**Note** I will be posting these 1 week behind, so I get them up on time, but without rushing me.
I’ve mentioned before that we are generally following Artistic Pursuits for our Friday Art Sessions. There are many things I like about AP — the study of real art and the opportunity for the kids to experiment with different mediums. It is all laid out for me to grab and go, so this is great.
However, I had neglected to give my kids any art instruction in the past, so they are woefully lacking in the very basics. For that reason, we often veer off AP to work on these basics. In fact, I may spend the next couple months on basics before going back to AP. We will see how things go.
Last friday, I sent Lincoln outside to round up some poplar leaves. We studied the shape of the leaves and talked about straight lines and curved lines. Then we chose a starting point — in this instance, the center of the top vee of the leaf.
I showed the children how to use their EYE first to follow the line from their starting point to the next point on their leaf. I had the kids feel the leaf edge with their finger. With Prairie who is 3 years old, I actually lightly drew in the first line. With 5-year-old Rachel, I marked the starting point and made a small dot for the next stopping point and encouraged her to draw her line.
Step-by-step, we worked, always using our eye to see the next leaf line and then choosing where to place the next point to draw TO. I talked through all this and continued to lightly draw in Prairie’s lines, which she promptly traced over. I encouraged Rachel to see where her next point should be and to make that point, and then to draw her line to that point.
I think the girls did a GREAT job with their poplar leaves.
Prairie did a great job tracing at 3 years old. And 5-year-old Rachel really paid attention to her curved lines! I did NOT draw in Rachel’s lines. I merely helped her decide where to put the “points.”
I gave the same instruction to Lincoln and Sidney, but let them independently make their lines. Without my mentioning it, the boys really got into the details and drew in leaf veins. Sidney even drew in a background of limbs. I was impressed with their ingenuity.
Our discussions on deciding where to start a drawing and paying attention to one small section at a time and studying the flow of line seemed to help them a great deal.
I can’t wait for our next Art Class.
Prairie Sings 