The time finally came to teach the 5th and 6th graders a bit about watercolor painting. Keep in mind that these students are 11 and 12 years old as you look at their work. I'd been looking forward to this part all school year, but needed to wait till we had developed other skills first. Like following instructions, for one...
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| The accidental runs down the page thrilled the whole class when they happened. Don't they look great? |
The enthusiasm this project was met with surprised me- the kids were thrilled with the paints and how they reacted to water. Nobody had taught most of them to use a simple kid watercolor set before. Only two or three had some at home, or had ever had any. Their delight was contagious.
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| Hung and ready for a class critique |
The reactions of the kids made me stop and think about how I see my favorite medium. Do I take it for granted? When the magic of watercolor happens and something cool is the result, do I still react with joy like I did at first? I can't forget to live with gratitude. If I do, I'll forget how amazing this whole world is and just feel "ho hum" when the wonderful little things happen, the things that would make a child feel surprise and joy. Getting to see art through the eyes of my students is a regular reminder of how lucky I am to have art to love and practice, and I am grateful for it.
Thanks for stopping by! Alice
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