Can You Draw with Your Mouth?

By |Published On: April 15, 2011|Categories: News|

Yesterday I received a fascinating letter from Dr. Dina Vendetti, principal of St. John’s Lutheran School in Dover, Delaware. She told me about a really fun project in their art class – the art teacher wrote, “We have studied a number of artists this semester – when it was Michelangelo, the students were required to do a painting by laying on the floor and painting on a page that was taped under their tables. When we studied Monet, the kids painted with sponges to help achieve the “impressionistic” look. Yesterday I told them about Joni. We watched a couple of interview clips from PBS and saw some of Joni’s artwork. They heard Joni talk about how art is a response to God’s love and grace and should be done for His glory! At the end of the lesson, they were shown a black and white photo of a sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay. They were given charcoal pencils and challenged to copy the sailboat without using their hands. They tried really hard and were somewhat successful but they certainly gained a new appreciation for Joni and what she’s been able to do!”

kids drawing with pencils in their mouthdrawing of a boat drawn by a student using a pencil in his mouth

Drawing with your mouth? I can attest, it’s not easy (and you certainly don’t want to drool all over your artwork :-). But I really applaud these students from St. John’s Lutheran and I thank their teacher for creatively stretching them to do more than they could imagine. I’m humbled and honored to be part of St. John’s study curriculum. And the principal is right – to God be the glory! Do you homeschool a child? Is your grandkid interested in art? Read the Joni book to them and challenge them to do what these students did (sorry, I don’t think pencils come in chocolate flavor). It’s a great way to illustrate how God’s grace helps the weak!

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