Choosing Work

At the beginning of the school year, we invited the children to create a self-portrait using paper plates, fabric, string, markers, plastic eyes, and tacky glue.

School-age educators often plan process art activities for children that follow a theme. Educators hope the children will enjoy making the projects we plan, but a child's heart craves freedom, choice, exploration, and discovery. Often in school-age care, pre-planned process art invitations have few participants since children prefer to use art materials to create their unique designs.

Some children came over to ask why we set out new materials. Then the children looked over the materials and asked us about using the materials to craft a different project. "Sure, that would be great." was my response. The children used the materials to create monsters, clothes for stuffed animals, abstract designs, jeans for a doll, and much more. There was not much excitement for making a self-portrait. The energy for creating their idea was contagious.

Children enjoy using recycled materials to create. The open-ended nature of recycled materials helps children explore and dream about possibilities. The freedom to create invites innovation. As children work, they engage in deep discussion about their work and the outcome they are trying to achieve.

The work session lasted until all the materials were gone, but the children wanted to continue creating with fabric. 

Running out of recycled materials is a rare occurrence. Sometimes at the beginning of the school year, our donations from parents do not grow enough to keep up with the children's desire to create. I keep a collection of backup materials at home, so I brought them into the program the following day.

The next day, we offered more materials so the work could resume. As the work session began, other children expressed interest in the invitation and asked to join the original group. The influx of children created some negotiation over materials. The children negotiated with kind words and actions. It was a joy to watch them work together.

The original group of children invited a new group of children to share the recycled materials. Open-ended work creates opportunities for children to practice social skills. Sharing materials and sharing ideas helps strengthen the learning community.

The days moved forward, and the demand for recycled materials slowed as the children looked to explore other mediums. A core group of children still enjoy creating with these materials daily. All the children come back and use recycled materials from time to time since recycled materials offer children an opportunity to create with limitless possibilities.