Guest post by Meredith Resnick (M.Ed. & M.A.) of labelsnotlimits.com
Many parents are wary of creative projects if they don’t consider themselves particularly artistic or crafty. I understand this, as I am a former-fearful-crafty-mom myself!
In the past, when asked about my creative and artsy side, my answer was always, “none, next question.” When pressed, I might admit that my creativity was best found in words, in my writing. If a proposed creative project were not related to literacy, I would usually run quickly in the opposite direction… to find a book!
But recently, I have actually discovered my crafty side! My own children forced me into it… And guess what? I can’t get enough of it. Most summer evenings, I can be found at the dining room table stenciling with my daughters; creating elaborate props for my son’s homemade movie; or using a how-to-sketch-animals-book to create a farm scene with my kids, complete with typical farm animals and a couple of pink flamingos, a giant fuzzy tarantula and several zebras.
So, maybe I am not exactly the most crafty or artistic, but I have found joy in the process. And that, my fearful friends, is the key… The projects can’t be all about the product, but instead they must be about the process. It does not matter if my lines are straight, my colors are just right or my clay creation resembles what I intended; what matters is that I had fun creating with my children!
And of course, there is a life lesson in this for the kids as well.
Enjoy the journey, not just the final destination!
Okay, maybe there’s a lesson in this for us moms too.
Here are photos of some recent journeys:
An “Unboring” Bureau
My daughter’s bureau was looking a little “boring” (her words,not mine). My suggestion, “Let’s make it more exciting. A few packages of decals and an hour later… “a totally unboring bureau” (her words not mine!).
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We draw together, step by step…
Her Owls |
My Owls |
Her Rocket |
My Rocket |
Her Castle |
My Castle |
We both love stencils lately!
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