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Angel
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| Posted: Aug 05 2007 at 7:32am | IP Logged
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I've been chasing down all the Waldorf related threads this weekend, as they synch nicely with my realization that I ought to be integrating art across the curriculum (can you tell I've been writing for the school district this weekend?) with my 4, 8, and 10 yo, all of whom love art. My kids do lots of drawing, I love to draw -- but don't do it very often, and my 8 yo in particular loves both art and crafts. I have an art cabinet set up for our art supplies, and *most* of them are easily accessible, at least by the 8 and 10 yos. It seems like a no-brainer that we would spend much of our days doing art.
However... I'm having a hard time figuring out to work some of the messier and more labor intensive art into our days. In a few weeks, I'll have 4 children (all boys) age 4 and under. The 4 yo is fairly trustworthy, but I can't really let him set up his own painting yet. My twins will turn 2 in October... and they want to do whatever their older siblings are doing... which is ok, but it makes me feel like I should be able to bilocate!!! (Plus one of them has a habit of climbing up onto the table -- not a good thing if you have a lot of paint pots out.)
My 8 yo dd wants me to do many things along side her -- for instance, she'd like me to draw in my nature journal while she draws in hers, learn to knit while she learns to knit (she's better than I am), go through the book Drawing With Children with her, paint or do crafts... and I would love to do so as well. But there never seems to be a good time to do this. If we try when the twins are awake... or the 4 yo sees what we're doing... then *everybody* wants in on the action and I can't do my own work, I have to help the little ones, and my dd gets frustrated. (I get frustrated, too.) The twins don't nap or sleep very well, so they're around most of the time. In a few weeks, we're going to add a newborn into this mix.
Any hints on how to manage this? I'm hoping to resurrect our "Friday Fun Days" after things settle down later in the fall, because the kids really enjoyed having a planned craft one day a week. But my kids really need more than a planned craft one day a week. In fact, I'm pretty sure they'd do some kind of art (drawing plus) every day if I had more than just the colored pencils/collage/Sculpey easily available, and if I could lead the way into some media with which they're not familiar yet.
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: Aug 05 2007 at 2:01pm | IP Logged
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Angela -
Can you get your 10 and 8 year olds to take over the planning and execution of the art projects?
This is a GREAT opportunity for them! Especially since you say they really like artsy stuff already. I was the oldest of five and we had the same spread that you have, so my youngest brother was born when I was 10. My mom NEVER organized art / outdoor projects.....my brother and i did with a book that my grama gave us. So, I'm speaking from a 10-yr-old-oldest-child-perspective (not a homeschooling mom perspective   ) which may not be worth much.
Just thinking about what this would look like (why aren't my bullets working?)
Find 1 or 2 art / project books for them to peruse every Thursday (or whatever) for a project the following week. Maybe they could alternate weeks.
They pick one out of something they're interested in, ask you questions if they have them.
Make a list of things they need. Set a day to do it.
Make sure that the list gets acquired (we used to hand my dad a list of supplies and on his way home from work, he'd pick things up).
They would make sure to give you the info on the project that they're doing so that you could "supervise" and raise any red flags.
They would do all set up and clean up, with you supervising.
They could also engage the 4 year old, if you think it's possible and they want to..
Maybe the first couple projects you could go through the process WITH them (this is the ever-frustruating "training".....) until they felt comfortable to do it.
You're going to have a lot on your plate and planning intense art projects will probably be frustrating (at least it would be for me  ). But, this is a great chance for the older kids to be more independent, using you as a supervisor. You may not be able to do the more complicated projects that you're envisioning. But, you could still plan a few of those on your own occasionally. The idea with the older kids planning is that it takes it off you and on to them, which is helpful....maybe not in the beginning, but in the long run.
Sorry this is so long.....I just remember all the great stuff we planned and did the summer my mom had my brother.
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Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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Cheryl
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| Posted: Aug 05 2007 at 6:49pm | IP Logged
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Suzanne,
This is a really interesting idea. I'm going to talk with my ds 8.5 to see if he'd be interested in doing this.
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Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Aug 05 2007 at 11:45pm | IP Logged
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Would the little ones be satisfied painting with water or coloring with chalk on the sidewalk while you and dd do some nature journaling together? Will they do do-a-dot art while you paint with her? Perhaps play with yarn and felt scraps or do lacing cards while you knit?
I am just trying to think of simpler versions of what you and dd will be doing so that they won't feel left out.
Perhaps if you had a little easle set up with the little no-spill paint pots they could access during art time? At least for the 4yo that might satisfy.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Mary G
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| Posted: Aug 06 2007 at 7:36am | IP Logged
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You could certainly teach the little ones "finger knitting" while knitting with your older ones .... the little ones can also practice in their journals while you guys do yours ...
In other words, I'd have mine with me all the time for crafts -- it's actually amazing how much they learn and how much patience the old ones learn, by all working together. Yes, their attention span is shorter and their work won't be as good, but they're learning and enjoying the comraderie, etc.
I love the idea of having the older ones plan (mine aren't that much older yet, but having a say in what we do helps them be more cooperative!). With a 10 yo, that should be relatively easy. Great idea, Suzanne!
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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Mare
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| Posted: Aug 06 2007 at 8:48am | IP Logged
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Angela,
My oldest is 8 yrs. and my youngest is a newborn. With regards to the messy aspect, we like to do the art projects outdoors. It really helps with clean up. We have a plastic table that cleans up easily if paint gets on it. The children can go to town creating with glitter, play dough, rice and sand and I don't mind if it spills all over.
When the weather is wet and rainy, we'll do the art indoors using jelly roll/cookie sheets to contain the art work. You can find the inexpensive kind at Dollar Tree or Wal*Mart. Clean up is easier with the trays.
HTH,
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4Real Forums : The Arts in the Everyday
Topic: Art with lots of little ones
