Wacky Pinecone Turkeys and How to Encourage Little Artists

Anyone eating turkey this weekend?
The children created these wacky pinecone turkeys, and I think they are perfection.

Group arts and crafts can be overwhelming for children. I always try to make/create the activity that I will introduce to the children beforehand so that they have a visual of what is expected. This can be quite difficult at times (for the children), as well, they are children and their abilities are that of young children.

There was much discussion about their turkey not looking like their friends'.
Word of advice, when creating art or ANYTHING for that matter with children:

• do lead and show the children what is expected, but keep it simple - never elaborate.
• aside from the necessary hand-holding when creating (ie. using a hot glue gun, or tying a knot (for example) if a child has not yet mastered said milestone) ...do not add finishing touches to a child's art - ever! Children need to own their work. 
• always focus and compliment the child's abilities and artistic expression (holding scissors properly,  used their imagination to create something that was out of the norm/off beat :)
• always ALWAYS focus on the process, never the end product. This doesn't mean, however, that a child should not finish what they started. 
• always celebrate the art (hang it up, speak about it). A child's work is an accomplishment. It takes a lot of guts to create and to share ones's creations with others.