Village Life
By Jayne Whytock
Children's Art Day
O
july 6th 2020
n July 6th we celebrate Children’s Art Day. This year more than others we have seen the imagination and power of children’s artwork.
From rainbows placed in windows to thank the NHS during the pandemic to the wonderful pictures received by the police and other key workers, children have certainly played their part in lifting the spirits of the nation. Most children love to draw and as many parents we have struggled to see what (to us is a scribble) the picture is supposed to be of. Trying to keep a straight face when presented with a page of people who resemble aliens and being told that the one with the big head, short arms and legs and towers over the house is actually you is something we have all done. The fridge is covered with drawings (now from grandchildren) and there are boxes in cupboards and lofts filled with pictures from our children’s school days. It’s fascinating to get an insight as to how children view the world. It’s a well-known fact that children
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use drawing as a way to express feelings, and emotions. And how they depict a holiday, day out, or event is not always how we have preserved it, but they use art as a way to express situations in a way many of us have forgotten. When they progress on to making objects the fun can really start. We had a candle stick holder made of clay that to say the least resembled something else but had pride of place on the mantelpiece and was a talking point for all our family and friends! Like most parents I cannot bring myself to throw my children’s masterpieces out even though they are more than thirty years old. At Christmas we still have decorations to put on the tree made out of the cardboard from a toilet roll and the fairy has also seen better days but they are part of our family’s memories so whilst they may now be faded and falling apart they will still be brought out every year. So I wonder, in years to come when the little ones are grown up, will they will still have the drawings from 2020, and be able to tell their own children of what happened and how they used art to lift the spirits of their families, their communities and the whole country? JULY 2020
