New Beginnings

During the first few days of school, my Kindergarteners are amazed at what awaits them in the magical art room. They come in all giddy and excitedl with wonderful ideas and master plans to make incredible and amazing things. We jump in right away thinking and talking like artists. Where do we get ideas? Sometimes ideas are cultivated by learning something new or seeing something used in a new way. This is the case with drawing. We talked about drawing and making marks and the many different ways to make a mark. After opening the drawing center, the kids jumped in and began. It wasn't long before the oohs and ahas came as kids discovered new ways to do things. They brought me many drawing that showed what they were learning. To the people who just see this as simple drawing are ignorant. I don't mean that in a bad way. They are forgetting they are adults now and see the works through the eyes of an adult. And to them this seems to be less than an exhilarating process. But, as children do more exploring with materials, new neurons are making more connections in their brains. Who knows what amazing idea will come next. As someone smarter than me said" a mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original shape"