For our week three project we focused on the sense of seeing. The children were given cardboard frames with transparent acetate to draw on, using the frame to find something they wanted to capture and then tracing it onto the acetate.

A great experience at GL Armstrong during this week was when I had the chance to help a child combine his own interests with the activity. He loved birds and was working on a separate project for the camp of making a habitat for a cardinal (his favourite bird), so when the frame was given to him he immediately drew a bird from memory. I encouraged him to instead capture a real bird within his frame and draw what he was seeing directly. Since birds are a moving subject and are startled easily, we had to do this very carefully. We followed a bird and he was very respectful in keeping a good distance from the bird to avoid scaring them. As we followed the moving bird he identified other birds around us, including a starling and a common grackle. When he was close enough he was able to trace the bird and capture what he saw in the frame. He was very excited about his final drawing!

It is always extra special when a child’s passions show through in their artwork and as educators I believe it’s very important to encourage children to engage with art activities in a way that is personal to them. This made the piece a reminder of a memorable experience and a reflection of what he loved at the time. It is also important to teach children to respect nature, and that not everything they love can be/needs to be removed from the environment to be enjoyed; even though he “captured” the bird in his frame, he did not disturb or bother them and instead just enjoyed being in their presence.