Project Work

It's hard to pinpoint exactly how or when this started. It could have been the fence building. That's when she asked for a hammer and nails and spent long hours in the driveways piecing scraps together. It could have been her interest in Jackson Pollock and the books we read before and after our the trip to the National Gallery to see a few of his pieces. It could have been the lecture we heard by sculptor, Ursula Von Rydingsvard. Or the books we have been reading about outsider artists.

All of these things were happening right around the time we started homeschooling which was also around the time I was taking an on-line class in project based homeschooling. Regardless of how it all started, the biggest lesson for me has been to just give her time, space, and supplies.

She had initially worked so diligently; hammering and constructing in intense chunks of time, but then the final pieces just sat for a week or two in the driveway. I started to wonder if that was the end of it until yesterday when I asked Camille if she wanted to try out some new paint. Without hesitation, she headed outside and returned to her primary piece with an idea already brewing in her mind.

Since last night she has been painting in concentrated spurts of time. Adding layers, deciding she likes the acrylic paint the best, directing me to add a few stripes while she mixed a new shade of green, and leaving things to dry before re-assessing and adding another layer.  

We are not solely project-based homeschoolers. We do have structured learning time and an eclectic curriculum that we use, but this creative work, this on-going project work of hers is so very good. I see her savoring this time to do her own work, in her own way. I see the  ebb and flow of ideas punctuated with triumphs and fails. And it's been a good lesson for me to step back and just let her work.