As soon as I round the corner to the pick-up lane in car line today, I see Dash—his hand held tightly by a teacher who is no doubt working very hard to keep her grip. He’s pulling toward me with everything he has, ready to bolt, his face beyond emoji representation of excited to see me—the eyes, the smile, the tongue, the jumping. Picking them up from school is one of my most favorite moments of the day, when simply showing up—literally—is all it takes to make them happy. And it never wears off. I keep rolling up, just like I did the day before, just like I’ll do tomorrow—sometimes disheveled, sometimes distracted, a heap of parenting low moments sandwiching that pick-up—and yet when I pull up, they react like it’s Christmas morning. You came! You’re here! You’re enough! I love you!
I can barely connect his car seat straps today, he’s too excited. He wants his bag; there’s something in it he wants to show me. I hand it to him and watch as he pulls out a piece of construction paper art.
“I make,” he says as he hands it to me, his smile as wide as I’ve ever seen.
It’s a dinosaur cut from green construction paper, its back composed of three perfect handprint scales smooshed into the paper with thick green tempera paint I recognize from my classroom days. It smells like preschool—a heady cocktail of construction paper pulp and paint and glue stick. “Dash-o-saurus” is written at the top.
“Hand” he says as he points to the scales, and “eye” as he touches the one single googly eye glued to the dinosaur’s head. He clutches his art the entire ride home and wants me to find a place for it as soon as we walk through the door. After weeks of holding the best display spot in the house gallery—eye-level, refrigerator door—I move Nella’s latest collage to Art Wall #2, the last stop before it’s sent to the archives drawer, to make room for the new Dash-o-saurus.
I don’t save all their art—I simply can’t in this mission to transform my hoardish junkaholic ways to a more organized life with both home and brain space for more memories. But I try and display as much as I can and save the good stuff—like this dinosaur because it comes with so much pride and the memory above which I’ll write on the back of his art before storing it in the drawer we’ve designated for their best work.
I’ve been reading a lot about creativity lately, the stack of books on my desk proof of my quest: Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic (buy it, read it, live it, you’re welcome), The War of Art and Creativity Inc. , all highlighted throughout and forming the Creative Life Trifecta. Not only have I gained more respect and value for my own need to make things, but for my kids’ creative life as well. Those macaroni noodle collages? The glue pools? The tempera paint hand prints and watercolor coffee filters? They’re all part of Creativity 101, the first course in the most important study of our kids’ lives. They are the first wobbly steps in what will hopefully turn out to be a lifelong stride of transforming little ideas, little stories, little sparks of talent into something bigger–a dance, a painting, an essay, a screenplay, a sculpture, a song, a poem, a pinecone ornament smothered in glitter. Their happiness depends on it.
“Through the mere act of creating something—anything—” Elizabeth Gilbert writes, “you might inadvertently produce work that is magnificent, eternal, or important.” We don’t grow into this practice after a certain age–we’re born into it which means it’s just as true for my two-year-old as it is for me.
I felt the importance and magnificence of the creative work from little hands earlier this year when, after a week of bare bulletin boards during the first days of school, they were finally filled with students’ first projects–colored pictures, painted collages, cotton balls and sequins sloppily glued on construction paper, and chicken-scratched names in big capital letters–Ella, Charlie, Lily, Lauren–proudly claiming “I made this.” The preschool hallway became a welcoming tunnel of happiness for me every morning. After we hustled out the door, remembering lunches and backpacks, making sure we made it on time, signing in, saying goodbye, there was something about that hallway, about their little works of art that felt magnificent and powerful, so much that I stopped by the preschool director’s office one morning.
“Can I tell you how happy this hallway makes me?” I told her. “These bulletin boards–I know the teachers worked hard to display this stuff. I just wanted to let you know that it matters. I love seeing the art the kids make, and I start my morning on a good note every day walking through this hallway. It’s so colorful and happy, and it’s important to a lot of people.”
As a teacher, I know how important reading goals are. I know that math benchmarks and comprehension strategies and scientific methods are necessary parts of our children’s education. But as a human, a mother, a woman, a writer–okay and sometimes a kitchen interpretive dance choreographer–good Lord, do I hope they’re never the heaviest focus that the greatest study of all is pushed aside–freely transforming ideas, making what we’re born to make, unearthing and expressing the hidden treasures that are buried inside us.
Give them math manipulatives and reading strategies. But please don’t forget the paintbrushes, the googly eyes, the blank journal pages, the platform to bring their own unique treasures to their work and the world.
