I am finally caught up with grading, have all the courses fixed from the "bug", and grades ready to submit (pending assignments due this week....) Now on the to do list is to finish up 2 big family presents, take Christmas photos, finish and mail cards (and packages....) AND then PAINT THE HALLWAY!!!!! Agh.This week Lil'Bug and I went out and purchased pet food for the next month and stopped at the local art supply store and bought 12 bottles of tempera paint. I started to notice that all her paintings were green, yellow, and purple and upon investigation found that they were her only paint bottles that had anything left in them (and barely). So I more than replenished her supply. We even bought metallic gold, silver glitter, and evergreen glitter. I contemplated sticking it all under the tree with a Santa tag BUT decided no, these are things she uses everyday and needs in the course of her daily life. Yes, needs. She paints everyday. Soon we will upgrade to Acrylics, but I am waiting until she finishes the sucks on her hands and also paints her clothes/body/my floor phase. :)
I read on a blog once (I can't remember whose!) of a family, who lives much the way we do, that did not buy things like bikes and games and art supplies for Christmas and birthdays but saw them as educational expenses and necessities. That's how I feel about it- if it is something she needs to live her life more fully to her own direction then it is my responsibility to provide it for her.
She enjoys painting and the texture of paint, she relishes in each painting. The one I have pictured is her giraffe she painted for friend. She's gone from spider looking people to actual body shapes this month, she is also mixing colors thoughtfully and asked to buy a new plastic palate that would better serve how she paints (they are 99 cents) and new bigger brushes (hers are basically like the watercolor brushes that come with Crayola sets). The request just blew me away. I knew right then, standing in the supply isle at the art store that I had missed something critical at home and had a chance to fufill it right then. I let her pick them both out.
So those are my thoughts for the day. What are yours?
I actually thought her painting was a art piece or a sculpture until I read your post! My mom says unschooling could never work, so I can't wait to have kids and prove her wrong, haha. Happy Painting! - Jeni
ReplyDeletebeautiful painting.
ReplyDeleteHmm. My thoughts for the day? Much the same as yours really. Trying to eek out some time to get holiday errands run.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with the philosophy that anything they need such be supplied as a need and not a gift. We chose this path and should support them every step of the way.
Her painting is really beautiful, by the way.
I'm not certain, but it might have been me who you're thinking of. I said something like that in my "I Saw Something Nasty In the Woodshed" post. Though I didn't mention we don't buy those as gifts, just that I figure that children should not have to buy their own bicycles and school supplies! :)
ReplyDeleteI love the painting. It looks like a dancer to me. I think it's beautiful.
Steph S
(I suppose since there's more than one Stephanie I need to put a pic of something with my name so I don't have to keep saying "Steph S". In Salt Lake City. The one with olm and h/f. Trev and Maddy's mama. :) )