Making Art with Pre-teens

Making art with children offers unexpected challenges for the uninitiated.  No project can hold their attention for long, even one that involves designing playdough animals and later painting them with cool colors.  A handful of members of the Creative Arts Club nevertheless had a lot of fun with this two-stage project.  The opportunity arose because we were invited to participate for a couple of one-hour sessions in a summer day camp – one held at a facility that normally doesn’t cater to kids, Friendship Village on the eastern edge of Tempe.  The kids are children and grandchildren of staff and residents.  We had a lot of help from slightly older children, who stayed with the kids all week as counselors.

Our project, designed by Creative Arts Club member Laurel Hardin, was to shape three bits of wildlife the first session, and, after a few days of drying, to paint them in vibrant colors during the second session.  The kids designed a friendly mouse (complete with tail), a bird, and a ladybug on the first art day, and then signed their artwork in preparation for the return visit to paint them.  Peppercorns made good eyes, and even decorated the backs of some ladybugs.  One child added whiskers to her mouse and little feet.

The playdough session was a little messy, but not compared to the painting session, where fingers got as much paint as some of the animals.  Fortunately, Laurel had prepared wet towels for that eventuality.  By the time everyone got more or less wiped off, it was time for a drumming session.  We had no idea what came after that. It’s hard to imagine how much energy young kids have unless you spend time around them.

Nancy Sherman, our host for this event, planned to have the kids share their experience and show off their work with residents of the memory care unit at Friendship Village.  The kids may have a surprise in store because the residents there did the same project a few weeks earlier.  It could be a mouse-to-mouse mash up for all!