children's art

earlier in the week, eden was home sick and tressa had the day off from daycare but i still had to work. what to do!?! eden wanted to paint. since the start of full days of school, the opportunity to paint, like we used to do so often together when she was in preschool, has become far and few. putting aside the thoughts of paint on the rug and table and the mess to follow, i said ok. i got out the tubes of acrylic paint and her brushes and then i got back to work myself. the three of us just listenend to some music and were separately occupied by our work. tressa was rolling around the floor contently, i was busy laying out a magazine, and eden was quietly painting away. after getting off of an important phone call, eden told me to close my eyes. when i was allowed to open my eyes, i couldn't believe them. what a masterpiece! this is a painitng of eden's tree that resides in our diningroom. we planted it at her welcoming ceremony after she was born. what a treasure. i hung it right up on the wall of her choice. what if i just said "no, not now because i am too busy and you'll make such a mess." i made a promise to myself that i would not turn the girls down when the urge to create hits.

i have received the book i was awaiting. i am finding it so worth the purchase. amanda blake soule talks about how to create a creative environment for your family. i started reading the book after this painting spree and her chapters now make so much sense. she talks about not worrying about the mess yet also tells how to organize and create a space that will not make it so hectic a process. she talks about how kids should use the same art supplies that we would use as adults. not only does their art last longer but it teaches then about quality in craft. there is also a nice section on different ways to display kids' art. 

other topics in the book have to do with looking at your family space. is it cluttered with too many toys? are they natural or plastic and overstimulating? i agree that less is truly more when it comes to children's toys. i have seriously been procrastinating in this department. i need to do an overhaul of toys that aren't even glanced at. there are just too many! ofcourse i must do this when eden is out or sleeping or it turns disasterous...