Kids and ART

Kids LOVE art.....any kind of art...I have never met a child that could not be captivated by artwork and even moreso by be helped and encouraged to DO artwork! Kids are our future...the future of this world...if you have children be it your own or your nieces and nephews or the neighborhood brats...take a little time and turn off that Goddamned TV, get out some pencils and paper maybe some cheap dollar store markers and sit down with them no matter what their age...its rewarding to YOU and so important for THEM....and they will LOVE it...talk about bonding!!...Give them a project...one thing I do with Virgil( 2 1/2 year old granson) is I will tell him to tell me a story but with no words...just pictures that he has either drawn or has selected out of a box of pics we have cut out of magazines that he can paste on big pieces of paper to tell his "story" If you haven't already, try this...its important! Ask Gabe s wife Kmama...she'll tell ya!...TAz

that used to be the only way my friend's kids could be entertained by me since back then i didn't know how else to do it! totally agree!

You won't get any disagreement from me on this! My kids go through a half a pound of art supplies a day seems like... and you get some incredible stuff!!!!

Taz I couldn't agree more, you're talking about my passion now! EVERY single kid does art, and funnily enough in every country in the world the development of art is the same in every child...we all start out the same way...scribbling! It really is an amazing process and the art allows the child to learn and interact with their world! If we don't teach our kids art we lose what makes us human and what connects all humans together. Not only does every kid need to do art, every person does. It connects you with your roots, with nature, and with other people. If you know someone who's going through a hard time give them some art supplies and a friendly ear, you'll see a difference! Dana

I have a little 10 year old brother who loves drawing, and "idolizes" me because of my art. It's pretty amazing really, definitely worth spending some time on. Jeremy

taz i agree, my 5 year old daughter comes to the shop after school everyday, and sits at my desk and doodles for hours. but she has it in her heart to be a tattoo artist when she grows up.

My 2 yr old daughter owns darn near every paint and art thing in the Walmart kids craft section...some of her first words were "daddy daw, daddy daw (draw). I spend hours with her almost daily drawing pictures, painting, and coloring...it is such a WONDERFUL bonding experience!!! I think it is the best thing you can do with your child for bonding other than reading. Unfortunately in today society art is not the main focus. I also have a 15 year old son. He used to love drawing, painting, and just being all out creative but because the schools system requires certain classes he wasn't ALLOWED to take art this year. He had to meet certain class requirements before he could take art again. Thats Bullshit if you ask me..Art as a whole makes people open their eyes to the world...what do you get from art? What DON'T you get!!! Color perspective, composition, theory, history, geography, and art touches on just about everything the other classes teach. PLUS art keeps kids busy, using their BRAIN!! Not using drugs, sitting in front of some damn TV!!!, Playing computer games, and the likes... For the schools teachers....let the kids draw!!! Let them use their imaginations, stop telling them what to do and watch them grow!!! Mike

Mike I can't believe that your 15 year old wasn't allowed to take art! That's disgusting. I think the problem might be that society as a whole doesn't see art making as lucrative. They don't see art as fitting into capitalism all that well. Art and music are continuing to be cut from the money allotted to public schools because apparently the current administration and others in power think math and science are the only things that matter. It's really sad because art is everything, it's all around us, to stifle that is to rid children of creativity which IS what makes a good worker, in any profession. Dana

ahhhh i wish i had LOADS of time to respond as deeply as I would like, there are so many stories racing through my head but it is only the second week of school here and my classroom needs me more (and Mike check your facts its not the teachers fault it is the current administration and a nation bent on conformity and mediocrity that keeps art out of the classroom and dana we dont teach math and science we are told to teach to meaningless tests! . . . .) briefly: i respectfully say that art is EVRYWHERE not just in paper and pens all children *do not* start out by scribbling thats a word full of negative conotations they start out creating and exploring early exposure should not be limited but instead be rich and open ended and when i say early i mean walk through a museum with your newborn lie or a blanket staring a the clouds descibe their shapes turn childrens attention to the beauty of like from day one and maybe when they are 15 they will still be able to see some of it! clay, soft white, non drying is what i use with my students (aged 3 months-14 months) on the floor with bare feet and practing pinching and gripping soft felt pieces with pom poms or pipe cleaners set out for touch and invention finger paint with huge sheets of paper covering the floor try with soft lighting and again with african drumming see if the creation is different . . . . . product means nothing process is everything keep your children away from coloring books limiting outlines blah I really am just like gabe i say 2 mins and i go on and on but the babies do call so I will offer you inspiration from a more eloquant speaker than I: The Hundred Languages No way. The hundred is there. The child is made of one hundred. The child has a hundred languages a hundred hands a hundred thoughts a hundred ways of thinking of playing, of speaking. A hundred always a hundred ways of listening of marveling, of loving a hundred joys for singing and understanding a hundred worlds to discover a hundred worlds to invent a hundred worlds to dream. The child has a hundred languages (and a hundred hundred hundred more) but they steal ninety-nine. The school and the culture separate the head from the body. They tell the child: to think without hands to do without head to listen and not to speak to understand without joy to love and to marvel only at Easter and at Christmas. They tell the child: to discover the world already there and of the hundred they steal ninety-nine. They tell the child: that work and play reality and fantasy science and imagination sky and earth reason and dream are things that do not belong together. And thus they tell the child that the hundred is not there. The child says: No way. The hundred is there. ~Loris Malaguzzi (translated by Lella Gandini) Founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach

For more info on Reggio: http://slc.educ.ubc.ca/eJournal/Issue1/Kocher.pdf#search=%22hundred%20languages%20of%20children%22

Kmama, I apologize but I wasn't trying to attack teachers at all. They are seriously underpaid! Plus they are not recognized for the effort that the majority put it! Yes my 15 yr old told me how upset he was that he couldn't take art this year. It is the politics of the administration that "dictates" what are children should learn. He LOVES art and rightly so...I did for him what I am doing for my daughter...lottsa pencils, paints, fabrics, coloring books, and the list goes on... I will take some of the suggestions you have given and apply them to my daughter. Both of my children are far ahead of the norm. My daughter draws, talks in full sentences (she is only 2), and I (personally) attribute this to spend time with my kids. Teaching, learning, bonding! Props to you Kmama for giving so much while others forget!!! Mike

Kmama, I think you and I are talking about the same things. But I in no way see scribbling as a negative term...scribbling is the exploration of the environment, it is only about the process, about motion, lines, color, and interaction. Scribbling only has negative connotations as a result of societies push to have a product. The process is by far the most important thing and by allowing children and adults to freely explore media, of all varieties, they will open many creative doors. Creating art follows normal child development, and ALL children of ALL races, religions, etc start by creating random motion oriented lines on a page and it continues on as the child develops. The FACT that ALL children follow a pattern creates a sense of unity in the world. Art is one thing everyone has in common. Art and music education should be held in high regards in schools and this countries administration needs to be changed in order to address these creative needs. If anyone wants to learn more about artistic development in children read Viktor Lowenfelds Creative and Mental Growth which outlines "normal" artistic development or go to http://www.d.umn.edu/~jbrutger/Lowenf.html (the website uses verbage I don't love, but gets the point across) . Children with mental disabilities just move along at a slower pace. Dana

I am not sure if you know, Mike, but art is one of the required subjects...and every year, if you are keeping up, you have room for at least one elective. (i just graduated in 2005, with friends graduating this past year). In fact, many students end up taking many electives their last year just to fill up time. A problem is that many counties are beginning to make a "you can't take a class more than once" rule. For example, there was only one creative writing class offered at my highschool. I took it in 11th grade. I wanted to take it again my 12th grade year to continue my writings, but was not allowed because it would have been the "same thing twice". This is for a number of reasons, but, mostly, because many students will take the same art class all four years and not better themselves. Try theatre, try writing, try any different form of art...and nobody can stop you from drawing on your own...but the school system has to try to make it the best for everyone and education as well rounded as possible. bluntly, taking lots of art classes comes when you have a major in college, not when you are getting your general education.

Ducky I couldn't disagree with you more. Art is not something that should be left until college. First of all not everyone goes to college, should those students be deprived of a full oppurtunity to explore different art forms. It seems like from what you're saying there was only one level of art class, or music or theatre, and that was it. Think about how many different levels of science and math you go through in middle school and highschool. Why do the arts stop after introductory classes? There should be an art requirement (of some variety and level) in every year, not electives. There should be classes for students who want to explore different media's but not necessarily become completely proficient in them. From my limited knowledge on the way some schools conduct art classes the emphasis is on creating "good" work (again I'm not saying all schools have this goal). Art, unlike science and math, does not have a good and a bad, or a right and wrong answer, when a child is learning. Children should not be told their art is bad or needs improved upon unless they are in college and going to become a professional artist. Early development should be full of artistic encouragement, not the stifling of creativity in order to have a product. I could keep going, but I'll stop for now Dana

Well I think it's time for us parents to take matters into our own hands.You just can't count on "general education"anymore.Teach your kids about what is important to you and it will be important to them.My kids like to do any kind of arts and crafts,there's tons of things you can do and it doesn't have to cost alot of money,just alittle imagination.

