in the studio: works in progress
Thursday, January 10, 2008 at 04:11PM 
Wonderful reader Jill asks:
How do you corral the projects?? Do you let them sit out for an indefinite amount of time? When do the projects get thrown away, if ever? I want to encourage creativity, but it bugs me to have all the "pieces" spread out all over the place if making something takes longer than 5 minutes.
As Jill has already discovered, the only thing more beautiful than a basket of garbage is a room full of pieces of garbage taped to other pieces of garbage.
Of course, your child knows that the macaroni box taped to four soup cans is a turtle (or a lunar rover, or a brontosaurus, or a fax machine), and maybe even you know that (if s/he told you), but to everyone else, well, it's a look, yes, but maybe not the look you were going for.
How do you corral the projects? In the classroom, we had shelf space for ongoing projects, and we interspersed shelves filled with beautifully displayed art supplies with shelves filled with garbage, i mean ongoing projects.
At home, I have ongoing projects on top of the bookshelves, scattered across the table, and on the floor. SIGH.
At school, we dealt with ongoing work by sticking a Post-It note on it recording what it was (according to the maker) and their plans for it ("I will paint it", "Add eyes and nose", "Add Steering Wheel", etc.). We would reference those notes when reminding the child of the work they had planned to do and also when asking them if they were finished yet.
At home, with my two students, I don't usually have to put a Post-It on anything, but I do write down in my notebook anything they have planned so I can remind them later and also so I can make sure I get whatever they need from me to finish their project.
(I could never keep track of anything if I didn't have a designated homeschool journal/notebook.)
Do you let them sit out for an indefinite amount of time? Yes. The amount of time I let them sit out is definitely indefinite.
Let's talk ideal situation. Ideally, you are writing down what they are doing along with their requests for additional materials ("I need green and brown paint for the turtle's shell", "I need another soup can for my rover", "I need something silver for the top", etc.), their plans (see above), and their questions ("What goes on top of the rover?", "What does a turtle's tail look like?", "I need to look at the seatbelt in our car"). You use that information to keep things rolling:
"You said you wanted to see what was on top of the rover. Let's look on the internet."
"The green and brown paint you asked for is in the art studio. WEAR A SMOCK."
"Do you want to go look at the seatbelt in the car today?"
and etc. So, things are moving along. A project is done when the child says it is done. However, if it hangs around, the child may decide they want to do something more to it, which is a very good thing. In the classroom, children will copy each other's creations, which is an excellent thing. Child #1 makes something, child #2 copies it and adds something interesting, then child #1 goes back and wants to add it to his as well. It's all about extending the work. If you have more than one child, and they are close enough in age, maybe you can enjoy the same effect.
When do the projects get thrown away, if ever? Basically, things hang around until I'm sure the child is good and completely done with them or until I am convinced they have been completely abandoned or because I am in a bad mood and want the room to be clean.
(Guaranteed, if you throw something away, the child will ask for it the next day.)
(Buy black garbage bags for cleaning the studio. There is nothing like the face of a child who just found his or her beloved art project in the trash.)
I want to encourage creativity, but it bugs me to have all the "pieces" spread out all over the place if making something takes longer than 5 minutes. Ah, I feel for you, Jill. Rome wasn't built in five minutes, however, and neither is a lunar rover made from a macaroni box. It all takes time, and you just have to figure out a way to lessen the effects of helping your child become incredibly intelligent, creative, and expressive.
Designate one shelf for ongoing projects. Make room for two or three things per child and that's it. If they want to make something new, they have to finish their old thing first.
Work with them, however, and facilitate their work by paying attention to what they say they want to do and supporting them (by reminding them of their plans, by giving them requested materials) so they can reach their goal. I repeat, it is all about extending the work. The more often they work on one particular thing, the deeper and more layered the knowledge will be.
When they are finished, help celebrate what they have accomplished. Take pictures of it. Show it to people: family members, friends, delivery people. Make a big deal about it; show them how impressed you are. (Don't be fake about it, though. Be sincere.) Kids see what is important to you and they want to impress you. Your attention is a powerful motivator.
Reader Comments (8)
My two guys are still pretty small, so the projects are too---and I've found designating a dishpan (those plastic bins w/o lids and a nice lip for kids to carry) for each guy works well. I can handle the big project, it's the litte googlie eyes everywhere or scraps that make me crazy. The dishpan makes it easier for them to clean up, and to keep little brother out of unfinished business.
The other item I wanted to mention was a "cocktail" table we found ---tall legs, probably a 4 1/2 ft. tall table, that allows things to dry, etc., without the two year old getting hold of it. He likes to camp out under it too. I see these tables everywhere right now. Could probably easily do this to an old table by just setting it on something strong...
And Lori, I'd love to send your son a thank you note for all the ideas I'm stealing here. Just send me a snail address and he can eat his words:-)
i know the type of bar cart you are describing, and i can see that working really well!
lol, molly. it usually works somewhat differently .. as in, big alien first and then *separate* baby aliens .. or big whale and then baby whales .. it works for everything. also, there always seems to be *food* that must also be made, and food tends to be teeny tiny scraps of paper that go everywhere...
thank YOU for your comments, because they definitely function as encouragement for me to keep posting. :^)
Hey, that would be hilarious for Jack to receive some thank you notes in the mail. I'd write him one too, if you don't mind giving me your address.
you guys are SO funny re: the thank-you notes. it was actually my older son who made the grumpy comment; jack wrote his letters with a smile, as usual. :^)