Sunday, August 26, 2012

Art Journaling


My friend Jess at Teachable Moments is an amazing teacher.  She used to teach in a school but now devotes her time to her two beautiful daughters and luckily her fellow homeschoolers' children!  Each week she invites them into her special art journaling studio and works her magic.  I say magic because I see magical things happen in that room.  I see my son, a reluctant writer, engaged and productive, enjoying every second in her space.  Both of my children come home and want to create their own art journaling pages in their "sacred" books.  She has opened up a new world for them, a new way to express themselves and I am very grateful to her for that.



I can't wait for her e-book to come out.
Combining art with creative writing is very effective as the children are in the perfect mental space to express themselves.   I remember writing stories at school.  I would be tearing my hair out and frustrated trying to come up with an idea.  Finally when I finished my story I would be "allowed" to illustrate it with a picture.

In art journaling, words seem to form in the children as they distill what they want to express to its core, all the while creating beautiful pages on beautiful paper.  Jess is serious, quiet, gentle and very organized.  The children listen carefully to her words.  They trust her.  They know she cares about their work, every word and every detail.  Every week the children do their best work.  She really fosters a love of learning.  She has a true gift.

I love seeing my children spontaneously art journaling at home.  Claire recently made these after seeing Romeo and Juliet for the second time at Hudson Valley.  She is their biggest fan!



4 comments:

  1. Oh Cath! I don't even know what to say to this. It thrills me beyond words to know that your wonderful children are inspired to create in their journals in the comfort of their home. THAT is the magic. What happens in my home is simply the inspiration.

    Hosting these groups has been a dream come true. I enjoyed sharing every minute with them. Now that our schedule has changed and other things are soon to be underway, I hope that we can have workshops were the children can come and create a page or two together. Maybe on a Saturday or a random Thursday afternoon. The when is not important. It is the why that means much more.

    Thank you so much for taking the time to write this post. I am very touched.

    ~Jess

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are truly gifted. We are so grateful for all that you have done for them. It will be fun to spontaneously art journal. They will miss the classes...but Claire is starting another new page tonight so...the class never really ended. And please tell Greg that the salsa is out of this world. Yum!

      Cath

      Delete
  2. yes, I agree! Jess is an amzing person, and a fantastic art journal inspirer. I love that they do their journals at home, they look magnificent.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I too cannot wait for her e-book to come out. I am teaching an art journaling class to 3rd - 6th graders once a week. Can't wait to see the e-book with all her creativity and ideas.
    Blessings
    Diane

    ReplyDelete