In the meantime, we honor and celebrate the practice and products of creating at home, our kitchen the current laboratory for this great study–my camera on the counter, a heap of colored pencils on the island, a coloring book, a journal, a stack of scrap paper, a crayon scribble on the wall, and my current favorite–a green dinosaur with one googly eye and three handprint scales taped to the front of the refrigerator.
So much yes! I just finished up the Magic Lessons podcast (more like devoured it over the course of two days) and recommend it as a supplement to the book. My boys spent those same two days with their hands covered in clay as they built mini figurines for a board game they play. They are getting big, my boys, 8 and 11, and are nearing the age when kids start to believe lies like, “Some people are artistic but most aren’t” or “I’m not good at art” and I’m declaring my home a No Creative Lie Zone. I realize that we all have different innate abilities but I also believe we are all meant to contribute to creation. Humans create, and like Gilbert says, unused creativity is not benign. I think we see it everywhere in our highly consumptive culture, this unused creativity. Thank you for your words and encouragement to parents to keep on fostering our little makers. ????????
Dash-a-saurus is adorable. I loved every word of this post. : )
Aww, I love the Dash-o-saurus!
I think it’s important for parents to be creative and try to make things, when they can. I learned a lot about trying things (and fixing creative attempts gone “wrong” haha) by watching my mom make stuff. I bet your kids get some of their creative spirit from seeing all the creative stuff that you do!
Aww…you’re making me a little jelly that you get to drive to the school to pick your kiddos up every.single.day and see their happy faces. Meanwhile I’m all over here throwing around words like ‘full time job’ and ’45 minute school bus ride’. ;D
Hi Kelle, a completely unrelated comment, but seeing Dash’s name in print there on his artwork reminded me of a cute little book. Have you read Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn? It’s a YA book that’s really sweet. A very quick read if you have a moment.
i think that it is great that you stopped in to let the director know how much you love the art. Make sure you tell the teachers too! It really is a lot of work to get that stuff organized and up. As a first grade teacher I can assure you that hearing it is appreciated is an inspiration to keep doing it!
As a teacher of 5 year olds , I am fortunate to be part of an environment that truly values kids for their individuality, spontaneity and creTive problem solving. Each and every day brings amazement and joy to me as a teacher with 35 + years experience! The world changes constantly but the needs of the kids don’t ! Let’s not over think it all, rather LISTEN to them and be learners with them
As we explore and be inspired by them!
If you want more on creativity for children try Magic Places by Pennie Brownlee (publisher Ako Books in New Zealand). Amazing stuff!
What about the people like me who truly detest making art? I love art, I appreciate it, I spend money on beautiful things because it makes me happy, but when it comes time to making crafts or anything creative (MOPS groups, girls night out at art studio, etc.) it just stresses me out. Even in kindergarten, I asked my teacher if I could skip art time, because “I’m never going to be an artist one day, so what’s the point?” Was I just a freak of a kid?
Not at all a freak of a kid! I think art gets mistaken as “crafts” and “painting” a lot when really it’s more than that. Gilbert defined creative living as paying attention to your curiosity. What is it that you love to make? Art can be making words, making forts,making a home cozier, making plans to take an interesting class, making meals…etc. In schools, I’d love to see this creativity more in writing–what do you WANT to write about, not “here’s a passage we chose for you. Write an essay in response to it.” :o)
Dash-o-saurus is just so adorable! Yay for a new creative little being! I am reading Big magic right now and LOVING it! In just a week, inspired by the book, I sent my broken sewing machine to be repaired, I bought a new-used desk to have a nice space for creating, and started writing again. I read somewhere that, you know when we say we are too tired at night to work on what we’re passionate about, well we’re not too tired, we’re uninspired! Just find the spark, what inspires you, and the energy will show up! How true! And inspiring! :p
Hey Kelle, somebody else might have suggested this already but your comments about what to do with kiddo art reminded me of this: https://instagram.com/p/64u_cJkue2/ best idea ever, in my book! 🙂
You’re the kind of mom I want to be someday. You encourage all the magic and whimsey of childhood, and are always there for them. Your blog is beautiful and has made me tear up on several occasions. Laniey’s first day of kindergarten, Nella’s birth story, your North Pole parties, Nella being a big sister, Dash being a crazy little boy – your family is gorgeous.
I am going to school to be an elementary school teacher. And, as you stated, I am well aware of the fact of reaching standards and learning objectives and all that goo. However, may I just say I appreciate this post SO much. A child’s creativity is so incredibly important. That is truly how they learn best and grow the most – being able to express their thoughts and ideas and imaginations. Showing their personality. Learning about so many different aspects through simply being creative and letting their juices flow. I hope to allow my future students, and my future children, that opportunity every chance I get. Thank you for such a great post.