As part of their Parks and Recreation program, the city we used to live in has a Social Club for Individuals with Special Needs. They offer a variety of activities and meet once a month.  One of the activities is Painting.  The session was led by a mom of one of the participants who is a talented artist and had volunteered to teach the class a number of times.  I signed Caitlin up and was looking forward to adding more of her unique artwork to our growing collection. 

The session was much like the girls-night-out painting parties that have become popular recently (but minus the cocktails of course!).  Long tables were set up with all the necessary supplies conveniently laid out.  A blank canvas board, masking tape, four trays of paint, foam paintbrush and a business card is all that was needed.  Everyone was going to be working on the same design, a sunset with birch trees. 

A Fun and Easy Painting Project

This painting project is one that can easily be done at home if you wish.  The few supplies can be purchased at any craft store.  Here is what they did in the class:   

1. Create the tree trunks.  This involved covering parts of the canvas with long pieces of tape.  The teacher instructed to place the tape vertically but it didn’t matter if they were perfectly straight.  Leaning them a little to the right or left and spacing them unevenly gave the scene a more natural forest-like feel.
2. Paint the sunset.  Red, orange and yellow paints were spread across the whole canvas board in equal sized sections.  The colors blended together to create the sunset.
3. Remove the tape.  After the paint was mostly dry, they carefully peeled the tape off.  Drying could take several minutes depending on how much paint was used for the sunset.  With the tape removed, the white canvas areas that were previously covered are now the tree trunks.
4. Add detail to the tree trunks.  Birch trees have dark ridges that cut across the white bark of the trunk.  To produce a similar effect, a small amount of black paint is added to the edge of a business card.  Then the paint is lightly scraped in quick, short strokes on the edges of the white tree trunks. 

Benefits of Painting

I found this interesting article on the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine site: “Six Benefits of Painting for Patients Recovering from a Brain Injury”.  Even though the article speaks specifically of how painting can help brain injured patients, I believe it nicely summarizes major benefits that could help those with a broader range of special needs:

• Fosters Creative Growth
• Strengthens Memory
• Problem-Solving and Motor Skills
• Stress Relief
• Optimistic Attitude
• Emotional Growth

It was heartwarming to observe the many joyful moments during the session.  Here are more benefits I’ll add to the list:

• Smiling Faces:   It was evident they were having fun and enjoying themselves with the ear-to-ear smiles on their faces.
• Hip-hip Hoorays:  There were many cheers of delight as they completed parts of the project.
• Loving Guidance:  The teacher was patient and gave a lot of positive encouragement.
• Self Expression:  Each of the participants expressed their individuality through their own design.  They took pride in their unique creations.
• Focus:  The activity required focus and attention to detail.  The hour long session was the right amount of time for all participants to stay actively engaged.

What I Learned

Would you agree that there’s a constant tug-of-war between over-involvement and independence that special needs parents (or any parent for that matter) struggle with everyday?  In this short activity, it was reinforced to me just how difficult it can be to maintain this balance. 

Here’s an example of what I mean…

There were a few moments I struggled to let Caitlin paint on her own.  I was so focused on her doing it “right” that I found myself guiding her with very heavy hand-over-hand.  She would pull her hand away and say she wanted to do it herself.  And I would let her.  But as soon as it didn’t look quite “right” (according to my own incorrect judgment), I found myself intervening again!  Realizing how stifling this was to her creativity and independence, it was time for me to just stop and let my husband take over!

I was thankful for the subtle reminder and made notes to myself:

1. Be ultra conscious of how my involvement is hindering her independence.
2. Assess the situation to determine what amount of involvement is really needed.

I think the paintings turned out spectacular!  Even though they painted the same design, each was one of a kind!  The colors were vibrant and pretty.  The simple design enabled most of the participants to complete the project entirely on their own or with minimal assistance.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you found the activity and tips helpful!

JoAnn

JoAnn’s journey as a parent and caregiver to an individual with disabilities started when her daughter was born pre-maturely with multiple health issues resulting in cognitive, physical and speech disabilities.  Over the years, JoAnn discovered that recreation, travel and social experiences can bring happiness and relief to a life that is often stressful and frustrating.  She loves to seek out adaptive, accessible and fun activities for her daughter and the whole family to enjoy.  She started the blog www.OurSpecialFunOasis.com to share her uplifting stories and positive ideas to help and to inspire others.