Bob Was Stuck in Our Garage
It started with a chipmunk.
One day this chipmunk got trapped in my garage and made itself a home near our stash of bird seed. We never could fully locate it to flush it out, so we let it go. And sometimes it would run out of the garage and back in again. It lived happily in and out of our garage all summer and fall.
So I named it Bob.
I found myself telling my kids to “watch out for Bob” which gradually, because I’m mature, morphed into “be careful, I saw Bob running down the stairs to the basement”.
And the story of Bob grew all summer, until it was something else entirely.
Bob the Monster
One day, my daughter asked me what Bob looked like. She had not made the connection and didn’t realize that Bob was a chipmunk. And so I had a little bit of fun.
I only answered her direct questions, and at first I started small.
Does Bob have teeth? Yes.
What color is Bob? Brown and black.
What does Bob’s face look like? He has beady eyes that seem to dart here and there, and see you wherever you go. (Okay, maybe I started to exaggerate a little.)
What happened is this amazing drawing of Bob…the chipmunk.
The Descriptive Drawing Exercise for Kids
We took it one step farther and I brought out a bunch of beautiful animal encyclopedias. Our favorites are:
Animalium by Jenny Broom
Animals: A Visual Encyclopedia by Animal Planet
The Wonders of Nature by Ben Hoare
Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman
And then I hunted for an animal they didn’t know. You can honestly choose any animal, even one as well known as a zebra, and it would still have the same effect. But I came across this little guy.
She got out a piece of paper and I gave her a very vague description of what this guy looked like, allowing her to ask no questions. Here is what she drew.
Then I had her flip the paper over and I gave her a much better description. Here is version 2.
After she was finished, I invited her to choose her own animal and to give me a description of it, paying special attention to the adjectives that she chose.
Dual Benefits of This Drawing Exercise
Language Arts: When we read a non-picture book, we count on the way that an author describes characters, setting, and even a piece of clothing. Learning to use adjectives and other words to describe something that we see in front of us is a critical writing skill.
Art: It’s also a skill to have in art. When drawing, it’s important to notice the details of the object or picture that you are drawing from. This exercises forces the child to notice things that they wouldn’t have noticed before on just a single glance.
This descriptive drawing exercise for kids is an exercise that can easily be done between siblings, or between students in the art room.
Note: Do not let the describer see the person’s picture that they are drawing.
This is important, because kids will have the most fun seeing if their description worked, and trying again. The laughs will be worth it, and the learning more so.
We would love it if you’d share!
Don’t forget to tag us at @soulsparklettes on social media if you try this activity with your kids or students – we love to see what you create!
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