These days have been tough for the nation but most importantly for our children. My kids have often been bored being stuck at home. We have done all we can to stay busy, including playing every board game we have, playing video games and watching TV. My youngest son is 16 months and is a ball of energy. He needs activities all the time to keep him happy and active.
We finally decided to purchase some markers and large sheets to draw on. We drew anything and everything we could think of, including drawing in every direction. It was actually a nice change of pace as my children drew (quietly). As they grabbed markers and crayons, characters odd and colorful began to pop out of the sheet and came to life. We soon discovered how fun it was and how quick the time passed by. We eventually began to notice the joy not only on my face but the kids. We also realized my wife and myself drew pretty well and found it even more fulfilling to continue drawing.
As we filled in the sketches with color we took more time to be careful and make scenes and characters even better looking. As we tried to change it up with the occasional board game and TV show we kept coming back with the children to draw. We may never be the next Picasso but we noticed how fun it was to find a hidden talent and the feeling it gave us to accomplish something more than just sitting through the day.
Some time passed and we had filled the entire page, but without much idea on where to place it we taped it to the floor and left it as a colorful mosaic. The drawings which were filled with bright colors had started to smear from walking on it. My youngest son’s drool even added more character to the surreal effect as it glopped on and spread the colors out and distorted the drawings. In the end our little art time became a very unique art piece that intrigued us but again we didn’t know what to do with. After much thought I decided it would be cool to frame it and place it on our wall going up the stairway. I took some time to add one more project to my day and framed it myself. It was not a big deal as I found a size close to the sheet we used. I even left the duck tape we used to take the wear and tear of foot traffic. Once up it looked like a fun but oddly modern piece of art that my family created essentially for free.
As I look back now the activity actually became a great way to memorialize our lives during these unpredictable times. It gave us a way to bond as a family but it also gave us a snapshot of what we where doing at the exact moment the nation stood still.. The added bonus was I found my untapped talent and love it. May this small glimpse into my life help other families struggling to be a bit creative and have them discover their own hidden talent.
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