THERES A MONSTER IN OUR PRESCHOOL!
THE IMPORTANCE OF IMAGINATION
A child's imagination is a valuable tool that allows them to see the world in a way that is unique. Through the eye of a child a bench is not always a bench. One day it is a spaceship taking us on a treasure hunt to the moon the next it is a race car driving us around the fastest track on earth. If there is one thing I have learned as a grown up, artist and an educator it is that we 'adults' need to use our imaginations more!
WHY MONSTERS?
The monster project was designed as a way to ease the children into drawing their self-portraits. It allows the children to experiment with the idea of drawing something that is living before they actually sit down and draw their portraits from observation. In order to create their creatures the children needed to consider the basic anatomy of a living thing. Each child was encouraged to think about the features they wanted to give their monsters before drawing any lines on the page. This was done through a series of open ended questions such as…
“Can you tell me what your monster looks like?”
“How does it see?”
“Can you tell me what your monster likes to do?”
“What does your monster feel like? Is it hairy, wet, or fuzzy?”
The kids then used their problem solving skills and knowledge of working with the line to determine how they would answer those questions in their picture. The monster project required the children to tap into their imagination in order to create a being that was completely fictional. The portrait project then furthers their knowledge of drawing by giving the kids the opportunity to draw something realistic by observing it.
“Can you tell me what your monster looks like?”
“How does it see?”
“Can you tell me what your monster likes to do?”
“What does your monster feel like? Is it hairy, wet, or fuzzy?”
The kids then used their problem solving skills and knowledge of working with the line to determine how they would answer those questions in their picture. The monster project required the children to tap into their imagination in order to create a being that was completely fictional. The portrait project then furthers their knowledge of drawing by giving the kids the opportunity to draw something realistic by observing it.