View, Do and Read

Encourage your child's creativity
By Kate Cleveland

Young children are naturally creative. From his very first scribbles, a child uses art as a way to express himself.

Adults can encourage creativity and imagination by giving children lots of art materials, opportunities to experiment and plenty of encouragement. Allow your child to explore color, texture, shape and space using various materials and techniques.

Remember that it is the process, not the product, that's most important. By encouraging your child to express thoughts and feelings through art, you will support cognitive, emotional and physical development and gain insight into your child's amazing mind.

View
Check out the delightful "Hero Guy" segments on Sesame Street. Hero Guy is Baby Bear's imaginary friend who comes to life in his drawings. Weekdays at 6:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on WHYY TV12.

Watch Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood beginning May 13 for an entire week of art-related programming. Highlights include a look at Pablo Picasso's work and a visit with Eric Hill, illustrator of the popular Spot books. Weekdays at 1 p.m.

Do
Baker's Clay Sculptures Help your child create a beautiful piece of artwork using baker's clay.

What You'll Need:

1 batch of baker's clay (see recipe)
Washable tempera paint
(optional)
Paintbrushes (optional)

Baker's Clay Recipe:

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water

Instructions: Mix ingredients until they are well blended and the dough is pliable. Encourage children to mold the clay into whatever shape they desire. Once the children have finished, bake the clay at 300o for 30 minutes to one hour. The finished product should be a light, golden brown. Baker's clay sculptures can then be painted or left as they are.

Tissue Paper Collages Children can experiment with color and texture by creating beautiful collages using this glue-and-water technique.

What You'll Need:

School glue
Water
Medium-size paintbrushes
Plain paper
Colored tissue paper cut into a variety of shapes and sizes

Instructions: In a shallow container, mix the glue and water to form a light, easy-to-spread solution. Help your child select a piece of tissue paper and place it on the plain paper. Using a paintbrush, gently spread a light coating of the glue-and-water solution over the tissue paper so that it adheres. Have the child choose another piece of tissue paper and affix it to the paper. Encourage her to experiment with different color combinations and layering techniques.

Read

Harold and The Purple Crayon written and illustrated by Crockett Johnson First published in 1955, this book is considered one of the classic works of children's literature. Today's young readers will delight as they join Harold on his remarkable journey through the amazing world he creates using a simple purple crayon. Creativity and joy are the hallmarks of this gentle, magical story of a young boy and his boundless imagination. Recommended for toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children.

Mouse Paint written and illustrated by Ellen Stoll Walsh Three white mice gleefully experiment with paint and outwit a scheming cat in this introduction to primary colors. Paints swirl together as the mice splash about and discover how new colors are formed. They cleverly use their new-found knowledge to solve an important problem. Recommended for toddlers and preschoolers.

David's Drawings by Cathryn Falwell Inspired by a tree he observes as he travels to school, David creates his own landscape using a pencil. A classmate suggests adding color, and one by one, the children each add their own contributions using imagination and a variety of artistic techniques. Recommended for preschoolers and school-age children.