On ART

I've been extra conscientious lately of making sure what I am calling "art" is actually ART and not a craft.  Nothing wrong with crafts, but I want to be sure I am giving my girl plenty of time to experience ART.  One of the best parts of art is that it's pretty easy to prepare.  Today I cut these pieces off some paper I was trimming down.  I put them on an art tray (fancy term for "rusted cookie sheet") along with some tape (the girl's favorite medium as of late) and scissors and gave her some time for open-ended creation.

Here's her result.  You can't really tell from this picture, but there is a WHOLE LOT of tape involved in this masterpiece.  Through the open-endedness of this art she got to learn about the properties of paper and tape.  You can see her using some geometric concepts in her art--art is a great way for fostering mathmatical development as well. 

I encourage you to make sure you provide some simple, open-ended art time for your kiddos.  It's a great skill we give them when they are able to take some tape and paper and just MAKE something with no direction, no pattern, nothing to copy or replicate.  This fosters independence, self esteem and creative thinking skills.