teaching kids

A few weeks ago, a friend of a friend, asked me if I would come in and teach her grade one class some art? Of course, how much fun is that? Well, it was LOTS of fun.

The teacher had just been given some easels that her father had made and she was thinking that her class could go outside and use them.

Being spring, there are trees everywhere full of beautiful green foliage - still so amazing after the winter barren that we get for so long here in Saskatchewan.

So, what I did was take in a bunch of pictures of paintings of trees - to show the kids that trees doing have to be brown and green - hey, they dont even need to look like trees!!




These are two of my favourite pics - especially this second one by Gustav Klimt. LOVE it. Anyway, I was soooo excited to see the stuff that the kids made.



But what blew my mind is this one by this amazing little guy.



I cant tell you how amazing it is to have presented this artwork to these kids and for them to have seen that trees dont have to be straight or brown with green on top. And perhaps that will brew away in their little brains and they will think that you dont need to follow convention in art - hey, you dont really need to follow it in life.

What feels right to you? What makes you feel good? What do you like?

As for me, I LOVE TREES!