Another issue with "education" these days is that it's become more about trying to get a piece of paper than about actually learning stuff. I'm continually astonished at the number of college grads - PhD's and all - who have no sense. Encouraging art expression in a youngster improves their ability to learn for themself: working thru art problems gives them extra confidence for life. TAz - i am so looking forward to meeting your tribe!

Hotspark and Rasclark you're both right there are a lot of problems with the education system. We can't just give up on it though, we have to find ways to improve it and have art become a bigger part of it. We definitely can't rely on it, but we can teach our kids what we feel is lacking and simultaneously try to fight for better education in this country. A starting point is more pay for teachers and more resources for children, especially children in inner city schools. Dana

"Another issue with "education" these days is that it's become more about trying to get a piece of paper than about actually learning stuff" I think the reason for this also stems back to the product oriented way our society operates. Which again goes back to the need for the exploration of art in school and at young ages. If a child is taught that it's not all about the product but the process, they would be more apt to actually pay more attention and learn instead of just striving for the piece of paper or grade. Dana

Dana you make so much sense! My idea is that if we start taking this problem in hand RIGHT FUCKING NOW and teaching our kids and thier friends...and they teach their friends etc etc ad infinitum...then maybe just maybe when they reach te age of majority they will ask, no, they will DEMAND that art be given the important place it deserves in our educational system...ART IS IMPORTANT...much more so than ANY sport!!....Its gonna have to start at HOME folks!! GET INVOLVED!!!!!! Get those kids off the computer If all they are doing is playin mind numbing games...and away from the television...go spend a few bucks on art supplies and take out in the woods and sit on a rock and draw trees rocks, frogs, ducks leaves...ANYTHING ...and more importantly COMMUNICATE!! Sorry guys...I am just VERY passionate about art and kids!!

I really dont know if it can be fixed in its current state. my high school experience in the beggining felt like if i didnt get good grades and get into a good college then my life was fucked forever. and it wasnt about learning things you cared about it was about mesmerizing facts to pass some test to get some grade. theres way too much fucking bureaucracy. high school now is almost training for a lifetime of working in a cubicle. the repetitive paperwork. you can only write in this color ink. head your paper exactly this way. give your teacher the utmost respect (regardless if they deserve it or not) high school kills creativity and college has become less of an accomplishment and more of something to put on a resume. and the price of tuition of going to college in general puts an extremely unfair adavantage to those born of means. i mean i dont care how intelligent you are if you dont have money your going to have to work ten times as hard as to maintain a scholarship, financial aid, student loans, etc then the lad next to you who sleeps like a baby at night because his way was paid for him and oh of course didnt have to sweat out being accepted into the school as their parents and grandparents and great grandparents all attended the school. colleges should be free and something provided by the government in full. government spending is so bloody ludicrous, five year olds could manage a better a budget than these pricks. I guess what saying is that knowledge and opportunity should never be more available to one then the other, and should never cost a dime to those willing to bust their ass to get it.

All I can say as a College prof who teaches Design is that I can't believe the overall intelligence quotient of the bulk of college students these days either Rasclarke... something went wrong. In my opinion, our ability to create art, and that ability to be creative is one of the only things that separates us from the quote "animals". It's something that needs to be encouraged relentlessly!!!

Thanks Taz...I'm REALLY passionate about improving the way society views art, which effects our children and adults. If art weren't viewed as a waste of time (unless you're a professional and making money off it that is) more people would create instead of killing off brain cells and creativity in front of a tv or computer screen. The education system can be fixed, to say otherwise is to admit defeat and to doom our children and our world to mediocrity. I for one do not plan on giving up on it. It is my life's work as an art therapist to bring people art and help them explore themselves, their surroundings, or just the art materials. It's my passion and I don't take it lightly. One more thing, Taz...I love your comment of taking children outside to draw nature....it's a love of mine. In the art therapy field it's called eco-art therapy. The combination of art and nature in order to connect people back with the nature world, with the connectedness of all living beings, and with a goal to protect nature and art. Sorry I keep posting ridiculously long posts on this one, I just can't help myself! Dana

