the humble pencil

I realize that sometimes in my quest to create interesting projects that introduce new and fun mediums, I sometimes forget the simple things.

Like the pencil

Taken for granted and rarely ever given it's due as an important medium to be explored.

And that's sad because I realized when I presented a "sketch your stuffie" class to my students, just how much joy they found in spending a class working with nothing more than their pencil.

I had each child bring their favorite "stuffie", as they like to call them in Canada, or "stuffed animal", as I liked to call them in the States, and then we spent an hour just quietly sketching them.  This project really gave the students a chance to work on nothing more than their drawing and real life observation skills.

And since they couldn't hide behind paints and color in general for interest, their composition skills too.

I find the results charming and these are some of my favorite pieces to come out of my classes.

So next time you are wracking your brain for a creative and fun project in class, don't overlook the humble pencil and the joy it can bring in a simple but lovely project.

10 year old

7 year old

7 year old

9 year old

8 year old

7 year old