The Way They See It

I am always amazed at the art and drawings that come from children. You can learn a lot about a child by taking a closer look at their creative process. This is why, no matter how late I get home, no matter how tired I am, no matter how much I just want to flop on the couch with a cocktail, I always go through the backpacks to see what happened at school.

It cracks me up at how perceptive and visual four and five year old kids truly can be- no one can teach a child to see the details, they just do it. For example, this week when Natalie was the star student, her classmates listened to her answers to some simple questions, then they drew a picture to reflect what they learned about Natalie.

Here is the questionnaire that Natalie answered.See, I would never have known that baked potatoes were her favorite. I would have guessed about 100 other foods before I would have pegged her for the baked potato. It is a good thing I went through the backpack, and paid attention, right?

Take a peek at how her fellow kindergarten class translated what they heard into a crayon drawing. Not only did they feature a bike, but they almost all gave Natalie wild, brown hair


and some sort of pink/green outfit. It is a fact that this girl is typically dressed in a combo of pink and green, yet on the day they colored these pages, she was actually wearing red. They know her as pink and green, so they drew her according to how she looks to them. The way they see it....Interesting!

Equally as amusing, but somewhat more puzzling, was the lump of shit next to Natalie or her bike. If I had not read the questions and answers, and if I relied solely on the drawings for the facts, I would have wondered, why each classmate drew a big old pile of crap next to Natalie or her bike? Oh, yes, that delicious baked potato. Good thing I read and retained the details, or not. Even I learned something new. Ahhhhhh, baked potato, gotcha. I guess they way I saw it was different.

Charlotte brought home a couple of cards she made. She is really into making greeting cards by folding a paper in half, and coloring both the outside and an inside message. Is it any wonder her mother worked for a division of Hallmark for five years? Coincidence? Perhaps.

Here are two of the Charlotte cards I found in her tote bag.Both cards depict Pennylane in grass, both showcase Penny's obvious spots and both are made with a letter stamper.She sounded it out. Charlotte wrote Pennyla as the title, which is impressive for a four year old. I love all the details with a sunny sky, wagging tail, and of course, showing the ants and worms in the soil. This card maker has a lot to say. It was made from the heart, the way Charlotte sees it.

All of this proves my point about these kids. If you take the time and pay attention to every aspect of their world, they show you the way they see it. With that mantra, it is time for me to introduce more color into my wardrobe. Kids tell the truth in their artwork. I asked Eli to draw a picture of me. He agreed, smiled and then said, "Now where is my black crayon?"