Kids Create: A Window of Creativity

When’s the last time you took a walk through your neighborhood at dusk? The little thrill that comes with a glimpse at people’s homes through lit windows is a particular delight, especially at this time of year.

Julia Denos’s “Windows,” with illustrations by E. B. Goodale, captures that feeling. One spread shows all kinds of things inside a big apartment building’s windows, from “a hug” to someone “learning to dance.” In another, an aquarium fills up the window. A little girl day-dreaming. A bonsai. A basement party.

This was our inspiration for our art project in Kids Create one Tuesday this Fall.

Some advance prep was required – namely, building a “house” made of recycled cardboard boxes. Wielding a box cutter and duct tape, I assembled a child-sized structure with a flat roof. (“Structure” in the loosest sense of the word!) In a moment of inspiration, I cut a door into one side – and then taped it back up.

As we read the book, we took time out to talk about what we noticed in the illustrations. One spread led us into a short discussion of how can-and-string telephones work -- with vibrations!

 

After concluding the book, we moved from the main children’s room into the program room, where our challenge awaited -- the rickety box-structure, unadorned and squatting on mats.

The challenge: make this structure look like a house! What does it need?

We brainstormed a few ideas. Windows, definitely. Maybe a door. Maybe more than one door, in case the first door catches on fire. Definitely a unicorn.

Our materials were limited to construction paper, markers, scissors (accompanied, as always, with a safety lecture), glue sticks, and stickers (for anyone too young for scissors).

After twenty minutes of drawing, cutting, gluing, stickering, and more, it was ready…

I ripped the tape off the secret door. It was time to go inside. Everyone had a turn to crawl in and experience the house alone for a few moments. After that, it became an object to stimulate pretend play – reminding me of the endless possibilities that giant cardboard boxes hold for children.

Next time you are sharing a walk with a young person in your life, take a moment to talk about things you observe in your neighborhood. These experiences can help children expand their understanding of the world, which in turn builds strong pre-reading skills.

And keep an eye out for the next time an empty big box comes into your life. It’s a gateway to endless open-ended art and play projects!

 

For children ages 0-5, attend a Big Play Date to learn more about the magic of boxes and other household objects to support prereading skills.

 

Open-ended art project ideas from around the web:

https://artfulparent.com/

https://playfreecreate.com/

https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/indoor-activities-for-kids/

 

More picture books that feature neighborhoods:

In My Neighborhood