Art activity – worry bin

Image from http://www.wasteman.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/pink_bin1.jpg

In the expressive arts group, after afternoon tea, and before we get started on our artwork, I ask the children to draw their worries for the week. These are done on small coloured squares of paper. I ask the children to draw out the things that have upset, worried, angered, annoyed, or frustrated them in the past week.

Some children use one piece of paper, some use many. After they have finished drawing their worries they can put their drawing in the worry bin, a plastic container at the front of the room. If they want to they can tear them up or slam dunk them into the bin, whatever they want to do with them. Some children stomp on them or scrunch them up. Many children started making small paper airplanes and flying them into the bin. My assistant and I don’t ask the children about what they have drawn but the children know they can talk about it with us if they wish to.

The children know that the drawings they place in the worry bin are thrown out, so many children ask us to place them in the pile of drawings which are archived. It’s up to them how they want them dealt with.

We have been doing this activity weekly for a while now, and some children say they have run out of worries. They don’t have to do it if they don’t want to.

.

This post has been transferred from another blog, and backdated to its original posting date. I’m sorting through all of my blogs and putting things where they belong. Below are the original comments on this post…

kloppenmum Says:                February 5, 2011 at 12:30 pm e

Great idea. This could be used in a regular classroom, too.  The kids and I ritually burn our concerns in the winter., keep forgetting to do something over summer…

Theresa Says:                February 8, 2011 at 2:37 am e

Wow, this is a fantastic idea!

hakea Says:                February 8, 2011 at 6:35 am e

Hi Theresa

I hope this activity gives the kids I work with the habit of expressing their anger and frustration through art, rather than the many other destructive ways that are role modelled by the adults around them.

.

.

RELATED POST

An artful tale    https://criticalcompanions.wordpress.com/2012/02/12/an-artful-tale/