By Carol Peters

Carol Peters is an award winning art insructor , highly skilled at bringing creative art alive for young and old .

We all have one place we can go and that is for a walk … so let ' s go !!

Parks and Recreation , I most enjoyed taking the children on walks and looking for art and inspiration in nature .

Before leaving for a walk , we would talk about our focus for that day . One popular topic was flowers . We are all surrounded by wonderful color and texture , form and line … all the elements of color and design . You just have to walk with a purpose in mind .

One of my favorite things when picking wildflowers was discovering their beautiful colors and shapes , admiring their patterns and light , their brilliance and wonderful textures , forms and lines . Nature is art , after all .

If you can , pick flowers and talk about them with your child . If you can ’ t pick them on your walk , then bend down with your child and really look at them . Talk to your child about what you see to deepen their experience . Engage your child with these prompts , and come up with your own :

• Let ’ s look at this flower very closely . How do you feel when you see the color ?

• How many colors do you see ?

• How do you feel when you see this color ?

• Is the stem one color of green ? Do you see light and dark green ?

• How does it feel when you touch it ?

• Is it stiff and scratchy ? Rough or smooth ?

• What does the petal feel like ? Smooth , soft and fragile and easy to bend ?

• What is the shape of the petal … round , oval , pointed ?

• Do the leaves have lines in them ? Look at the edges . They are learning shapes .

• What is your favorite flower ? Do all flowers look the same ? What are the differences ?

Teach your child to “ see ” like an artist and encourage them to spend the time analyzing the details . This time together will create life-long memories for your child and will help them develop a wonderful skillset they will use their entire lifetime . Once they take the time to look closely at the details , they will never see things the same . As a parent , you ’ ll have the opportunity to connect with your child and find a few moments of rest and relaxation from the daily grind . By leaning in , you will discover the world through your child . You just may start to “ see ” things differently as well .

A few minutes dedicated to walking , talking , collecting and relating with your child is life affirming . You will soon realize the hillsides you explore , the beaches you study , the sand and water ’ s edge , the cliffs you traverse above the shore , the mountains you climb , and even your own neighborhood and

GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN SPRING 2021 gmhtoday . com

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