Following instructions for LHFHG Art?

[StephanieU]

Okay, I will admit I am a bit of a perfectionist. And I am trying to get over that with my daughter. But, how much do you push your kids to follow the directions for the LHFHG art? We did Unit 1 Day 2 tonight. I was showing her how to do the mosaic (don't overlap all of the pieces, leave a gap, etc), and she wasn't interested in listening. It came out okay in the end, I guess. I kept pushing for gaps, and I think she eventually got the idea at the very end (and then a few pieces fell off too to help). Is it normal for the kids to not always follow the directions like that? Am I just too much of a perfectionist? If I can figure out how to get images loaded here, I will add a picture of all three of the kids with their projects

[MelInKansas]

One of the main skills learned in the Art boxes is following instructions. I feel like, at that level, there has to be room for a little of both, a meet-in-the-middle kind of thing. 1) they should follow the instructions and try to do the project the way it is described but 2) there should be some room for fun and their own interpretation also. Or sometimes if my kids want to do something their own way and we are done with school and everything is out anyway, I will let them do another project and have free reign over what they do, within the bounds of not making a huge mess and all that. I think that teaches them again that it is important to follow the directions but then when we are done with our "work" we can play too.

I think in the case of what you are describing I would have just let them do it that way and not worried about spaces, but I am not artsy nor am I any kind of perfectionist.

[Molly]

I think what I'm going to do with Beyond is to demonstrate or do one at the same time, give them a better idea of what is expected. My girls just follow the instructions themselves now, but sometimes I feel the little guys need to have an example to understand the instructions and because I want their work to be theirs, I thought that might be the way to go. I will let you know how it works.

[StephanieU]

Here is what we ended up with:

The youngest mostly just did the glue, and I did the papers. DS wasn't interested (wanted to play instead), and then when I wasn't looking did his part all alone. And the oldest is the one actually in LHFHG and wanted to layer the pieces, completely covering the page. Her "worst" areas are under the cross, which I think helps hide it.

[MelInKansas]

Great pic! I love her face . Again, I don't think that is something I would have stressed over or worried about, but I am kind of the opposite of a perfectionist.

[Motherjoy]

I pretty much don't care what their art looks like. I did at first, wanting to compare my kiddos' row of art to the preschool our church runs. Their art looks perfect, and as I worked with my kids, I realized that those teachers must do most of the work. Seems silly, ya know? A teacher wanting to impress parents, so she does all the gluing and cutting to make the art look perfect. I decided then to stop fretting. I let them do it. They do have to follow directions and be diligent, but I do not care about the outcome. Life isn't Pinterest. I'm just trying to occupy the kids for an extra 20 minutes, give them the chance to be creative, and work on skills like cutting, tc.

[mom23]

So cute! I love your picture . I think it will come....the following directions thing...at least I hope it comes someday . I tend to over stress this, I think, linking it to obedience. Sometimes I have to realize they aren't not following the directions because they're being defiant, but because they're not understanding, or they are interpreting their art in a different way. When that's the case I really try to step back and let them do their art. Does it really matter that it's not perfect in the end? As long as they're getting the main point of the lesson (here it looks like it's the cross), they're becoming exposed to different types of art (the mosaic), and they're growing in skills like following directions (even though those skills aren't perfect yet, they should be growing in it as the year progresses) I think you've got it covered!

[bethelmommy]

I think it will come....the following directions thing... Sometimes I have to realize they aren't not following the directions because they're being defiant, but because they're not understanding, or they are interpreting their art in a different way. When that's the case I really try to step back and let them do their art. Does it really matter that it's not perfect in the end? As long as they're getting the main point of the lesson (here it looks like it's the cross), they're becoming exposed to different types of art (the mosaic), and they're growing in skills like following directions (even though those skills aren't perfect yet, they should be growing in it as the year progresses) I think you've got it covered!

I pretty much don't care what their art looks like. I let them do it. They do have to follow directions and be diligent, but I do not care about the outcome.

The above quotes are basically how I approach the art box .

[my3sons]

Great thoughts on this thread! Our philosophy matches this...

One of the main skills learned in the Art boxes is following instructions. I feel like, at that level, there has to be room for a little of both, a meet-in-the-middle kind of thing. 1) they should follow the instructions and try to do the project the way it is described but 2) there should be some room for fun and their own interpretation also. Or sometimes if my kids want to do something their own way and we are done with school and everything is out anyway, I will let them do another project and have free reign over what they do, within the bounds of not making a huge mess and all that. I think that teaches them again that it is important to follow the directions but then when we are done with our "work" we can play too.

I think in the case of what you are describing I would have just let them do it that way and not worried about spaces, but I am not artsy nor am I any kind of perfectionist.

Well said, MelInKansas! Somewhere between following directions well and having some creative leeway seems to equal a good balance. Learning to follow directions for multi-step projects and experiments as dc mature becomes more and more important. Not following the directions can lead to a project or experiment not working out at all in the upper HOD guides. However, there is certainly learning that comes from mistakes as well. I have learned that if my dc try their best and follow the directions, I call it good. I am not aiming for every child to be an artist. God gifts some with this and some not. In LHFHG, however, the projects are written generally enough that all can be successful. And the greatest sign of success? Dc holding up their completed projects with great big smiles on their faces! Looks like your dc are doing just fine.

In Christ,
Julie

[MelInKansas]

I wanted to share another example my DD did, even though I feel like she followed the instructions very well that I gave her, but also of her doing her own interpretation that I was kind of proud of (and it will show you some of the progression through LHFHG because this is Unit 32 day 2, near the end).

Here was what was in the guide: (I hope this is okay to post as a small portion of it)
Cut out a large triangle of white paper for each student to make an army tent. Cut a slit partway up the middle of each triangle. Help students fold the paper back away from the slit to make two flaps on their tents. Provide various shades of green and brown paint for students to sponge on their tents to camoflauge them. Have students use wadded up paper towels or sponges (we used a sponge brush) to apply the paint to the tents. If you choose, students may glue the tents on a piece of paper to be a background. Then, students may paint a background scene around their tent.

IMG_1891.JPG (119.91 KiB) Viewed 1932 times

The bottom is the one done as described and then the other is her own. I actually didn't notice until just now that the instructions say they may paint a background. After she was done with her tent I let her pick one more paint color for her palette (paper plate) and then gave her another paper and let her paint what she wanted. She decided on her own to do another tent with a scene.