Good morning friends
As I was writing about the feel of the pen on paper yesterday, I remembered other memorable sensations associated with arts. Satyajit studied in a Steiner school. ( also called Waldorf school ). Unlike normal schools which focus primarily on the intellectual development of a child, Steiner schools focus on the development of head, heart and limbs. So there was a lot of emphasis on arts in his school. As he dabbled in the various forms of arts, we too, were introduced to some new arts forms like formdrawing. The school held special classes for parents to participate in the numerous arts activities that the students were exposed to. I remember attending classes for formdrawing and pottery and hand puppet making and I enjoyed them thoroughly. I still remember the feel of the mud on my hands and fingers in the pottery class and the wonderful sense of accomplishment that I had when I created and baked a diya on the back of an elephant.
Formdrawing involves repetitive drawing of simple forms like half circles or triangles initially and goes on to become more and more complex in higher grades. I had a lovely time in this class too. I was totally engrossed in this art form and practised it often.
I also enjoyed the eurhythmy workshop in which we were taught slow rhythmic movements ,it was a meditative experience for me.
The painting class was also a very special one. I remember that kindergarten students were taught to wet the paper first and then colour it. Later, they were taught finger painting by dipping their fingers in paint. All these activities were wonderful for the sensory development of young children. The children were also encouraged to play with various textures which again aided the sensory processing. Hand puppets, finger exercises, and in later years stitching and crochet helped in hand-eye coordination. Beeswax was another technique frequently used in kindergarten. In fact,all these activities resembled techniques in occupational therapy which is used for children with problems like ADHD.
All these lovely memories were rekindled when I talked about the feel of the pen on the paper yesterday and I relived the wonderful days of my son’s childhood.
Arts can play such a major role in a child’s and also a parent’s development, I do hope that every child gets an opportunity to create wonders in the art form of his / her liking.
Love,
Anjali Bhatawdekar
