Making Art Possible
How to teach art and love it...even with special needs kids and the youngest artist ever.

Teaching Art at home and loving it

By Holly Blowers BSMA AD

  • OPEN ENDED & CHOICE ART ARE THE ANSWER TO YOUR PRAYER.
    This new way of "teaching" art can be prep free and stress free. Perfect for your schedule and your ability. Breathe easy...you are going to rock this.

  • YOU DON'T HAVE TO TEACH ANYTHING... JUST MAKE SURE THEY ENJOY CREATING. It's even easy on your wallet. You can use your coffee for paint (seriously). You will start looking at everything in your kitchen a bit differently though.. Need a tool to paint with? Open the utensil drawer. Do you think you need something to draw on, paint on or even cut up into a collage? You got that too. I promise. Read more below.

Ok you can keep your coffee... if you find something else to use for paint.

OUR ANYONE ART PROGRAMS CAN BE TAUGHT BY ANYONE AND COMPLETED BY ANYONE.
PLUS THEY ALWAYS PRODUCE ONE OF A KIND ART.
Read more below

WHAT IS OPEN-ENDED OR PROCESS ART?

First you should know that...My views have been inspired by having a wonderfully creative child. Beause as much as I love to craft, I really did not like art class. I think she came out of the womb with a desire to paint draw and make amazing collages. Don Campbell's Mozart for Children, "Relax , daydream and draw" made her creativity surge and her desire to interact with the world around her rose from her soul. Every stroke was an exciting discovery to see how the paint of the day spread. Everything in my lower cupboard became something to smash play dough with. Just to see what imprint they would put into her dough. And then there were the drawers. OMG things that fit into her hands. Dough was the thing to make her if I needed a few minutes to do something, because you don't mess with Hope's play dough until she is done. And she is the one to decide when she was done. Coffee filters and paper towels carried vibrant colors of kool aide or jello from the refrigerator and were set aside to dry. Nope they weren't to clean up or make adult beverages. New snacks became sculptures connected and stacked by chip dip. I mean really who eats food before you create something with it. And cookie trays... throw something like dry oats on the them and they are a blast to use all of her fingers in and mix all all over the tray. Now oats and peanut butter sound like mess in our grown up minds, but not to Hope Marie.

So what is open ended or process art? It is whatever they make from whatever they have. Set three kids down to the same three things...and you will get three very different projects. Set them down to the same three things a week later and you will have six different projects. Their creativity and skill set changes with every experience with those three things. How do you keep them interested??? Allow them to bring something different to the experience. Allows evolving, always different.
 
Is every piece a masterpiece? Not really. We chose to keep some and not others. Even restarting in the middle of projects is allowed. Creating together is so wonderful to experience. You will love it when moments come around that end with the opportunity to connect with your kids in a way you never have before. Will your kids be as excited as Hope was in a kitchen full of art opportunities? Will you see them as gifted in art like she is? It doesn't really matter. She was given a gift that she uses to make everyday into an adventure. Every child brings something unique to the table, everyone has their own skill set, and everyone has their own path to joy. Music organized her brain so she could create and explore her world through art, it set fire to her creative energy. And she lived and breathed for art most of the time as a child. Everything she saw was and artistic adventure waiting to happen. Read more about her story on the home page and find the bean story on our website as well.

I hope you are encouraged to create a unimaginable bond with your children through this method. And please honor Hope and invite a special needs child to join you. They need friends too and your children will learn that they can be just as creative as your children are in a loving situation. They might even be the child that you inspire to find joy in the creative arts. If you can inspire a child

The greatest sign of success for a teacher…is to be able to say, “The children are now working as if I did not exist.” -Maria Montessori

Rachel's website says that Process Art is art that is child-directed, choice-driven, and celebrates the experience of discovery. In process art, the final product is always unique and the focus lies in the creation of the work, not the outcome.

What are the benefits of process art?
There are so many benefits to process art! Process art is developmentally appropriate for young children because meets them where they are as sensory explorers.

Through process art, children…
will think creatively, independently, and imaginatively
will learn about the physical limitations and possibilities of materials.
are encouraged to use creative and critical thinking skills.
will gain confidence to realize their own ideas.
are motivated to ask questions and experiment.
will embrace experimentation and mistakes as part of the learning process.
 
Why adults love process art
As much as process art is age appropriate and engaging for young makers, parents and educators generally find that process art is easier to facilitate than product-focused art lessons.

Here are a few reasons why:
Adults facilitate projects and act as co-learners, so they don’t have to hold all the answers. In fact, not knowing the answers can be a huge benefit because it gives adults room to play and experiment themselves. The more a child feels they are in a discovery process with you, the more you both will feel like art is adventure and a exciting bonding experience.
Process-focused projects don’t require a lot of fancy set up or unique materials that are hard to come by. This saves both time and money.
Because the goal of process art is to explore and discover, rather than achieve perfection, adults are also emotionally free to support whatever the child dreams up as an ideal solution or end result. No fighting, tears, or half-completed projects.
 
How to facilitate a great process art experience
Offer self-serve supplies that the child can easily use independently
Provide interesting art materials and tools
Allow the child to follow his or her interests
Be playful and joyful in the art-making process
Talk to your child about their artwork and make objective comments about your child's artwork
 Ask children open-ended questions – “Tell me about your picture!” Write down what the child says about her work. Read the words back to the child to give her a chance to add more detail. Putting children’s words into writing shows respect for the child’s thinking and help others to understand her work.
 Give children art vocabulary – Talk about lines (straight, curvy, rounded, wavy, etc.) and colors (traffic light red, sky blue, grass green).
 Describe what the art looks like, and then let the child tell you about his work – “You made long lines on your picture.” This is a good way to get a child to talk about his work.
 Ask children about the process – “How did you get the tissue paper to look like that?” or “How did you mix the paint to make that color?” Encourage the child to talk about the process.
 
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” – Pablo Picasso
 
    A Few Super Easy Process Art Ideas
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