C H I L D ’ S
P L A Y
Annie Shen watches as son Ivan Li, 7, creates his next print.
block printing they’ve tackled in the past, they’ve only got one opportunity to make a print per original drawing. The kids jump right in, each covering a large tile with paint and using a cotton swab to draw. It’s a learning process, and the kids discover that simple prints come out better than intricate drawings. By the end of the class, there are peace signs and cityscapes, forests and flowers drying on the table. When asked about her favorite class now that she’s been to six, Sophia Browner, 6, replies: “This one. I like painting.” Allison agrees with that assessment, saying there was a lot of energy and art being made. “Play and experimentation are incredibly important in art-making and therefore play a large role in how I teach, and I saw a lot of that going in this past class,” Allison says. “The kids always amaze me at how knowledgeable they are about art and how in tune they are with their feelings and observations about the work they are looking at.” – Jessica Stringer 32
chapelhillmagazine.com January/February 2019
You’ve Got Mail A SUBSCRIPTION BOX INSPIRES KIDS TO THINK BIG
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WO SISTERS SIT AROUND A KITCHEN TABLE taking turns rolling the dice. Zarah Adamou, 6, reads from the card, “Compassion is being concerned about the suffering of others. Name a time you showed compassion.” She thinks for a second and her older sister, Tanda Adamou, helps jog her memory, “Remember that time you helped that baby chick?”