FOR PARENTS
Learn the art of Observation
Drawing is a fantastic skill to learn, but what is really important is the art of observation.
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We so often rush through life not taking in what is around us, just by with a superficial glance and a 'that's nice' comment. If we really want to 'see' what is around us we need to actually train ourselves to observe carefully.
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This means noting the shapes that make up an object, noticing its colours, the shadows and highlights, its smell, its sound (if any) and asking ourselves questions about the object we are looking at.
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Once we train ourselves, a mushroom, for example, begins to look like a rectangle with a semi-circle top and therefore becomes less intimidating to draw.
Get out in Nature
As a family we go on quite a few bush walks. We used to fly through these, hustling our children on to get to the end goal. Over time we've learnt to slow down, point things out to them that they may not have noticed and enjoy the journey over the destination.
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Now, as we have trained this in to them, they are constantly stopping us with "Mum, look at this!" or "Pappa, look at this awesome piece of dirt!" It's amazing what they notice that you do not. That piece of dirt for example is a mix of different colours with different types of rocks embedded into it and possibly some small tracks that you could not have noticed if you just walked on by.
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Obviously our walks take longer or we decide to cut a walk before we reach the end destination. But the joy of their discoveries far outweigh our 'end goal' and we come away feeling as though we have connected as a family and learnt something new about the natural world.
Journal it!
You don't need to go on bush walks to do this. Check out your backyard and the local parks, especially during spring when all the insects start coming out and the birds are nesting. A simple walk down to the playground can be a wonder adventure of discovery.
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It's a great idea to take a nature journal with you whenever you go on a walk. You can fill your nature journals with drawings, descriptions, diagrams, labels, numbers, measurements, patterns and questions about what you have seen. It's a great way to learn to slow down! Your journal becomes your record of what you have observed and a springboard to further learning.
Enjoy it, bypass perfection!
Above all, enjoy yourself! Your children's drawings (& yours!) do not have to be perfect and in fact by going back over them and analysing them we work out how to draw better.
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Encourage them by joining in yourself!
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There will be some children who find not having the drawing perfect a real stumbling block and can be very discouraged. However, can I encourage you to persevere. Focus on the good bits they have drawn and encourage them with this. Give them small tasks to achieve, for example learning to draw a circle free hand rather than a whole spider. Or give them the colouring page so they can just focus on the colouring in section.
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Each child has different skills, abilities and developmental progressions. Study your child and work with them at whatever level they are at. If one child doesn't want to colour the butterfly in or wants to colour it different colours, that's ok! It's also great to foster their creativity. I have had love heart spotted butterflies in the past! Practice is the key.
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The more you draw, the better you will get at it.