A little off topic. but in praise of good art teachers..... Can I say that I was SO fortunate to have a good art teacher in HS... though I took art lessons before, they didn't do what good Ms. Sturch did on a tiny high school budget. She even let people take self-directed independent courses (in high school!) if their schedules didn't allow art at the "class time"! She made sure that we did everything from clay sculpture to being allowed to create our own ideas (wax and wire sculpture; the theme for anything we did), learning how to build our own frames for canvases, calligraphing, printmaking, all different types of paint, ink, shading, composition.contour drawing, sketching.... and art history. We learned so much about different historical periods, why painters covered different things, the reasons behind the methods.... and it wasn't just facts... you learn by doing, and see what works, and are allowed more freedom than anyhwhere else. If it wasn't for that class, I would never, EVER have known that I have talent in the field.. or how much hard work matters. And though my creativity is limited, this is one of the few classes that preserved it. That said, people like that are few and far between, and not many are found in high schools. I completely agree about its value, though. Though it wasn't seen as the most important or valued class, it helped me learn how to think instead of what to think. And then I went to another school for my final year of high school (OAC, the former "Grade 13" now discontinued in Ontario) and couldn't do any art at all, and independent study wasn't possible. What a difference.

Teachers make so much difference in a childs formative years and even later....a good teacher uplifts, encourages exploration, teaches by positive example, and makes themselves ACCESSIBLE....a "bad" teacher encourages "productivity"at the sake of self, teaches memorization in lieu of wisdom and portrays a "closed" attitude that children pick up on so easily Kmama you may disagree but I believe that "bad" teachers are becoming way too common in this country...please don't think I am saying that there are not good and even great teachers here ...there are....But due to poor salaries and benefits the quality of teachers today has declined immensely.Thank God for the wonderful men and women who dedicate their lives to teaching....I have a good friend who is a teacher...she has to ride the city bus (yuck!) to school because her car is broken and she cannot afford to fix it on her ridiculously low salary ...I have seen her live on Ramen noodles and water for a month because she spent most of her check on supplies for her 2nd grade class ( art supplies mostly)...she organizes fund raisers constantly to give her students the things they need but that our education system can't or won't afford...I have seen the school system in my town spend MILLIONS on new gymnasiums, football fields and sports gear but refuse to spend a few hundred on art supplies and musical instruments...I have seen them hire a high profile football coach at great expense but refuse to hire an experienced music teacher. Is it just me or does anyone else find this ridiculous? And if so what can we personally do?...I see kids who are high school graduates who are functional illiterates.... Who is to blame?...Society?....Government?...Drugs?...Rap Music?...I believe WE are to blame...the lackadaisical people who vote our local politicians into power. Any thoughts?

Teachers make so much difference in a childs formative years and even later....a good teacher uplifts, encourages exploration, teaches by positive example, and makes themselves ACCESSIBLE....a "bad" teacher encourages "productivity"at the sake of self, teaches memorization in lieu of wisdom and portrays a "closed" attitude that children pick up on so easily Kmama you may disagree but I believe that "bad" teachers are becoming way too common in this country...please don't think I am saying that there are not good and even great teachers here ...there are....But due to poor salaries and benefits the quality of teachers today has declined immensely.Thank God for the wonderful men and women who dedicate their lives to teaching....I have a good friend who is a teacher...she has to ride the city bus (yuck!) to school because her car is broken and she cannot afford to fix it on her ridiculously low salary ...I have seen her live on Ramen noodles and water for a month because she spent most of her check on supplies for her 2nd grade class ( art supplies mostly)...she organizes fund raisers constantly to give her students the things they need but that our education system can't or won't afford...I have seen the school system in my town spend MILLIONS on new gymnasiums, football fields and sports gear but refuse to spend a few hundred on art supplies and musical instruments...I have seen them hire a high profile football coach at great expense but refuse to hire an experienced music teacher. Is it just me or does anyone else find this ridiculous? And if so what can we personally do?...I see kids who are high school graduates who are functional illiterates.... Who is to blame?...Society?....Government?...Drugs?...Rap Music?...I believe WE are to blame...the lackadaisical people who vote our local politicians into power. Any thoughts?

Ya know, i'm gonna stop posting on subjects like this. People don't read, they skim over. I never once said kids shouldn't explore different art forms, i ENCOURAGED it. But no, people read what they want, and think what they want. So forget it, nobody is open minded at all, or even willing to read before they bitch.

