The Mama Chronicles: Weblogs

Playmobil Fun, originally uploaded by graggirl.

I don't usually post blogrolls. Because first I read 78 different blogs through my feeds. I would say for 70% I just look at pics, these are mostly craft blogs. Then there are my friends blogs. But, for the unschooling, winter days I have really started to enjoy kiddo craft blogs. Ones that give instructions and links to projects. We signed up for the journal project on Camp Creek Press. I have linked to Lori before but, thought you might be interested in following along with her by doing your own journal. I also am finally going to put up a blogroll in the sidebar because I think it is good to have resources as a mom to help your kids be crafty. The second reason I don't really share blogs is that I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. So please do not be offended if I did not include you in my short list. If you know of other blogs geared toward art and kiddos send me the links in the comments. I would love to have more sources to draw from.

(I wanted to save some of you my angst. So here is an angst free post. Believe me I am getting tired of the tears, too!)

Lacy is really into art. I struggle at times with seeing other moms guide their children's drawing. A lot of the preschoolers we know have been taught how to draw. I don't know if this is good or bad. I though couldn't bring myself to do this. To sit next to her and tell her "Look, this is how we draw a person, a circle and lines." I felt like she must see something beautiful in those scribbles. When we go over and see the other 3 and four year olds self portraits I worry, maybe I am doing the wrong thing. I ask a lot. What is the PURPOSE of child art? How do I let Lacy develop her own artist? But at her birthday she was still just scribbling. One time she drew all lines that looked like and elephant and I said what is that and was surprised when she said "An elephant, see its trunk, its legs, its body, silly mama." That was at 2 and half. I hid that painting wanting to keep it. But not to pressure her to always feel like she has draw realistically. I ask her a lot about her scribbles. She tells me elaborate stories with plots about what is going on in the spirals and sharp angles. But, in reality only her and I can see anything. So I have been asking myself. Is the preschool way right. Should I be telling her how to draw. What if all she ever does is scribbles? The other worry I had was that in telling her how to draw I would push her to stop drawing. I stand back and watch her and see her drawing something really intricate and then covering with scribbles, not often but sometimes. It is as if she has an idea of what she wants to draw and when it doesn't turn out she covers it in scribbles. I didn't want to cause frustration.

At age four and a day though a transition was made I began to see pictures of circles and lines with mouths and eyes. She told me this was her. That was me. Here is Daddy. So somehow she has made it there on her own. But, I am still no clearer about how to guide her art. We have had multiple conversations lately about how she is going to be homeschooled. It has been hard to feel different when everyone else has started going away to school. I have asked her what she wants to learn and she says art. She wants to paint and draw. So that is mostly what we do. I have looked at some books on Amazon and think I am going to get one soon that has age appropriate activities. One especially I am interested and at the same time don't want is called Young at Art, the reviews on the projects are excellent. But a lot of people say that the author makes a point to make you feel like you have been doing a bad job and her way is the only way. I don't need anymore mama guilt. Others are preschool art, and I really think this book would be good: Teaching art to young children. In the meantime I have found these blogs, in the past week, that have been really good.

The first is Camp Creek Blog that has a lot of ideas. The current lesson up on the blog is observational drawing. Which I think I may do with Lacy. Let her pick out stuff to draw. Set it up and let her go, even if she scribbles.

The second is the Artful parent. This blog has a lot of resources in old posts and the author talks about some of the art things that have been on my mind.

I am trying to stick with our whole unschooling philosophy and just let her go. I have so much trouble trusting though. Trusting she will learn all her letters, that she will progress through her drawing. That she will learn if I don't force it down her throat. But, isn't motherhood all about trust.

Happy Art adventures, if that is where your child is leading!

In my own art life...I have been doing alright with my desire to take a picture a day. I am probably hitting this 75% of the time since New Year Resolution Posting. I haven't read up on photography yet. But, I did come across another neat idea. It is a group of people who are doing self portraits of themselves and their kids. It is on Flickr and called 52 weeks my kid(s) and me. I am not a member but have seen pictures on other blogs and thought it would be a neat addition to my chronicle of everyday life. So I am sporadically going to that. Every week seems like a lot for us. But, every moth would be fun. Here is our first one:
(It could use much work)