experiences and make sense of them. This leads to very low Intrapersonal intelligence.

Believe it or not, children thrive in organised classroom and home environments but need a little wriggle room in both!

Many wise teachers are now giving the children free time once a week – even half an hour puts a smile on their faces! The big complaint from children to me is always that they have no time for free choice and play.

At home, parents can ensure the children have at least one afternoon spare after school!

Organised children tend to learn time management skills at an earlier age.

They learn to timeline their homework assignments, improve study skills and actually finish things before starting the next thing.

They know what is expected from them and understanding expectations is a key skill for successful social skills.

Here are some tips for busy teachers and parents-

Firstly, get YOURSELF organised.  Organise your time and

belongings and make sure your class or family notice the changes.

Draw up a time-table and share with children. Stick to it and do the important things first.

Limit the number of after-school activities children do so they can finish homework and have some free time for play, wonder and dreaming.

Show children how to get organised for the next day. They can pack their  school bag, important books etc and get lunch organised.

This avoids the frustration and confusion that can reign on busy mornings!

Ensure there is a place for EVERYTHING and children know where it is. If possible label everything.

Insist on children doing some chores so they begin to develop a sense of responsibility.

Plan meals and involve children in those choices and allow them to help prepare the meal.

Minimise screen time. Constantly jumping from app to app and watching programs with large amounts of ads will wreck their concentration skills.

Insist on a reasonable bed time and stick to it.

Even if they cannot sleep and need to read for a while, they will eventually adjust and we know from research that rested children absorb more information in class.

Also- parent time is valid! You need time to think, plan, organise and relax.

If you help children develop time management and organisational skills you will be giving them a life-time gift!