Oh bullshit...get off yer high horse and EXPLAIN what ya meant!! Ducky you always make some great points but sometimes ya just get silly when everyone either doesn't understand you or don't agree with ya...now come on ....lets argue and lighten up fer cristsake!!

ducky i read what you wrote maybe YOU should read it again *bluntly, taking lots of art classes comes when you have a major in college, not when you are getting your general education.* you shouldnt stay away from these threads but instead take the time to read what others have to say and then learn something! wait till college??????? this was a conversation about young children needing art art as a bridge to learning math, physics, language, literacy etc and you think that shouldn't happen till college????????? am I mad at ya???? NO am i annoyed with ya???? hell ya months ago you posted something about how even through another affiliate corporate crap child care center had a kid busted for drugs or guns or some such didnt mean that it made the field look bad well you were wrong it makes an already incredibly emotionally charged work that much harder i was insulted as a teacher and a mother when you talk politics or religion you talk about how much you just believe what the people in charge are telling you, i'm sorry if that insults you but thats what i hear maybe a well rounded education full of art, music, and scientific inquirery as opposed to test success would have helped open your mind and you would be able to listen and question with confidence as a teacher and a mother i fight everyday for children, our planets future, to get a "well rounded, developmentally appropriate, child centered curriculum" what do you do? dana, i'd love to talk off list about some of the work you do, feel free to email me I have been teaching for 15 years children 0-6 intergrating art, music,language , reggio, multiple intelligencesn etc. taz, of course i understand that theire are BAD teachers out there you know why??? because thay had bad teachers and the system is training them with the wrong goals . . . . as for underpaid whatever your friend is making if they are working in public or private k-12 cut that salary in half AT LEAST and thats what early educators make

So Kmama you don't think that the low salaries are a contributing factor in this mess?...I didn't mean to sound as if that were the only reason our school systems are not doing well...I'm sure socio-economic factors are at least PARTLY to blame however I believe that there are many factors involved both political and societal that contribute ...I just don't know where to start to help...to be some sort of positive influence somehow...I for one would love to help change things even if only in a small way and I would enjoy hearing your viewpoint.I know kids like my virgil will be ok because he has parents and grandparents who will undertake his education at home and not just depend on this failing system of ours to "grow him up" as it were but there are so many kids who will not be afforded that ...not that their parents don't love them and want all the best for them but that these parents still trust in a system that is coming up short and by the time the child comes of age the lack of skills that should have been taught in the formative years begins to rear its ugly head and it could be too late....Am i making sense here at all?

Taz you already answered this question of who/ what is to blame, you wrote: *Who is to blame?...Society?....Government?...Drugs?...Rap Music?...I believe WE are to blame...the lackadaisical people who vote our local politicians into power.* yes your post made sense but the clock has struck midnight and i will no longer be able to make sense if i dont go to bed right now fight the power!

Kmama,I have to agree with what you said.We need to get off our asses and vote for polititions that will work for our values,and watch closely to make sure they are.

I think a large issue concerning politics and education is that the education system is currently a political tool. Vote for higher taxes or we'll cut your school funding. It also doesn't help that most, if not all politicians are seemingly untrustable and "dirty". There's really only one way to climb a mountain folks, the bottom up. This mountain looks huge, but, I think it can be climbed. You just have to start climbing, sooner or later you'll reach the top. I think the best place to start would be awareness. You can't fix a problem when half the people are unware that it even exist. Maybe do a fundraiser for an art program for kids. Hell, I'd donate money myself. I know we have programs such as the YMCA so that kids can play sports and whatnot, why not have the same programs for kids who wish to learn how to play an instrument, express their artistic side, paint, ect...I dunno...just a thought. Jeremy

did ya read anything before my last sentence? lots of art classes, meaning schedules full of them. and art alone. there is more than drawing and painting and all of that that is still art. music is art, theatre is art, dance is art. Instead of taking a gym class about football or volleyball or basketball, if you want art, take dance. If you have an elective, take theatre, take a creative writing course. It's all art forms! but, there should never be a time when a high school student focuses on just one subject their entire 4 years. again, that's why there are electives. And, i just came out of the Montgomery County school system, one of the systems that has, for YEARS, been PUSHING more art forms in school, and trying to say there wasn't enough before. When someone is in high school they have no clue what exactly they want to do when they are a working adult, even through the first few years of college. that's why there are general requirements, so you try out everything, and see what out there grabs your interest. My last year, because of the creative writing class i didn't take, i took workshop instead. It was the only thing i hadn't taken that i still had some interest in, but not much. Come to find out, i LOVED it...and if i had just gone and taken a pencil-drawing class, or the advanced art class, or pottery, or worked on the newspaper, or taken a 2nd year of theatre after i'd spent 3 years in the productions and 1 in the class, or doing music, i never would have found out that it was one more ART FORM that i enjoyed and that i felt good about doing. Art is more than drawing, and i think it's great that schools promote students to explore many different forms of it.

