Multi-Medium Art Time

 Colourful Paper

Up until recently, O was not one for 'artsy fartsy' activities. I chalked it up to lack of interest and lack of motor skills needed to enjoy the process. I have resisted pushing, encouraging or commenting aloud. Instead I just put things 'on the table' every now and then to see where she is at.

Yesterday, I set up a Multi-Medium Art Table with huge success. 

Success meaning: interested, involved & enjoyed.

It required setting out various supplies....

 Sticky Stuff

....stickers, masking tape & glue stick....

 Bowl 'o Shapes

....misc pre-cut shapes...

 Child-Friendly Scissors

...AMAZING child-friendly scissors that only cut paper...

 Punchers

..and two types of hole-punches. 

Then it involved stepping back. 

I offered very little instruction in terms of how to use the tools provided and held back from commenting on her work. I cannot stress how difficult this is ("That's beautiful!" comes out so naturally), but I want her to enjoy art for arts sake...not because someone else told her she is doing "nice work." 

I stuck to the facts: "Oh, that looks sticky!" "Those are triangles!" "You stacked the stickers on top of one another."

This took a lot of brain work on my part, to refrain from praise and back-patting.

Working with glue

The glue stick seemed to be her tool of choice.

I hung her work on the blackboard, at her height.

Today she took it down and 're-structured' it, taking off bits and pieces and handing them out to us.

It was hard to keep my mouth shut for this process too (taking apart her work), but I somehow managed, reminding myself all the way "art is what the artist creates...and it is ever-changing!"