"Countdown to Christmas" Activities. Day 1.

As I've been told multiple times by multiple people, it is normal for the little boys not to be interested in art, creative activities, painting, gluing. I still encourage Santino to do something creative every day. Even if it is just a few strokes on the blackboard. Something!

Making wreaths or any other kind of Christmas crafts is a challenge here. Well, not the "making" per se, but the interest in such activity. Santino only wants to play with dinosaurs (anything related to dinosaurs) and silly wreaths had nothing to do with them. Now they do!

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All Channels Need To Be An Option.

In this world of high speed and high expectations it is ever more important that all channels of sharing ones voice be an option. Each person inner voice is expressed in different ways. If I had a desire to express through words but never learned to write I would feel the same way as if I had a need to creatively share my feelings through artwork but never learned how to use the tools to creatively express. I often hear people say "I wish I had learned to paint/draw" as if it is a missing piece of themselves, a piece that had it been accomplished might have served as an avenue of expression and success. All avenues of expression need to be an option. We know creativity inspires a person In other areas of their lives.

We know creating something that we are connected with and we feel Is beautiful, is up-lifting. We know completing anything give us a feeling of success. If you are a parent who wishes you had explored this creative channel, now is the time to explore it with your child. It is never too late. It will be a wonderful way to connect with your child as you share your excitement over new accomplishments in expression. Together you can explore the joyful splattering of paint, the emotion of colour, the delicate or intense use of line and eventually say what your heart needs to say. Allowing this freedom in yourself will open up this channel much sooner in your child, and he/she will not only enjoy this most beautiful of expressive paths, but will hold dear the fact that you sparked the beginnings of it. Enjoy the journey!!

By Janine Georgiou-Zeck

Artist Educator 

www.jzartstudio.com 

Art classes age 4 and up

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Exploring Creative Tools

Little ones want to examine everything within their reach. This time of discovery leads the to the tools for expressing their creativity. Placing some paper or whiteboard on their level and some drawing/painting tools ready for use will allow your child to discover his/her ability to leave a mark. The first time my son scratched a pencil on paper he giggled with joy. It was a powerful experience for him to see that he could make something happen from what he was doing. 

I say their level for  little ones because you can sit comfortably with them while they move with their work and explore. Big chairs and tables can hinder the free flowing experience. Any option that brings the tools to their level will work. Little ones (I mean two and under ) seem to like putting their whole body into it.  As children develop an understanding of the use of cause and effect tools and refine their motor skills they will tell us stories using these tools. They can show us their joy and imagination. They can draw from their hearts and mind things they might not yet be able to fully express in words.

The prompting of this gift and supporting your child in the creative process is in my mind as valuable as teaching them to read and write. They are opening a channel of expression that allows them to share more of their heart with others.   Describing their artwork to you opens up a new world of discussion. Listening to their sweet little descriptions of their artworks is very uplifting Enjoy!

By Janine Georgiou-Zeck

Artist Educator 

www.jzartstudio.com 

Art classes age 4 and up

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"Spring Into Creativity" Article 4 by Janine Georgiou-Zeck

There might be a few snow days yet but we are in the spring finally and the earth where we stand is starting to breath the fresh breath of life. This is a wonderful time of inspiration. New eyes to the earth will be fascinated by all that moves and grows as the garden and the parks start to come into blossom.  Having  “Jasper” who just turned one on the first day of spring, I am so excited about what his little eyes will see on our walks. He stares and absorbs the newness, not just of spring but of this new world he has become a part of.  Our children can give us new eyes to see the beauty around us. 

On good weather days, this is the perfect time to go out and draw natures beginnings. Just a sketch pad and pencils will suffice for the trip. This is a good time to go  for a walk to the park and sketch what is left from last fall, that the melting snow reveals. These will be the before sketches. If the trip is made every Two  weeks, especially in the spring the children can identify developments. 

  They will observe and document what they discover. By the time summer is here they might have the transition of a few different plants or trees documented in sketches. You could have one small pad for each plant they want to investigate.  They could make notes or you could help them make notes at the bottom of the page describing what they see and predicting the next stage of development.

   

 At the age of one Jasper will probably get as much out of me walking along and describing what I see, while encouraging him to touch nature, as those who can begin to sketch it. Enjoy the beautiful gifts this time of year can offer you!

  

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Creative Hands Creative Hearts!

Article 2

 

As parents we think of so many things we would like our children to accomplish and dream of them doing great things. When my teens were little and I would drop them off at school I would say “Do Great Things”.

They knew that I felt that the little, kind and thoughtful things they did each day were “Great Things” to me. We are the teachers of great things. We know  when we are presented with a teachable moment. We have the gift of a wonderful connection with our own children. They hang on our words and actions. They hold moments close to their hearts and pull them out of a hat when they need them. When they are toddlers they are retaining memories that are tactile and more of the visual. It’s a time to feed the visual memory by supporting it with tactile connections.  It’s a time to share with them how their little hands can be creative and hearts thoughtful at the same time..

Valentines is a time to show your little ones visual ways of expressing what is in their hearts.

The heart itself is a great first shape to teach. Using their own hands they can form a rough shape of a heart. They can stamp their hand in finger paint or have you paint the bottom of their hands with a washable paint. You might want to have a bowl of soapy water and a towel ready. Once the heart is stamped as many times and in as many colours as they like, they can fill in the shape.

