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Having Fun with Free Painting

Today as we walked into our Structured Play area Jacob asked if we could paint. I pulled out the paint supplies and let him paint. No activity, just painting for fun! He was obviously feeling creative so I wanted to let him explore his creativity.
He chose the colors he wanted and made a picture on the paper. He painted with the paint brush but also with his hands! It was funny, he painted his hands with the brush then painted the paper with his hands.
It was nice seeing him lead the way and explain to me what he had painted. At one point he was trying to explain one of the pictures but I could not figure out what he was saying. He was getting frustrated with me for  not understanding him so I asked him to show me what it was in hopes I could ascertain from his description. He went over to our library book stack and started looking through books. I was getting upset because of the paint. It is great paint and dries fast so I didn't have to worry about the books getting wet but I am working with Jake on finishing an activity and cleaning up before moving on. 
Little did I know, he was doing exactly as I asked, he was showing me what he painted! He found a picture in a book we read yesterday and repeated the word he was saying. Turned out to be the monster Little Bear Painted for his grandmother. I was not planning on this literature connection but excited to see it when Jake brought it up on his own! The funniest part is that while I was reading this book yesterday he was playing with his barn and farm animals. He did not overtly show interest in the story but was obviously listening and looking  at the pictures. Amazing!

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  1. Jess-July 15, 2011 at 4:09 PM

    Shelley made this comment:

    Thanks so much for sharing! This is such an inspirational story because sometimes I can feel that the activities I'm doing are not reaching my son...but just maybe they are. Thanks again!

    Thanks for your comment Shelley! It is good to hear it is not only me! :) Sorry I accidentally
    deleted your comment! Been one of those days!

    ReplyDelete

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