(@ 11 am) Yesterday wasn’t too bad. It was very different from the Studio and the after school program on Tuesday. The kids are more energetic so more effort is needed to keep them focused and completing their tasks. One student was coloring in his grass and asked if he could color it gold. I was surprised because the rest of the children were coloring their grass in bright green. The assistant that was their went on to explain that if the grass is gold that means it’s not getting enough water and that it is dying. I’m not sure if the child really payed attention or understood the concept but he went on to work on his trees instead. There was another child , a girl most likely in her mid teens, who was painting something. Every time someone asked her a question, or even when she just spoke to someone she was always yelling with an attitude. Now no one would do anything to her, just simply ask her questions and she would just attack. It was one of the first things I noticed about her. She constantly spoke out loud, like she was irritated. I didn’t understand what would cause her to be in that constant mood. The rest of the kids were absorbed in their work.
Then at the studio later that day (@ 3:30p) the kids were fine. It was a larger crowd of children working on art but they all well behaved. Some of the children that were there kept to themselves while doing their work while others chatted with their friends. I noticed some kids were able to just do their work with barely any help while others just sat that and waited to be told what to do. They all seemed to enjoy themselves very well.
Today at the studio (@ 3:30p) there was a smaller class because of the snow storm. Most kids were painting, while others were using chalk. There were two kids that were talking while drawing and they kept cracking jokes. It was obvious that they were having a good time. Then there were two older girls that were really absorbed in their work. The younger children were the ones that needed the most guidance and didn’t really seem to go on their own. It’s like they needed approval before they could go on. The children’s different personalities could be seen by their behavior while working on their art. They seemed to really love being at the studio and some even wanted to continue even though time was up. I found making art was a great way to build on their critical thinking skills by helping them envision what it was they needed to complete next.
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