 

You could offer them some decorative sticky foam or other embellishments that are easy to apply to decorate the artwork or card. You can cut shapes out that they can stick on. Ask them what they would like to say in words on their gift, and who they would like to give it to. You can use dots for letters they can trace over or write the words for them.  This will help them to reinforce connections with others through a creative channel, while learning about a special shape and their abilities.

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

Janine G-Z . 
Janine’s school of Fine Arts. 
Newmarket, On 
905-952-0806 
 www.jzartstudio.com 

    

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Guest post: Our Little Creative Thinkers

By Janine Georgiou-Z 
Article 1

In the 21^st Century our children need to be creative and critical thinkers. We are continuously moving forward into times of new challenges. Creative thinkers will pave the way as problem solvers and engineers of the future. 

When your child says “ I love to draw” what they are saying is that that they love to use the creative side of their mind. This is an expression of one of their many gifts and talents. This gift if nurtured will enrich their lives in many ways. One way will be to infuse all areas of their education.  Creative thought processes  will help them explore other subjects with curiosity and search for creative solutions to problems that arise. Joy in one area inspires contentment and enriches abilities in another. 

The very beginning of this creative process is the wonderful stories children are told that inspire their imagination and the mucky stuff we let them touch and explore, like paint and textured creative materials. These are a feast for the hungry mind of child. As you know if you feed them well they will flourish as will the creative spirit that dances with the arts. All one needs to get stared is their little ones and a few simple materials. 

   

When my teens were toddlers I threw a huge sheet of paper on the kitchen floor, and had 6 colours of paint at hand, as well as a bucket of soapy water and some towels. We had a blast. The paper became a beautiful mural of hands and feet and I think a nose or two.lol. I know it’s not an everyday event especially with a busy household, but trust me it is one of those events that are never forgotten, for the pure creative fun of it. Take photos and stick the poster on the ceiling so they can look up at it while lying on the floor. Even if it’s just for little while. Of course you want to wait until it dries. 

These moments will inspire future creative moments in both you and your children. Get messy and have fun!


Janine G-Z . 
Janine’s school of Fine Arts. 
Newmarket, On 
905-952-0806 
 www.jzartstudio.com 

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Making Christmas gifts with a toddler

We had a Christmas eve dinner at our house last night. Family members came to celebrate the occasion together. There was lots and lots food, Santino got cool trucks as gifts, and I managed to fill the house with the smoke from the fireplace. Yay, fun times!

Santino also had a few gifts prepared to give to his grandparents and aunts and uncle. Mommy (me) found these awesome ideas Puffy snowflakes and Salt Dough Ornaments online and decided to make some cool Christmas cards and gifts for the family. I mixed up the dough and made the cards and the ornaments, and Santino decorated them with glitter glue.

Puffy art Christmas cards

1/2 cup of all purpose flower, 1/3 cup of salt, 1 tsp of baking powder, water to make pancake type of consistency dough. Mixed it well and put in the plastic mixing bottle (we normally use it to shake oil and vinegar for salad dressing). I gave Santino a chance to try and draw whatever he wished with this dough, but all he did was make a large puddle, squishing everything in the same spot. That's fine. I made a few simple designs on colorful construction paper, then put the cards in the microwave oven for 30 second.

The designs dried out and were ready for more decoration. I gave Santino glitter glue, and he smudged different colors on top of the white lines. Now the cards became raised and glittery.

Salt dough ornaments.

I then mixed up some more salt dough, but more stiff: 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup flower and 1/2 cup water. Rolled out the dough and cut out ornaments with some cookie cutters: Christmas trees, snowmen, angel. I then put these ornaments in the 250 F oven and left them there for an hour. They came out pretty stiff. I also made little holes for ribbons.

Santino painted the ornaments with different colors, decorated them with glitter glue. I put silver ribbons through the holes and attached these ornaments to the cards with wire ties.

Pasta necklaces

I also colored some pasta and Santino made these necklaces for both of his grandmothers, and two aunts. I was left out, as Santino ran out of steam and wasn't interested in making the 5th necklace. I got this idea from his school. Last month kids at the Armitage village nursery school made these necklaces, and the teachers were impressed with Santino's fine motor skills, who is the youngest in his group, as he was able to make a necklace all by himself.

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Simple art project for a 2 year old. A present for nonna

Santino loves painting, holding a paint brush and mixing the colors. Well, for now he mixes all the colors together, until they turn brown, and then he paints careful stripes here and there, swooshes, calling them dinosaurs and fire trucks.

I wanted to channel his love for painting and help him make a present for nonna Lucy for her birthday.

I got a painters tape, using it to mask the picture. I taped a few strips in the middle of a water color paper sheet. I then drew a flower over the tape with a pencil. Then, using a sharp x-acto knife, i cut off the tape, leaving only the shape. It is possible to do, just need to be careful and don't rush.

Then I mixed up some water colors for Santino. To avoid him mixing up all colors into one brown, I gave him colors one by one, blue, then yellow, then red. The colors mixed beautifully on the paper.

Then I let the picture dry, and carefully removed the tape. It stuck a bit too much to the paper, but I removed it slowly. Next time I would have to use a real masking tape. After the tape was removed, the white flower shape was revealed. Looked very warm and tender.

I signed it "2012, From Santino, To Nonna Lucy" and put it inside a simple frame. Nonna liked her present.

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