Slow Schooling Chapter 17: The Fine Arts
On reflecting the Father's creative side
“Thank Goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality.”
Beatrix Potter
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Drawing.....or....How to Torture Your Kids
There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth this morning. We started our drawing lessons and you’d think I was asking my children to walk over hot coals in their bare tootsies.
I was quite nonchalant about the whole deal, and told them we were going to do some drawing lessons, which got the eager response I was hoping for. That response lasted until I gave them their initial assignments, which was to be baseline products to compare with later. OH, the gut-wretching cries! I can’t draw! It looks horrible! I want a bigger eraser! And, did I mention, I CAN’T DRAW!!
“The process of learning to draw creates quite a lot of mental conflict.”
Betty Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Well, yep. Sure does! And after going through the process, the thought that stuck in my own mind was, “Wow....we are SO going to do this.” I am looking forward to watching my children (and hopefully myself) grow and learn and awaken new levels of creativity. If my children at the ages of 6, 8, and 10 already think they “can’t” draw, then something’s amiss and it needs to be addressed!
Recently I visited a beautiful university campus, and throughout the tour all of the amenities were highlighted: small classroom sizes, beautiful research facilities, and even organic offerings at the student cafe. The campus boasted not one, but two, large gymnasiums and plenty of outdoor fields and trails for athletic and physical education and enjoyment. While walking through another beige hallway (screaming for a mural, in my mind), I asked our tour guide, “What about the arts? Do you have a music program?” The answer was no. Should I send my son there, he’d have to put away his cello, but he could play rugby instead.
Physical education is not unimportant, and athletic competition offers many life lessons such as self-discipline, setting goals, and working with others to achieve goals. However, it does not equate that the arts ought to be first on the peg of cuts whenever funds dry up or unaddressed when yet another potential sport is brought to the table of ideas. Nor should it be last on the list of homeschooling goals, an add-on “if” the other subjects are all accounted for.
We are inherently creative because our Maker is creative. He created the entire world and all that is in it, and His creation offers us beauty, enjoyment, and instruction (1). We, too, as part of His handiwork, reflect creativity when we express ourselves in whatever manner to bring out our own inner emotions, whether it be by dancing, gardening, painting, speaking, decorating (cakes or houses), tailoring, writing, or playing a musical instrument. We are creative when we organize our households or our work spaces, when we put together a lovely meal, or smooth out the bed sheets to make it an invitation come evening. We show that we are creative when we appreciate the colors of a sunset, keep beat to a piece of music, or doodle on our grocery lists.
So why do we keep these creative endeavors as “extras”? As we know from other areas of our lives, promising to get to them “tomorrow”, or even “next year”, does not always mean that we will. Instead, I would encourage a parent to make the creative arts something that is part of a regular routine.
The easiest place to begin is with a child’s innate interest or curiosity with a particular creative art form. Does your child like to sing in a play microphone? Or play puppet theater? Or paint, sew, or hammer? Most children, if given the opportunity to play with a variety of possibilities, will naturally veer towards something they enjoy more than the others. Then, it is simply a matter of ensuring that the child has the time and space to play with those materials. You could take those interests even further with finding a particular book, course, class, or private tutor to either develop them into something richer, or reveal that it was simply a passing curiosity.
But what if a child’s only interest is in which screen show to watch next, or to make the high score on a popular video game? I would strongly caution against feeding this appetite, for it is never appeased. Furthermore, although the child’s brain and spirit may feel the high effect of doing a job well done for achieving a high score, the truth is that nothing of value or permanence was accomplished, and nothing was developed that would be a blessing to his or her family or community at large. Participating in such activities for a little down time is certainly not a sin, but it does seem rather detrimental to a child’s character and skill development over time.
What if a child simply shrugs about what he or she might enjoy doing? This is a problem easily remedied! Peruse the nonfiction shelves at the library: how to build airplanes, how to weave baskets, what native plants can be foraged and eaten, how to draw birds or do geometrical math puzzles. What makes the child say, “Ooh! THAT seems cool!” and simply pile up half a dozen books on the subject.
Another possibility is to participate with groups such as Trail Life for boys (2) or American Heritage Girls for (you guessed it) girls (3). When our older children were younger, our family ran Keepers of the Faith club (now closed), in which children were able to choose from a variety of activities to try and earn badges on. All of these are helpful for trying out different activities and seeing what is interesting and possible.
One of the great benefits of homeschooling is that field trips can be often! Trips to museums, art galleries, botanical lectures, music events, theater events, aquariums, farms, and even behind the scenes to in-town places such as the post office and grocery store can be sought out. I fondly remember in childhood watching my Greek grandmother feeding the chickens, my mother doing needlework, and being fascinated by women at the county fair spinning wool with their wheels: these are activities I have enjoyed as an adult. Give your child many different experiences. You never know what will “stick” in adulthood, and to be sure it may not be the carefully curated curriculum that you personally chose!
In thinking about what is necessary for life and godliness, I would urge you not to forsake the arts. Make art class a requirement, for example (4). I would also urge you to provide your students with real tools, not toys. Just like the art of creating a meal is far more pleasurable and easier with good knives, painting is more pleasurable with rich pigmented paints and easier with good quality brushes. It’s dishonest to say you “tried” sewing and hated it if the only equipment you attempted to use was dull needles and faded or fraying threads. Buy the best quality tools you can afford.
Lastly, at risk of sounding repetitive, you cannot give what you do not have. Consider how you are expressing your own creative bents. Do you knit? Cook? Do any woodworking? Garden, play music, or even make rope? Do your children know and see that you are interested in the world, that God’s creative handiwork is fascinating? Do you buy or check out books from the library on a variety of subjects? Or do you content yourself solely with spending that down time on social media and making the next high score? Some children will naturally be drawn to the creative arts, some may need a little push. We as adults might do well to consider where we might be on that continuum, too, so that we can reflect our Father’s creative side as well.
1. Encyclopedia of Bible Truths by Ruth C. Haycock
Our family has enjoyed https://www.artsattack.com/atelier/index very much throughout the years for excellent art lessons.
If you’re looking for a simpler, more purposeful life outside of the rule of technology, perhaps you can glean from my experimentations in seeking a more present life. Learn more about the book (and how to get it) by clicking on its image.
