DRAWING


ILLUSTRATION

 Give the young child a piece of chalk or crayon and see what he
 will do with it. Just as the adult very often will make "doodling"
 marks with a pencil, so will the child start making scribbles and
 lines.

 The desire to draw and make illustrations in order to express ideas
 is as natural to a young child as handwriting and occurs much
 earlier. Usually all he needs is materials, such as crayons, colored
 chalks, charcoal, or water colors, and a little encouragement.

 Ideas for illustration may come from personal interests and expe-
 riences, such as the "Trip to the Dentist," "Thanksgiving Dinner,"
 "The Parade Down Main Street," "My Visit to the Fair," or related
 with other school subject matter, as, "A Market Place in Mexico,"
 "The Indians Making Pottery," "William Penn Trading with the
 Indians," etc.

 Illustration refers to narration, and means telling a story, or de-
 scribing an event. Thus, in illustration, children can be encouraged
 to tell their ideas graphically.

 To encourage illustration, it is important to build up good mental
 pictures and a desire to tell the story. This can be done through
 experience, such as a visit to the market, etc.; through discussion;
 and through material that has become familiar in study in history,
 geography, and other areas.

 It is important to fill up the paper well and not make tiny draw-
 ings, leaving a large empty space.

 Young children draw quite naturally and, as a rule, are quite
 willing to attempt anything until ridiculed or "corrected" by older
 children or adults. They should be encouraged, stimulated, and di-
 rected, but never taught formulas and methods which hinder their
 own child-like ideas.