Immy's drawing of her Tasmanian Devil toy
An adult asked to draw a leaf would generally choose green. Or maybe orange. But what about red, yellow or brown leaves? And what shade of green is ‘right’? The grey-green so prominent in Australian bush settings? Or a lime green of my mulberry tree? Or the deep, dark green of the leaves of my orange tree. All of these colours (and many, many more) would be ‘correct.’
We talk often with young children about colour but regularly these interactions are limited to “What colour is this?” or “What colour is the sky?” I think the response is much more interesting if you ask;
Me: What do you think of when you see this colour? (showing Immy a yellow paint chip)
Immy: Butter. And lemons. And juice. No, not juice – juice is more orange.
Another way to ask would be “What does this colour remind you of?”
Or you could ask;
Which colours are happy colours? Or sad colours? Or mad colours?
Which colours say danger? Or peace?
Which colours are loud colours? Or quiet?
(For more about asking questions which encourage creative thought, visit this post).
When working creatively with children, add interest to their artworks by sometimes;
- Using just warm or cool colours
- Mixing soft, pale pastels (which look great on brown paper)
- Working with white on black, or black on white
- Using metallic crayons, pastels or paints
- Using shades of grey
Are you creative with colour when preparing art experiences for your child?
There are just four more sleeps until my first e0book, Art Not Craft – The Process of Learning Creatively, arrives! Inside you will find;
- How important creativity is to a child’s learning potential
- Practical ideas for making art happen in your home or classroom
- Tips for engaging reluctant artists
- Suggestions for creating and managing an art space
- And much, much more!
Launching Monday, 28th March 2011!
Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.
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