Ducky I didn't skim over what you wrote, I disagreed with you on the comment "bluntly, taking lots of art classes comes when you have a major in college, not when you are getting your general education". If you had read how I responded to the rest of your original post you would have seen the word "seems"...I was making no assumption about your school or experiences or thoughtsm but looking for you to expound and then I went on with more of my opinion. Before you dog on people for not being open minded and bitching take a minute to calm down that someone acutally disagreed with you and then comment. I don't think anyone was saying for students to just focus on one art form throughout their early years. The main thread through this discussion has been that there are not enough of the ARTS in schools right now, funding is being cut for all of the ARTS, and teachers are being taught to teach product over process and to teach tests instead of useful information (again this is not all teachers but a trend it seems is happening). Kmama I would love to talk to you more about what you do as well....my expertise is mainly with the older adult and the terminally ill but I love children and am grateful that there are teachers out there who really try to give them a well rounded education including the arts. Jeremy I think you have the right idea. People tend to avoid the bad things that are going on around them and in the world. In order to get them to wake up you gotta make them aware, and then good people can't avoid it anymore. I know you didn't offer to do a fundraiser yourself...but it's a great idea! I think you're in highschool right? Start it up! Unless your school is excpetional it could probably use some more funding for the arts. If you decide to do it e-mail me and I'll try to help out any way I can from where I am! Everyone's right...we need to vote for change. In any of the upcoming elections vote for the people who support education. It may seem small, but unfortunately these sometimes "dirty" people make the most change and we put them there. Alright, I'll stop now....very good topic Taz thanks for bringing it up! Dana

gabe IS doing a fundfaiser for art education, he has been working on it for over a year! check it out at htttp://www.itsyourland.com

That's great! What isn't he involved in! I still think you can't have enough fundraisers though, no matter the size!

Good post Taz! I have videos that are over twenty years old of my kids doing art projects at home when they were preschoolers. I am really grateful that my wife put their well rounded upbringing ahead of all else. I have no doubts that the constant involvement with them throughout their younger years contributed greatly to their character development. My wife has been teaching for over thirty years. Our country needs to put more focus on education soon! We are way behind!

To a kid...a good teacher is God

just DON't take them into a tattoo shop to watch a tattoo artist! (wink) sorry could not resist after my "can I take my kid into a tattoo shop many moons ago. Ditto Taz! Keep the crayons, chalk, ink, paint AND GET MESSY your self!

That is an absolutely adorable picture!! I love it!!!!

Dats my Mia Catt!! Ain't she a peach?

As always, a living doll!!!!! One other thought,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,if there's a will, there's a way. Classes or no classes, true artists will endure. It's all in how badly you want something. TCE

I have 2 kids a 13 yr old and an 11 year old both have some amazing talent for thier ages, My 11 yr old sits at my light table daily and puts different patterns together, in the past, I have actually put her work on clients, and most people freak when the find that thier work was designed by an 11 yr old. I agree with taz 150% on shutting off that goddamn tv, and video games. my 13 year old who is quite creative, has been failing school last 2 years, this year I took her tv, and all video games, now she gets straight A's and has picked up her guitar again. Mortis

My youngest son Tristan started drawing flash at the age of 8 ...we put up his first "real" sheet when he was 10 and did the first of one of his original designs that same year!....That was before the video games intruded into our lives.

Good news..for me. I talked to my son yesterday (he doesn't live with me) and after explaining how vital art is in his education a few months ago...he told me he went in on the first day of school and asked if there was any classes he could drop so he could take art...i.e. electives, the only one was a study hall....so after complaining to the principal he got to drop that and get into the art class!!!! YEAH...he is pretty proud of himself.. Taz, if he was with me more I would have him drawing for me too. Maybe it could be a creative collaboration between my son and I...that would be some cool bonding....maybe some cooler art! I will shut up now...have drawing to do... M