It Takes A Village To Raise A Child

We send our eldest child, who is 7,  to a small, rather new, school (presently) in Parkview called Kairos  -www.kairosschool.co.za.  Moving your child out of mainstream schooling often causes raised eyebrows and I have had to on many occasion  defend our decision.  In this nurturing environment our child has become a delightful and happy  little being, who learns with ease and utter enjoyment. Yes, we do share the credit!

 My belief in this choice was further cemented with the onset of this term  when my daughter came home rambling with excitement at their present theme which is 'Houses and Habitats' where they are exploring different kinds of shelter in truly concrete way. I literally get daily updates. At Kairos this amounts to building a neighbourhood, (Alaska refers to it as a city but as I mentioned, it is a small school and thus its more of a village!) out of large cardboard boxes.  Each child has their own box which they personally transform into a house. I am told the telephones will be tubes connecting  one house to another, streets will be named and houses numbered, the cherry on the top is that each child gets to be Mayor for a day. She is so excited about her turn in the seat of power.  I hope she uses her post effectively!! How utterly wonderful is this?! It both internalises and externalises the concept of a neighbourhood and community while simultaneously satisfying so many senses and subjects in what is ultimately a tremendously organic and fun way.

This can easily be done at home with your own children or with a group of children and would require as much or as little guidance as you can muster.  Simply give your child a box and some paint, fabric, recycled bits (Styrofoam veggie trays for roof tiles) in order for them to create their own mini home.  Hours of stimulating entertainment shall result.  It is also a wonderful topic to discuss with children.

The pictures I have been kindly provided with present the early stages of this large project and it should prove a magical journey to completion, but when its done I will post the further pics.

Turbine Art Fair

In between juggling family, careers and keeping the house intact it is difficult to find the time to put your finger on the cultural pulse.  The good news is that the Johannesburg art galleries have created a collective exhibition of affordable and up and coming artists all under one roof.  It is the Turbine Art Fair which takes place this weekend in Newtown.  Tickets are R50 at computickets or R70 at the door and it opens at 11am on both days.  The sponsor, Staedler, will provide a  children's area allowing you liberty to stroll the exhibition unhindered.  Both days at 11-12  Robyn Penn will offer a' talkabout' for children between 5-10 years old.  Marvellous!!  So take your brood along to discover our wonderful talent of the art world. www.turbineartfair.co.za

WAM

I forgot to add that Wits Art Museum (WAM) are having a 'Talkabout' for children this saturday (20 July) at 12:00.  It is free, but they like you to book at info.wam@wits.acza. The exhibition is by Nathaniel Stern and Tegan Bristow who are interactive digital artists, their work explores how movement makes meaning.  I have not yet seen it, but I have taken some children to a previous exhibition which was good.  This particular one sounds quite wonderful for children, it being both digital (their world, born with buttons on their fingers!) and interactive.

Snip Snap

Being new to blogging, I decided to take a virtual tour through this world and see what else exist out there.  As I am sure most of you are aware there is much.  So much.  I have spent the last few nights attached to my computer with a growing sense of being sucked into a time abyss, nights virtually being sucked away.  I did however find a blog that I really like -  www.findingninee.com. . It is not flashy and photoshopped but she writes freely with sincerity and humour which appeals to me.  It relates to children with disabilities, particularly her child, which got me thinking about my children and their individual struggles and how we are all to a lesser (or greater) degree challenged, some disabilities are just easier to see.  Imperfect children being raised by imperfect parents. I particularly like the section entitled 'Our Land' which really speaks of embracing difference, removing fear and approaching life with compassion and understanding.  Is this not what we aim to teach our children?  So give it a peek.

Moving on to the creative stuff...

I have been working at The Oak Leaf in Sandton (theoakleaf.co.za) running crafts for over a month now.  When I first began I had great plans for running it like an art class complete with continuous themes, stories and movement, but alas this was not to be for it is a restaurant and therefore a place of transience, so I have adjusted my thinking and projects accordingly.  I guide crafts at the Oak Leaf and I teach art from home. Art is a slower, process driven event. Both have a definite value.   The following project I did in both places...

Snip Snap

This is a puppet made from a polystyrene cup, if you can find a white paper cup that would be preferable.  The problem with polystyrene for crafts (vs art) is that it not very absorbent and therefore drying time for paint and glue is silly.  I tried using a glue stick instead of  wood glue but that was not effective either and so I finally settled on double sided tape.My issue with this is that it steals creativity from the small child  as an adult then has to stick the tape down and peel it off (tis tricksy for little fingers).  I did at least get them to cut the shapes out to prevent it from becoming an mere assembling project.  The finished puppet, I am glad to say, brought much joy.

So many variations can be created.  I would suggest adding arms with pipecleaners and beads.  Let your little artists imaginations take over.  Create a family of them and put on a show.  Or do as my crazed students did and run around making a range of grizzly noises pretending to eat each other.  "Here comes Snorg" said Angel, "and he is hungry!"

Happy making.

In The Beginning

"As soon as a child can hold a lump of clay or a ball of yarn in his hand, he is ready to discover the world of Art" - M. Linderman 

A year ago I began teaching children art lessons.  This may not seem like a noteworthy event, but for me it was both the culmination of one journey and the start of another. I found what I love doing (other than painting and yoga!). Having done Fine Art and having taught Montessori, I knew that I love to create and that I love children, so this provided a way in which both passions could exist and flourish in a sustainable way.  The children I teach, or guide, inspire me, as I hope I inspire them.  I am privy to their vast imaginations, their struggles, their enthusiasm, their social and spiritual spaces and their individual insight.  We tackle giant projects, sometimes set above the common norm and these children, small as they are, never fail to create amazing work.  A mother told me that when her children leave this creative space, they feel 'full' and ask for nothing.  This is the product of the creative process, given space, time and attention. This is what I would like to share.

Each week I will post a project (or two) and the story behind, within and around it, as well as stories of the life in The Little Studio and child related happenings in and around Joburg and SA. I  hope much joy stems from the content.