Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Nick's Birds



I like Nick’s birds. Nicholas is my 7-year-old. I don’t know if he has any artistic talent, but his birds are great. Their little stick feet fork out from the pudgy body, and the triangular beak leads the way.

If I were a picture of a bird, I’d want to be drawn by Nicholas.

I have read over the years about how artistic expression helps build confidence and helps children learn in general. Their little brains, as we know, are sponges, so I throw everything I can at both of my sons. We started attending Music Together classes from the time Nicholas was only 1 ½. Alex got the benefits in utero and now he is an active participant in all of Miss Kristin’s classes.

I have also been known to pull out the paints, cover up the table, and let them splat and moosh paint around to their heart’s content. And recycling piles aren’t just for recycling anymore. I am always hearing, “Ooh! We can use this for …” as Nicholas pulls something out of the pile before it heads out the door. Both of my sons know Mom doesn’t care about the mess, only the fun. Last week we painted paint, if that makes sense. We took the waxed paper which held all the dabs of paint, folded it in half, then pressed clean paper over the resulting display remaining when we opened the waxed paper. This is now homemade scrapbook paper.

Is all of this going to make my kids smarter? I have no idea, but they’re enjoying their childhood (and so am I!).

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