Drawing Transformers

Drawing characters is a constant in school-age programs. The children often reach for a pencil and paper when they first arrive in the program. Children enjoy creating representations of things that are important to them. Through drawing, children express ideas that develop during the school day.

One day, a child was drawing transformers. The child created many images on several pages, but the pictures looked similar. The child created new images of the same character and made minor additions to the work on each new page. The process of Iteration was in play here. As an observer, it appeared the goal of the work was to increase skill in making one specific character. The character was from a particular Transformer movie titled "Dark of the Moon."

Wikipedia says Iteration is the act of repeating a process. Iteration aims to generate a sequence of outcomes to approach the desired goal, target, or result. Each repetition of the process is also called Iteration. The results of a single iteration are the starting point for the next Iteration.

A few days later, in further exploration of character, the child started drawing transformers again. The images featured different backgrounds and new transformer images layered on top. The child used pencil and paper to create four pages of drawings. Next, the child taped the drawings together to create one long scene. The child added the names of each of the transformers to complete the work. 

Revisiting projects often occurs when children have time and freedom to choose their work. Children may not revisit their work daily. The ideas that make up children's work often need time to percolate before the process of expression begins. Inviting children to choose their work helps the creative process to bloom. The results of this work are often more significant. It is a joy as an educator to see the iteration process unfold. As educators, we can offer the gift of time to children. More time invites greater opportunities for learning and discovery.

Inspired by the transformer work, another child used paper, markers, and staples to create a transformer book. The book featured images and written text to tell the story. The completed work featured more text than images to express the story's details. This book was different than the typical school-age book. With school-age children, created stories are often image-focused. The children usually add a few words, so the observer knows what the images represent.

Children are great observers of other children's work. Observing others motivates children to create their work. After some initial mimicry, children develop new iterations and make work their own.

The simple process of placing pencil to paper is a constant for school-age children. An act that may seem simple to us as observers is an important outlet for children to express and create ideas. As educators, we must never discount the importance of offering children time to express their ideas and wonderings on paper. This type of expression is where the possibilities of creativity hide, waiting for someone to discover.