LJ Idol Home Game
I wasn't going to do this week's LJ Idol topic because I need to be working on other stuff and I'm not in the competition anymore, but then I got an idea based on the topic. Since this isn't for the competition, I'm not going to spend a lot of time trying to polish it like I (usually) did with past LJ Idol entries. So here it is, in its unpolished glory:
Topic: Coloring Outside The Lines
Both my daughters are at the age where they need to learn to color inside the lines. The six year old can do this, although she often doesn't bother because she's trying to get the coloring done quickly. She'd much rather draw and color her own picture than spend the time carefully coloring a picture in a coloring book or a worksheet in school (especially if she doesn't get to pick the colors). In some ways, the three year old is better at keeping inside the lines, just because she has the patience to at least try. So, time and time again, I praise them for their good job, but especially with the six year old, point out where she could have been more neat about staying in the lines.
This all brings about the dilema I face every time I try to teach Scout something (and, to an increasing extent everyday, Snoopy). I don't want to teach her to be a good little automaton who always follows the rules and does what she is told. However, at age six, she lacks the judgment needed to know when breaking the rules is appropriate or necessary. She has a very independent streak, which at six gets you into all kinds of trouble. I don't want to squash that streak, but I also need her to know and follow the rules.
See, I want her to be able to conform when the situation calls for it, know how to color inside the lines, what rules to follow, why the rules are in place. This way, when she's old enough and experienced enough to make her own judgment calls, she'll think about it before she breaks a rule. Also, when she does break it, she's got reasoning behind it that is more thoughtful than "because I wanna". After all, thoughtful, deliberate rule-breaking is far more effective than "Down with The Man!" rebellion.
So, even though I want to tell her "color it any way you want! Forget the lines, too many people try to put you in those boxes!", I encourage her to stay in the lines and make it neat, just like everyone else, so that when she's older, and she discovers that coloring outside the box can produce an effect just as pretty, if not moreso, it'll be a deliberate action, not a blind act of rebellion. The rules, after all, are there for a reason. We need to know those reasons before being able to effectively break them if the situation calls for it.
Lest you think I'm stiffling her creativity, she regularly draws pictures of people with purple skin and green hair, or other non-traditional colors, in addition to the usual assortment of peach and brown, and I think that's great. After all, we're all different. There are many ways to express creativity without dismissing all the rules, and trust me, she always finds a way. :)
Topic: Coloring Outside The Lines
Both my daughters are at the age where they need to learn to color inside the lines. The six year old can do this, although she often doesn't bother because she's trying to get the coloring done quickly. She'd much rather draw and color her own picture than spend the time carefully coloring a picture in a coloring book or a worksheet in school (especially if she doesn't get to pick the colors). In some ways, the three year old is better at keeping inside the lines, just because she has the patience to at least try. So, time and time again, I praise them for their good job, but especially with the six year old, point out where she could have been more neat about staying in the lines.
This all brings about the dilema I face every time I try to teach Scout something (and, to an increasing extent everyday, Snoopy). I don't want to teach her to be a good little automaton who always follows the rules and does what she is told. However, at age six, she lacks the judgment needed to know when breaking the rules is appropriate or necessary. She has a very independent streak, which at six gets you into all kinds of trouble. I don't want to squash that streak, but I also need her to know and follow the rules.
See, I want her to be able to conform when the situation calls for it, know how to color inside the lines, what rules to follow, why the rules are in place. This way, when she's old enough and experienced enough to make her own judgment calls, she'll think about it before she breaks a rule. Also, when she does break it, she's got reasoning behind it that is more thoughtful than "because I wanna". After all, thoughtful, deliberate rule-breaking is far more effective than "Down with The Man!" rebellion.
So, even though I want to tell her "color it any way you want! Forget the lines, too many people try to put you in those boxes!", I encourage her to stay in the lines and make it neat, just like everyone else, so that when she's older, and she discovers that coloring outside the box can produce an effect just as pretty, if not moreso, it'll be a deliberate action, not a blind act of rebellion. The rules, after all, are there for a reason. We need to know those reasons before being able to effectively break them if the situation calls for it.
Lest you think I'm stiffling her creativity, she regularly draws pictures of people with purple skin and green hair, or other non-traditional colors, in addition to the usual assortment of peach and brown, and I think that's great. After all, we're all different. There are many ways to express creativity without dismissing all the rules, and trust me, she always finds a way. :)