ART FROM THE HEART

Our kids love to color, cut and paint, etc. They love anything to do with crafts. They all have since they were wee little lads. I am a firm believer in letting children experience pens, crayons, scissors, glue, tape, rulers, stickers, paper and markers from the time they can hold onto them. Why not, right?! So they might eat a tad bit of play-dough a few times before they realize it doesn't fall into a food group, or color on themselves and their face before they realize it always leaves a mark. Maybe they don't know how to use scissors properly, but they are learning how to hold onto them and tear paper apart. Art teaches children hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and creativity. Don't worry I keep a tight watch on them, especially when they are young! Each of them have been playing with such things since before they turned one. I am always saddened by the pre-Kindergarten form that comes home and inquires whether or not your child has access or knows how to use simple items such as these. I would buy every single child a set of craft tools if I could. This makes me realize just how much we really take even the smallest gifts in life for granted.

As much as our kids love art and crafts, it is suffice to say that we love admiring their work. It cracks us up on Friday afternoons when we let them know there is no homework that day.....and they still come home, sit at the kitchen table and scribble, color and make art projects....independently fostered!! I could not help but share some of their work as of late. As you will see, these guys (and gal!) are a really tight-knit group! Translations- IlU is how Smoke Bomb writes I love you. These are notes they make to each other randomly. The last drawing is Fire Cracker's person picture- MacGyver thought Smoke Bomb had drawn it!