FLY Children’s Art Center Open Studio Session

What happens at FLY Open Studio Sessions?

FLY open studio sessions are an environment where children are self directed artists. Children at FLY practice decision making, problem solving, risk taking and creative synthesis in a safe and supportive environment. The adults in this room are here as facilitators, supply-getters and safety keepers. Children at FLY see themselves as art makers in a fun and exciting place.

Self Directed Play.

Children in our culture do not typically have very much unstructured play time. They are rewarded for being passive viewers, for following directions and acting out other peoples ideas. FLY is a place that encourages children to think and choose for themselves.  Each FLY child uses a variety raw materials to form personal objects and exercise higher level thinking skills. FLY children are developing tools to be active participants in their environment. They are becoming the kinds of people who can take the pieces of a problem and make a solution.

Individualized experience.

FLY open studio sessions are about individualized experience. When children are working in the studio, they become completely absorbed in their work, entranced with the process. Psychologist Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi calls this experience Flow- “the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity”. When children are able to direct their own activity in a safe and abundant environment, they are able to experience time slip away as they focus on their work. Our studio staff and volunteers are careful to create an environment where children can have their own personal experience of creative production. This is why you won’t see an adult led group discussion at FLY. We do not frame what they have done with an adult’s perspective. You will see lateral learning- when children see what other children are doing around them and act based on that knowledge. This is a way for kids to be teachers and learners. The studio staff and volunteers at FLY are facilitators for your child’s ideas. They provide the scaffolding, the tech support. Each child is the architect, contractor and critic of their own project.

The Role of Parents at FLY.

Children at FLY are learning to communicate with a new vocabulary- a visual vocabulary. By allowing your child to select their own tools and supplies and then work self directed, you are letting them build a vocabulary they will be able to use for the rest of their life. You are completely welcome to make your own project along side your child and demonstrate creative behavior- or you can act as assistant to their creative vision. Please resist the urge to direct or advise their project, as you would be diminishing their opportunity to experience active learning. When your child is allowed to create at their own skill level, away from your judgements as to how it should look, this is when your child builds their own vocabulary. Your child may be completely happy cutting paper into little pieces for an hour “It’s Snowing!” This is an appropriate developmental step, and the only way past it is through. By letting them direct their own project, you are telling them that you believe in their ability and that their ideas are valid.

How to speak with children about their work.

Carol Dweck, a psychology professor at Stanford University talks about how a person’s mind-set determines their success in life. She finds that people who view life as a series of challenges and opportunities for improving do better in life than those who see themselves as inherently “good” or “bad” at certain things. Instead of praising children’s intelligence or talent, focus on the process they used. For example: “That project seems  complicated. It looks like you worked really hard on it.” Talking with children about their art is also a chance to learn the tools of self-regulating and self-assessment versus the respect/approval of adults. When asked “Do you like it?”, re-frame it in terms of their own self perception- “What do you think?” “You seem proud of all your hard work” or “You seem disappointed with your work, what can you do to make it better?” Probably the best thing to say is “Tell me about your project, I am interested to hear how you did this”

Why do kids like FLY so much?

Kids like FLY because it is a place where they get to make the decisions. There are plenty of resources and adults to support them with their work. Being surrounded by other creative people is invigorating and working creatively feels like magic. Kids like working in a way where time stops, surroundings fade away, and they are in a space of their own imagining. Kids also like FLY because it is a little like a party.

Why do parents like FLY so much?

Parents like FLY because they want their kids to have the opportunity to create. Their kids like it.  Parents can talk to their friends, work on a lap top, and read. It is affordable, convenient, and the mess is not at their house!