We started off by talking about journaling, and what meaning, if any it had for them. Not a whole lot of response there. They have journal prompts for english, but that's about it. I thought that was strange. I have been keeping some sort of journal since I was 13!!! Am I odd? Or is it just a generational thing? Anyway, I showed them mine and how I pick a verse or a saying and work on it for several days. These kids are used to stuffing information in, spitting it out for a test and moving on to the next thing to memorize. I emphasized how working on the same piece for a while really makes it stick in my head and heart. We then moved on to emotions and what colors signify that emotion. The kids came up with some doozies! Turquoise was my favorite for being peaceful. Then I handed out composition books, magazines, stickers, scissors and glue and they got to split into two groups and hang out on the floor. They rifled through the magazines looking for colors or images to match their feelings. Some went on to do two or more pages, some put all their effort into one page, and one guy put down the word angry and a head shot of Darth Vadar. Wow.
I took a couple of pictures for you, but not much as I didn't really get the permission from the kids to show their work, so here are some bits and pieces:
They even wanted to do the front of the books.
I love this one, I wonder what was going through the student's mind?
What a fun day! It was amazing to get outside of myself and show something new to someone and have them actually like the process. Kinda revives my faith in doing art is what I am supposed to do.
Hope your day was just as good.
~Lynn
that sounds like an awesome thing to teach kids, lynn!
ReplyDeleteand yeah, i kept a journal since I was 7, so I'm surprised none of these kids have. maybe now they have blogs. :-)
I've worked with young people before and I must say, I always come away feeling like they've taught me more than I have taught them. It looks like you had a great day and who knows what wonderful seeds you have planted! :D
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yapping cat
I'm getting caught up on your blog. Very cool idea with the journals. I always loved reading kids' entries when I taught--you really see into their lives. Interesting choices with pictures as well as their words: tired, just OK, etc. Kids have a lot of stress nowadays, don't they? I'm sure being able to sit, color, cut out stuff from magazines, etc., was an enjoyable addition to their day. :)
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