Art
This world is but a canvas to our imagination.
—Henry David Thoreau
Art is not a project or time of day. One doesn’t have to know to how paint, draw, dance, or sculpt to make art. Your art, your creative spirit, is how you see and approach the world and is expressed by whatever you do. So, what does the art of early care and education look, sound, and feel like? I propose that early childhood educators are artists who are out-of-the-box thinkers. They create environments that instill wonder and delight filled with sounds of joy, laughter, and discovery. That joy and wonder is a magnet pulling children in to manipulate and explore for possibilities. Art is a way of seeing and talking about the world with children using a rich vocabulary to extend thinking about colors, lines, shapes, form, texture, patterns, and space. What you do is the supreme form of art: teaching!
In loving memory of Gryphon House author Leanne Grace, MEd, we are sharing pieces of her inspirational writing every Wednesday.
Leanne was the director of professional development at Hildebrandt Learning Centers and a lifelong advocate for early childhood education. She inspired the early childhood community to prepare children as lifelong learners with her ability to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. One person can make a difference, and Leanne did just that. She will be sorely missed.
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