Zeyentech.com

Encouraging Art And Creativity In Your Children

If you are reading this article, chances are you have a creative soul and love to let your immagination soar - because - why else would you be visiting a site aimed at crafts, hobbies and other such creative pursuits? You may well be  talented and artistic - but have your children inherited your creativeness and resourcefullness? And if they haven't - are there ways you can stimulate an interest in them? Here's what you can do...

Encourage the creativity in your children by providing them with the time, resurces and the space for making art. Try to set aside interruption-free time for drawing, in a mess-proof zone - so that their creativity can run wild. Ensure that you cover all surfaces so that any splashes of paint or scribbles of crayon are 'caught' - because nothing squishes creativity more so than a parent saying "Don't make a mess" every 2 minutes.

It is also very important to choose the right drawing materials as well. Many craft materials can be improvised, but when drawing tools and paper are required, opt for a small selection of good quality age-appropriate products, rather than loads of inferior products. Ensure that you check safety information and always follow instructions. Young children should always be surpervised during 'art time' because many necessary materials - such as crayons - pose a choking hazard.

Surroundings: As with writing or working at a computer, good posture and a comfortable position are important for drawing. With young children, a child-size table and chair is actually preferable to an easel. If the chair is a little high, provide a phone book for a footrest. A coffee table and a cheap plastic chair work well. A small kitchen storage trolley is a perfect solution for containing supplies, or if space does not allow, a portable fishing tackle or tool box is a good option too. Messy toddlers may need a drop-cloth and supervision to avoid ink-stained walls, as even 'washable' pens often don't deliver on that promise!

Art Materials: Avoid cheap markers, too-hard pencils and thin paints - these types of materials are discouraging to the child and therefore  a waste of money. Provide many sheets of blank paper to inspire their crativity and occasionally invest in a large canvas so that your child can paint something 'grand' and chances are you'll want to hang it on your wall!Also provide coloring books or coloring pages - of which you'll find plenty online. Granted - coloring pages are not so great for creativity, however they do provide children with the chance to practice their fine motor skills and sometimes it's very relaxing and just what they need to simply color in without the 'pressure' of thinking about WHAT to draw.

For example little girls may enjoy coloring images of Barbie and at sites like Barbie Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Barbie party printables

When it comes to drawing and coloring, at each age/stage of your child's life provide....

Toddlers

• Child-safe markers and wipe-off boards
• Chalk boards and safe chalk
• Plain paper and coloring pages

Juniors

• Sketchbook
• Student colored pencils
• Washable Markers
• Oil pastels
• Plain paper and coloring pages

Middle School

• Sketchbook  or scrapbook
• Graphite Pencils
• Watercolor sketch paper
• Watercolor pencils
• Marker pens, marker paper
• Plain paper and coloring pages

High School

• Sketchbook  or scrapbook
• Quality drawing papers and boards
• Graphite Pencils
• Artists' quality colored pencils
• Illustration markers, marker paper
• Pastel paper and hard pastels if liked
• Plain paper and canvases to work on

All ages

• Safe sharpeners, erasers, dusters, stencils and rulers
• A  folder for storing large pieces
• Storage boxes for smaller pieces
• Consider photographing or scanning pieces for a permanent record.

Rihanna - Redemption Song (Yahoo! Music Cover Art 2006)

Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler $185.00 The Cuisinart(tm) Griddler makes "multifunctional" an understatement! Make perfect panini... plus! With four separate cooking options, it can handle everything from pancakes to sausages to grilled cheese to steaks, hamburgers and panini. It helps you prepare more servings of more kinds of food in less time, so you can cook for a crowd -- no one has to wait!Simply change the cooking plates and adju...

Cuisinart DCC-1200 Brew Central 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker $165.00 A striking blend of retro style and modern technology. Programmable for brewing up to 24 hours in advance. Setting for 1 to 4 cups ensures full-bodied flavor and aroma. BrewPause™ feature lets you enjoy a cup before brewing is finished. Adjustable heater plate setting keeps coffee at the temperature you prefer. Audible "ready" signal. Automatic shutoff. Includes Gold Tone metal filter, #4 pap...

Cuisinart DLC-10S Pro Classic 7-Cup Food Processor $99.00 Professional power and versatility are at your fingertips, thanks to the experts at Cuisinart. The handy Pro Classic Food Processor slices whole fruits and vegetables, kneads bread dough and minces garlic with amazing ease. The 7-cup work bowl is heat-resistant, cold-resistant and shatterproof. Features regular and extra-large feed tubes, stainless steel medium (4 mm) slicing disc and shredding di...

21 $7.49 ADELE 21...

Making Mirrors $9.79 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed....

NOW That's What I Call Music Vol. 41 $3.99 ...

Lady and the Tramp (Diamond Edition Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) $17.22 The doggone funniest love story you'll ever see, this charming Disney animated feature follows the rocky romance between a proper cocker spaniel and a streetwise mutt from opposite sides of the tracks. Features the voice talents of Peggy Lee, Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Stan Freberg, and Alan Reed. Songs include "Bella Notte ," "He's a Tramp," "The Siamese Cat Song." 76 min. Widescreen (Enhanced...

Bambi (Two-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) $22.99 Get the Best in High Definition for your HDTV with Blu-ray Movies!Now Bambi, Walt Disney's beloved coming-of-age story involving Bambi, the wide-eyed fawn, his playful pal Thumper, the loveable skunk Flower and wise Friend Owl, will thrill a new generation of fans with its breathtakingly beautiful animation, soaring music and memorable characters. Plus, this special Diamond Edition includes an all...

Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo + BD Live) [Blu-ray] $31.60 Disney's 1959 animated effort was the studio's most ambitious to date, a widescreen spectacle boasting a gorgeous waltz-filled score adapting Tchaikovsky. In the 14th century, the malevolent Maleficent (not dissimilar to the wicked Queen in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs taunts a king that his infant Aurora will fatally prick her finger on a spinning wheel before sundown on her 16th birt...

Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol $3.99 ...